Monday 25 May - Bank Holiday Monday

In spite of it being a Bank Holiday a large number of shops were open this morning.  We got off to a late start and decided to visit the Three Fishes before taking a long walk along the River Severn.  This time we went downstream.  We passed many houses with gardens running down to the river, one had a large Blue Blossom tree. The route quickly took us into the country.

May blossom

 A weir on the Severn (video)
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Sheep in a field of buttercups

We turned round and walked back right past the railway bridge and the English bridge, past a fun fair and up to the Welsh bridge. Several kids and parents passed us with identical clear plastic containers which held goldfish.  These were probably prizes from the funfair but we didn't see where they came from.  There was a women's drumming group who made a lot of noise but didn't have much style.

The above video is also available here

We had a very late, leisurely lunch at the Armoury where there were a large number of family groups with small children.

Sunday 24 May - Pirates of Penzance

This squirrel found a sandwich in the litter bin in the Dingle.  In getting it out a piece dropped on the floor and a robin swooped down on it. Honour amongst thieves.

It rained a little this morning so we had a late start.  Lunch was at the carvery of the Coach and Horses pub on Swan Hill (about three minutes walk from the apartment).  The food was very good and they had Salopian Shropshire Gold and Stonehouse (Oswestry) Station Bitter on draft.  The room had some interesting wooden beams and the atmosphere was pleasant.  We were asked for our choice of main course (beef, pork, turkey, chicken or fish) and were called up to the carvery when the meat was ready.  We then took vegetables ourselves.  There were individual Yorkshire Puddings and cauliflower cheese as well as other vegetables and roast and boiled potatoes. There were several family groups who were having a good time this holiday Sunday.

We went to a performance of The Pirates of Penzance at the Theatre Severn this evening - it took us about ten minutes to walk across the Welsh bridge.  It was a video recording of a live performance by the English National Opera Chorus and the English National Opera Orchestra in the London Coliseum.  The whole performance was excellent.  The large orchestra played well and the singing was first rate.  It was, of course, played for laughs and was very entertaining,  One advantage of the video performances is that one gets a better view, through close ups, than those at the live performance.

To be a pirate king
Apprentice to a pirate (pilot)
I am the very model of a modern major general
A policeman's lot is not a happy one
A most ingenious paradox

At the interval we fortified ourselves with choc ices on a stick and enjoyed the view across the River Severn.  The sun was at a low angle and lit up St. Chads and the Market Clock Tower,

Saturday 23 May - Shropshire County Agricultural Show

The show is held at the showgrounds on the banks of the Severn a short walk out of town.  We weren't sure what to expect but it was certainly a large event with something for just about everybody.

We first stopped in at the poultry show where the birds were being judged, chicken, turkey, water fowl etc.  Several cocks were crowing and the noise was pretty loud.  I asked one of the officials about the Orpington breed.  The Buff Orpington was on the crest of the Chistlehurst Road Primary School, now closed, which I attended. There were some Orpingtons at the show but also some Orpington ducks which I had never heard of before.

Judging the poultry

Orpington chicken

Orpington duck

The dog show was, in effect, obedience testing.  From there we saw the horse and pony show and went on to look at the cattle and sheep.  Many of the sheep were quite docile but some were pretty difficult to control.  Two young boys were having difficulty leading a sheep.  At one point it had backed up against one boy who had to open his legs and was in effect straddling it.  A lady came along and grabbed it by the backside and soon sorted it out. There was an interesting relay race on horseback.  Each rider had to go round a course with jumps and obstacles then hand over the baton to the next rider.  The handover was quite difficult for some as the horses didn't always want to get too close to each other.

A plate of cockles in vinegar

The stick was used to move the feet together to make the animal stand straight

This lad was very proud standing in the ring on his own with the prize rosette. His parents and family were outside taking pictures.

Winners in the three sheep category

The tractor pull was completely different where a tractor was pitted against a weighted sled, to see how far it can get before the drag stops it.

This was the "zamboni" at the tractor pull

Lunch was healthy fish with Guinness/wine and we were then entertained by the Shrewsbury Male Voice Choir.  They were pretty good and sang in English and Welsh.  Part way through there was a Battle of Britain (!) fly-past of a Spitfire and a Hurricane. The announcer for the choir asked if the planes were coming back which they did.  He joked "I think it is one of ours", a phrase that was heard a lot during the war. This time people laughed but not so in the war.

There were several competitions for the various local Young Farmers Clubs including one where a team of four ran round an obstacle course in a home made vehicle (from wood and cardboard).  This was billed as Jeep Races.

There was an extremely large area for kids with lots of different rides - all free once the admission price was paid.  The Police had a Panda car on display and the armed forces had a number of automatic weapons on show as a recruitment tool. The show was very well attended as the weather was good and it was evident that people had come in from all around.  The animals were going back home quite early, some of them would have to travel some time before getting back to their home turf.

All in all it was a great day which we thoroughly enjoyed, especially because  it was something completely new to us.  We walked back into town along by the river.  There were two cricket matches in progress on the other side of the river.  The players were in their whites and the afternoon calm was occasionally punctuated by a chorus of "'Owzat" (How's that?)

We met Charles Spencer and Roan for supper this evening.  We started at the Three Fishes and ate at the Armoury.

Friday 22 May - Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre - Wildflowers

The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre is on the outskirts of Craven Arms and comprised some 30 acres of riverside paths, wild flowers and woodland.  The bus to Craven Arms passes through some pleasant villages such as Church Stretton, Winstanstow, Dorrington and Condover and on the way navigates some narrow twisting roads.  There are expansive views of the Shropshire Hills, particularly Long Mynd and Wenlock Edge.  At the centre were really taken by the spring flowers not that they were any different from what we have seen elsewhere but because of the great profusion all in the same area.

  

  

  

Blogger at Work (Mary inadvertently caught me in her picture)

  

We were told that this is a place frequented by otters

Leaping salmon

  

  

 

We had an excellent lunch at the Stokesay Inn and enjoyed the ride back to Shrewsbury.

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Thursday 21 May - Welshpool and Llanfair Railway

We took the train to Welshpool and walked through the town and up the hill to the Raven Square station of the narrow gauge Welshpool and Llanfair Railway. We timed ourselves as there could be a tight connection going back. The station staff were all very friendly and helped a large party from Walsall who were also waiting for the train.

The Countess arriving at Welshpool

The train came down the bank into the station behind the Countess, one of the original locomotives immaculate in Great  Western Railway green and complete with a polished brass safety valve cover and copper cap around the stack/funnel.

The Countess took water, ran around the train and pulled us to Llanfair Caereinion
It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spotting the pheasants, mostly male which were strutting around. The sheep and cattle were quite contented. The first part of the trip is up a fierce grade and there is then a gentle drop down with occasional humps and some severe curves.

Running round at Welshpool

Video of running round at Welshpool

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On arrival at Llanfair

At Llanfair we met Charles Spencer a friend from HOTRAK who was recently appointed general manager of the railway.  He greeted us in his fireman's coveralls and it is evident that he is taking a very hands on approach. After a quick discussion we decided to walk into the village to see if we could find lunch and return an hour or so later.

It was only a short walk into the village but it was either up or down.  We found the Goat Hotel which had a good lunch menu and suitably fortified we returned to the railway station.

The village can be reached over a footbridge.  There were rookeries in several adjacent trees. The parliament of rooks was making a lot of noise.

Mary was happy to spend the time in the cafe while Charles gave me a full tour.  The carriage shed contains some real gems including three cars built at Boston Lodge works according to the original plans, all in chocolate and cream with varnished wood interiors - just beautiful.

Replica of original car built at Boston Lodge

The GWR crest was painted by hand

An Austrian rollebocke adapted to handle a flail for brush control

The locomotive shed contained a number of gems including Joan, from Antigua as well as The Earl the other original W&Ll locomotive.  In the yard the boiler from Sir Drefaldwyn was being delivered and the staff were eagerly awaiting its return to traffic, likely next year,  The machine shop is well equipped for the jobs required of it.

Llanfair Caereinion Signal Box

Charles in the signal box

The radio controlled crane on the back of the truck certainly made it easier to place the boiler on its chassis

The Countess being serviced at Llanfair.

The Countess then returned from Welshpool and while it was being serviced (coal, water and ashes) I donned a borrowed boiler suit and pair of boots for my ride back on the engine.

Charles is raking out the ashes

The Countess is a beautiful machine but small and there was not a great deal of room on the footplate for three people.  The firebox is very short and is wider than it is long.  Good Welsh coal was being used and it was normally fired in rounds of three shovelsful, first three across the front, then three across the back.  The footplate was pure Great Western right down to the firehole door, shoveling plate attached to the door handle with a chain etc.  The injector water controls were varnished hardwood and one water glass was fitted together with three trycocks,  The coal shovel was pretty small but even so it took a little manoeuvring to get the coal in the right place.  The fire irons were handy but were only necessary at the beginning to get the fire burning all over the firebed. The Welsh coal burnt quickly and provided a very high heat.  

The steam pressure was maintained easily at around 145-150 lbs and the water level was around half a glass. Starting out from Llanfair the first mile or so is downhill which gives the engine a chance to warm up after standing for a while at Llanfair.  The fireman's injector was used to maintain the water level while the driver's injector was only used to prevent blowing off at the top of the hill towards Welshpool.  The injector came on quickly and didn't waste much water.  It was only used for short periods to prevent over filling the boiler.

Charles, who was fireman, was kept busy not only with the fire but verifying the crossings, several of which had to be protected manually.The engine rode quite well and was not particularly noisy.  The sun was shining brightly and we saw plenty of pheasants as well as rabbits and a buzzard.

Altogether this was a very pleasant trip which I thoroughly enjoyed.  At Welshpool, I had to quickly change out of the boiler suit and boots and we walked through the town to the station.  Arriva trains Wales took us back to Shrewsbury right on time.  I had the opportunity to wash my hands on the train and we had a drink at the Three Fishes before returning to the apartment.

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