News & Updates from Clare Walker-BoundingSquirrel · Page 6
Teapot Island sounds like it should exist, if at all, in the pages of Alice in Wonderland, or a fairytale.
In fact though, it *does* exist, in the River Medway in Kent, UK.
And, it turns out, this tiny, tiny island (you walk to it over a bridge from the car park) is also home to a museum of almost 8,000 different teapots.
From the Beatles, to kneeling elephants, to telephone boxes, to every kind of floral, glittery, geometric, massive, medium-sized, or miniature teapot you can imagine...If it`s possible in any way to fashion a teapot into a particular form, that form was represented in the Teapot Museum.I`d like to say I had lots of pictures of all those teapots.
But, completely overwhelmed by 8000 pieces of whimsy, I realised all I`d come home with was this snap of some of their back-gate signage.
Which was, of course, as you can see...teapot-shaped.
A week or so ago, we found ourselves looking at this magnificent mulberry tree (it`s just too big to be called a bush whatever the nursery rhyme says).
The tree stands near to Charlton House in sout-east London, and is thought to have been planted when the house was built in the early 1600`s.
Try as I might, I couldn`t see any actual mulberries on it...But never mind. If I were to look this good at 400, I think I`d be more than happy.
This week, we went to look at the newly-restored clock tower in Caledonian Park, London. It`s an amazing piece of Victorian architecture, now surrounded by ever-maturing woodland.
Rather gruesomely (as I`m vegetarian) the site of the park used, apparently, to be a, beef lamb and mutton, cattle market for London in the 19th century.The site also has a plaque to commemorate the 1834 gathering in support of the Tolpuddle martyrs, transported to Australia for attempting to start one of the first trade unions.
It`s good to know that a site with such a chequered past can still be a source of beautiful woodland and restored architecture.
I just had to share something a bit different this week. An *amazing* piece of street art thats popped up (by invitation!) in one of the streets near to us.
This wonderful bright green shield bug (who is approximately 1000 times bigger than one of his real-life counterparts) is so incredibly lifelike, and complete with shadows.
He really gives out the sense that he has escaped from the nearby bug hotel and is about to climb over the wall.(Finally but importantly, he is the work of ATM Street Art, to give proper and awe-struck credit where it`s due).
This week, I thought you might like to see some more (very cute) wildlife from our Devon trip.
Specifically this little chick, who was peeping out of the mud-built house martin nest, under the eaves of a country pub. but we both loved it.The chick is in the top left-hand corner of the photo).Has this little guy flown the nest by now?
Hubbie and I both hope so. And we would go back to check, but a 400-mile round-trip would be a long way to go to find out.
Maybe we`ll look in on the same place next year.
Who knows, this little chick may have built his own cosy nest under the same eaves by then.