Chimney Tops and Clock Towers ~~~

Gentle Reader ~~~ A few days ago, I promised you more chimney pots ~~~ and here they are.  Of course, these are just a few more to whet your appetite.  I took a welcome, short, restorative walk today, around the valley, the longest I have walked since my back started to heal. Thank you all for your good wishes, healing thoughts, and prayers as this continues.  In the meantime, I am getting more and more frustrated as I can only watch things ~ that is to say weeds ~ grow out of control in the garden ~~~ one thing is for certain, there will be plenty of catching up to do!

So, I went off for my walk on a beautiful, gently warm and sunny autumn day, and taking my time and my camera, I enjoyed this long awaited freedom from the cottage. The air had that certain feel that only comes in autumn, so hard to explain, but one of those things you just know by instinct.  I took a lot of photographs, I gathered a big bag of conkers, or horse chestnuts, and was so incredibly happy to hear, as I walked along the drying river banks, the long silent bells of the cathedral, striking out fresh and loud and clear, signalling the hour.  You see, Gentle Reader, the clock has recently been removed and undergoing complete restoration and is now being returned, put back in its old, familiar setting.  I cannot tell you how much I have missed hearing the hour strike out, but it has been calling out the time for a few days now, an old friend returned.  One day I will capture the sound on a short video for you to hear, and also I will capture the sound of the campanologists at the Bell Tower too.

Here are two photographs I took, one a close up of the refurbished face and numerals, all pristine and new; the other is of the whole tower showing all the scaffolding needed ~~~

Moving on to the chimneys, another selection for you to look at ~~~ some are very similar, but each has its own individual character ~~~

Here is one that has a lot of pipes, there are many fire places inside, and this one is also finished with a rendering to protect the brickwork ~~~

I really like this one; it looks very old, and I love the curved edges instead of being squared off ~~~

Here is another unusual one ~~~ look at the slate ledge near the bottom ~~~ I wonder what its purpose is, and with the funny pointed guard on top too!

I just love these too!  The softly rounded stacks with arranged pipes on top is just so cute ~~~

Finally, two of the oldest chimneys in the Shire ~~~ two stacks from the kitchen quarters of the ruins of the Bishop's Palace ~~~ the site dates to the 6th century, although most of the ruins date from the 13th and 14th centuries ~~~






















I hope, Gentle Reader, that you have enjoyed your visit to the chimney tops and clock tower of my corner of the Shire today, and remember that ~~~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~