The day the Olympic torch came to Gnosall

A once in a lifetime event today in our village, how could we not be there!!!
The Olympic torch was going to be carried through our village  on day 12 of the torch relay
the road through Gnosall was to be closed from 4pm with the relay due to start around 4.50pm, so we set off to the village shortly after 4pm on foot, not really knowing what to expect as we had waved the Commonwealth Games baton relay through Gnosall back in 2002 and I guess then there were probably about a dozen or so people spread along the street at our end of the village.
On our arrival, it was apparent that today there would be a great deal more than 12 or so people.

Still with half an hour or so to go and the pavements were already getting filled, so we chose our spot and waited!

The bunting was out and there were so many flags being clutched by excited local people.

It was lovely sharing this special afternoon with so many people we knew.

Every so often a metropolitan police bike would drive past with the blue flashing lights and loud noises, checking to see if the side roads were closed and the main road was clear.

These children were being so patient

and then just before the torch relay started one of them swapped a flag for a torch

then eventually it all kicked off, three or four sponsor vehicles came through all with excited young adults  some with pom poms all were waving madly.

once they had passed us the official Olympic vehicles arrived.

So who were these three camera folk photographing

Yes you have guessed it.

No idea who the torch bearer is which is a shame especially as we did have a lady from the village who was a torch bearer but not in Gnosall, no, for some reason her allocated place was in Great Wyrley near Cannock - ours isn't to reason why!!!
No soon as the torch had arrived and the cheering and waving had started it was all over and everyone started to make their way back to their own homes or cars.

We enjoyed a pleasant stroll back down the lanes with some of our neighbours, before returning to our home and a pimms and dinner outside as we were finishing off we had a short but heavy shower. Thank goodness the rain held off until then!

So how long do I have to wait until the Olympics? Apparently as I am writing this it is 57 days 23 hours and 38 minutes and counting  - I can't wait!!!!!

A glorious day in the Wyre Forest with buzzards soaring overhead

Considering the Wyre Forest is less than an hours drive away from my home I am ashamed to say that this was my first visit!

We went in search of Pearl-bordered Fritilary and we found them in abundance.
As it was a beautiful sunny day the butterflies were very active, I kept willing them to settle but they rarely did - I did manage to get a few photos though....

...even though this wasn't made any easier by the thousands of wood ants crawling around.

Not good when I had chosen to wear sandals - walking boots next time!

As a foot note - As brilliant as today was it was made a whole lot better by the buzzards soaring around above us!
As news emerged this weeks of DEFRA plans to spend £375,00 on preventing buzzards from taking Pheasants reared for shoots please take a look at The Wildlife Trusts view and you are invited to tweet comments  #saveourbuzzards

Aqualate - never fails

Yesterday we popped over to Aqualate Mere for an hour in the hide, just to see what was about.

Marsh harrier

Shoveler

Gadwall

Coot

St Lawrence Church Tower Open day

St Lawrence Church, Gnosall

Today we had the opportunity to visit St Lawrence Church in Gnosall to climb the tower and take in the views. The stairs are very narrow as are some of the steps, thankfully there was a good strong rope to hold on to, climbing out onto the roof proved a little bit tricky, fortunately there was someone waiting for us to help us out.

Such a shame that the weather is still so grey, the views I'm sure would be fantastic on a clear sunny day. But I snapped away anyway as this may be the only time I manage to get up there.


If you look hard you can see our house



St Lawrence C.E. Primary School

The A518 heading towards Newport

looking straight down

On our way down we stopped off at the bell ringers room, after watching a solo ringer giving a demonstration, I was then offered a chance to ring a bell myself, so as my daughter says you should try something new every week, how could I refuse, every time I hear those bells ringing in future I will be able to think 'I have chimed one of those'!!!!

The Wildlife Trusts: 100 years of nature conservation #WildlifeTrustsar...

Bluebells and more!

I really wish the sun had shone more than it did today, but at least we didn't get all the rain that had been forecast - So we took the opportunity to take a walk through the bluebells at Aqualate.
To see them in such numbers is such a treat.



and of course there were other spring flowers out too.

herb robert

yellow archangel

wild garlic

wood sorrel

All a welcome sight except may be these.

rhododendron

It was also noticeable how bare the trees still look, even though we are now well into May and looking up into the trees it was also strange to see large flocks of tits still flying around, surely they should be nesting now!
From the path we could also get glimpses of the Mere and with binoculars you could see numerous swifts, swallows and martins flying low over the surface of the water. So we then headed to the hide to see what we else we could see.

swallows, martins and swifts over the mere

male reed bunting

female reed bunting

marsh tit

moorhen

great crested grebe

tufted ducks

greater spotted woodpecker