What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.
Fish and chips
Food! You can’t live without it, it provides the energy for all your conscious activities and also the energy to keep your body working – the brain, the liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, even the digestive tract that digests your food – all the organs need energy to do their various essential jobs that you rarely think about.
But also, too much food is bad for you, the wrong kind of food is bad for you, and when you eat it makes a huge difference to health, wellbeing, and even the length of your life.
There’s plenty of good advice out there, but many of us fail to follow it. If you haven’t thought about this very much, right now is a good time to start. Where to look? The UK’s NHS provides some good ideas. So too does ZOE. Maybe watch a ZOE video, pick one that seems interesting to you.
Food – Enjoy it, but rule it. Don’t let it rule you!
PS – Think about others too. If you can afford it, donate some items to your local foodbank (most supermarkets have donation points). And if you are unable to afford what you need, get along to a local foodbank and ask for help. The Trussell Trust is one of the big organisations, search for a local branch. Or search Google for other options.
Themed image collections
The links below will take you to the first post in each collection
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.
Layer upon layer of clouds
I spotted this cloud scene in May 2024 and just had to capture it. As you can see, it’s a fine example of multiple horizontal levels of clouds of different kinds. At the bottom are small cumulus clouds, including one that looks higher than the others. That’s just perspective, they’re all at the same level, imagine them sitting on a transparent sheet stretched out from the horizon and passing overhead.
Above this is a grey layer with a fuzzy edge, it’s stratus cloud and again it’s a flat sheet at a higher level than the cumulus layer. The third layer is altocumulus, a third sheet at a higher level again. The stratus is semi-transparent near its fuzzy edge, you can see a higher layer through it.
The fourth layer is cirro-stratus, white and stretched out from side to side. And the final layer is cirrus, stretched fore and aft, at right angles to the cirrostratus below. So much going on at different levels in the atmosphere!
It’s very clear that things that seem really simple (the air above our heads) can show complex patterns of behaviour. That’s a good lesson to learn for life in general.
Themed image collections
The links below will take you to the first post in each collection
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.
What a blunder!
Well, what happened here? This is Blunder Lock on the Thames and Severn Canal at Stonehouse. When the canal was being built in the late 18th century, the engineer failed to follow the designer’s instructions and excavated this lock to an incorrect depth. For this and other issues, the engineer was later dismissed, and the lock became known as ‘Blunder Lock’. It’s a quirky name, but a good one! Click the image to enlarge it, you’ll see the name board on the far bank.
Going against a designer’s explicit instructions is always asking for trouble. In this example, the blunderer was dismissed, lost the canal contract, and no doubt missed out on future employment opportunities. This is surely something we all need to remember – an object lesson that applies in all walks of life! Following engineering instructions; following national and international law; and, for those of us who follow Jesus, obeying his command to love.
It should go without saying that all of this applies only to instructions that are good, wise, and intended to generate good outcomes.
Themed image collections
The links below will take you to the first post in each collection
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
Most of the photos I post here are my own. But yesterday’s image was from NASA, and today’s is a stunning view of the sunset from Rio de Janeiro and came from Wikimedia Commons. If you need a good quality, free to use image, look no further, it’s an excellent place to browse around. You will also find free to use sound files, documents and much more.
At first I was puzzled that the details say this is a sunset. Rio faces south and there’s a large, nearly landlocked bay, so this view was taken from a west-facing vantage point.
Themed image collections
The links below will take you to the first post in each collection
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). It might be a photo I took, an image from Wikipedia, NASA, or some other open source, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.
The Library at Lydiard House
This photo is a shot of the Library at Lydiard House near Swindon. The house and the park around it are owned and managed by Swindon Borough Council as a facility for local people. It’s well maintained and well used for many indoor and outdoor purposes.
The house was built in the 17th and 18th centuries by the Tregoze family. While we were looking around the house, I spotted bound copies of ‘The Works of Ruskin‘, filling several shelves.
Themed image collections
The links below will take you to the first post in each collection
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). It might be a photo I took, an image from Wikipedia, NASA, or some other open source, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.
Cerney Wick round house (left) and me on the right
I take photos far more often than I am photographed. On 11th July I was out walking with two friends, and one of them took this photo of me. We were following part of the Thames and Severn Canal; the building at upper-left is one of the five round houses built by the canal company for some of their lock keepers and lengthmen. This particular round house is close to the village of Cerney Wick.
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m posting an image each day, or as often as I can; a photo I took, an image from Wikipedia, NASA, or some other open source, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy. This is the second in the series.
The robin at Pretty and Pip
Pretty & Pip is one of my favourite coffee shops in Cirencester. I wrote ‘therobin‘ because he’s always there, in their lovely courtyard. If I didn’t know the guy that owns and manages this place I might even think the robin ran it! He certainly thinks he belongs there, and he does a pretty good job of picking up cake crumbs and generally keeping the place spick and span.
But come on mate, get preening! How do you expect to find an attractive female robin with scruffy, untidy feathers like that?
Favourites
For convenience, here’s a list of my favourite images:
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.
I’m going to post an image each day, or as often as I can; a photo I took, an image from Wikipedia, NASA, or some other open source, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy. This is the first in what may become a long series.
Roadworks on the A417, at the Air Balloon Roundabout
The scarp slope of the Cotswolds is steep, and roads usually have to twist and turn to reduce the slope to acceptable levels. A new section of dual carriagway is being built near the village of Birdlip, to complete the link from the M4 near Swindon to the M5 near Gloucester.
It’s involved the demolition of a famous old landmark, the ‘Air Balloon’ pub, and the amount of rock being moved is astronomical. All of this to smooth out a course for the new road that will let it make the 300 m climb in one, long, sweeping bend. The completion date is estimated to be Spring 2027.
Cirencester
For convenience, here’s a list of all the Cirencester area images:
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
I’m not going to add any comment of my own here; both videos speak for themselves, they are eloquent.
Please watch these two videos, one from Times Radio, the other from Anna who publishes a daily video about events in Ukraine as it struggles against the continuing Russian invasion and partial occupation of its land. Watch them to the end, and pass on the link to this article or to the videos themselves. Let family members, friends, and local politicians see this for themselves. Thank you.
First the news and discussion on Times Radio:
And next, an impassioned plea from Anna:
I’m not going to add any comment of my own here; both videos speak for themselves, they are eloquent. It is, I believe, well beyond time for the collective West to face down the evil regime in the Kremlin much more directly, much more effectively, and with greater and growing determination.
The actions ordered daily by Russian political and military leaders are not acceptable in any way.
When the canal is navigable all the way back to Saul Junction, there will be significant canal traffic and the bridges as well as the locks will need to be used fairly frequently.
In this fourth section of the canal walk, we continue along Stroudwater Navigation. Although the canal is in working condition along most of this section it is not yet connected to any other navigable waterway except for part of the Thames and Severn Canal that we’ll cover later.
This walk is 5.0 km (3.1 miles)
In the previous article we passed under the new Jubilee Railway Bridge and reached The Ocean. (Hint: Click the map icons for larger, draggable and scalable versions. Click the photos for full size, too.)
The map marker points to The Ocean at the end point of the previous walk. You can access the towpath from the A419 via Court Farm Mews, but if you arrive by car I suggest parking on Boakes Drive or one of the roads connected to it. You can walk past St Cyr’s church to the canal, and cross the Ocean swing bridge to reach the towpath. All of this will be clear if you expand the map.
While you’re in this area you might like to walk through the nature conservation area. There are good views of the canal from Nutshell Bridge as well, accessible by footpath from the towpath (more on that shortly) or from the churchyard. When you are ready, walk east along the towpath, leaving The Ocean behind and passing under Nutshell Bridge.
Looking back to Nutshell Bridge
There is no direct access to the bridge from the towpath, but about 60 m beyond the bridge, look for a narrow footpath leading away from the canal. If you want to access the bridge from here, take this footpath, turn right onto a similar path at the four-way crossing, then right again to cross the bridge. Retrace your steps to return to the towpath. Next you’ll pass Boakes Drive (photo below) where modern, brick-built homes have enhanced surroundings provided by the canal, you might even see boats in the canal at this point, although currently they can only travel moderate distances.
Boats on the canal at Boakes Drive
A little further on again you pass under Stonehouse Bridge with its murals. This modern bridge carries the Stonehouse to Leonard Stanley, Dursley and Nailsworth road. It was built by Gloucestershire County County in 1999.
Stonehouse to Ebley Mill
This section is 2.0 km (1.2 miles)
Ryeford Bridge and a canal workboat
After one further bridge and some woodland on the left bank, look out for ‘Skew Bridge’. This is an old iron Midland Railway bridge that crosses over the canal at an angle (hence ‘skew’). The railway was closed in 1966 and now the bridge carries a cycle route. Immediately after Skew Bridge, the A419 passes over the canal, as does Ryford Road North, this time on a fine, slightly humped, stone bridge with a brick parapet (photo above). As you continue, look for the Ryeford footbridge with white, criss-cross pattern sides, and then you’ll pass under the black gantry of a pipeline bridge.
The next point of interest is a little further on; the Ryford double-lock with three lock gates was built to allow a greater rise in a short distance. Walking on from the double lock brings you to a part of the canal undergoing dredging (at the time of writing).
Dredging is an essential form of maintenance because canals typically get shallower over time due to a build up of silt on the bottom. Dredging when necessary restores the full depth of the canal allowing deeper draught vessels to use the canal.
In the event of active dredging, signs will re-route you to the towpath further along to avoid dangerous areas and allow the work to continue uninterrupted.
Passing under Oil Mills Bridge brings you to an attractive housing development with homes and gardens along the opposite bank. After the canal was opened, industry spread to this area (Ebley) from the Stroud direction, you’ll see plenty of evidence for this. The chimney of Ebley Mills is particularly impressive, and even the newer, residential blocks echo the shapes of the warehouses of the past. This is a good place for a coffee and a snack with pleasant indoor and outdoor seating. Cross the Ebley Wharf Bridge to the little square (expand the map, the pointer marks the bridge) and you’ll find Kitsch coffee-bar (K coffee-bar on the sign). Check it out on Trip Advisor or just take my word for it.
One other feature you might wonder about is the single lock gate across the canal, but there’s no lock! It’s part of an ingenious flood-prevention measure, diverting flood water to the River Frome whenever that becomes necessary.
Ebley Mill to Stroud
This section is 1.8 km (1.1 miles)
Now for the final section of this canal walk. Continue walking east from Ebley Mill along the towpath which takes you between the canal and the River Frome. You will pass Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field on your right, quite likely you’ll see the children’s play area with its ‘canal boat’. I walked over to take a look at this, it’s evidently inspired by Stroudwater Navigation and no doubt much enjoyed by younger children.
Ella’s boat and other murals
Hilly Orchard Footbridge is another, black, girder structure on brick piers; the towpath passes underneath. This is followed by Dudbridge Road Bridge carrying the A419; as you walk underneath this large, concrete bridge you’ll see a lot of fine murals painted by local schoolchildren, many of them showing refreshing, young humour at its best. One of my favourites is ‘Ella’s Boat’ making big waves washing over the sides of a bridge. It’s hard to work out which way the boat is moving, but it’s definitely travelling much too fast for the Stroudwater Navigation!
Chestnut Lane Bridge
After the A419 bridge and its memorable artwork you will reach Dudbridge Lock and then Foundry Lock. This pair of locks needs further repair after initial restoration some time ago. Several other things are going on here, there’s a turbine generating electricity between the two locks as well as a water discharge to Ruscombe Brook and two weirs. Continuing the walk you will pass Chestnut Lane Bridge and then Lodgemore Lane Bridge, many of the opening bridges can be operated by anyone holding the correct key. With the canal in its present state the bridges rarely need to be opened, but in a few year’s time, when the canal is navigable all the way back to Saul Junction, there will be significant canal traffic and the bridges as well as the locks will need to be used fairly frequently. This will bring new challenges with water supply and traffic management.
As you return to a more industrial area, you will pass through an opening in a dressed-stone wall. As you do so, look carefully at the stonework on the left side of this entrance. The deep, horizontal grooves in the stone were caused by the rubbing of barge tow ropes over many years of use. They are a visible relic of the passing of countless barges, bargees, horses and ropes over a couple of centuries!
Thames and Severn shake hands
Just a short distance more and you will come to a monument by the towpath (open the map below, the marker points to the monument). This is the end of the Stroudwater Navigation. We are now in Stroud where coal from South Wales and the Forest of Dean would have been brought by barge from the north and west bank of the River Severn for use in Stroud’s many spinning and cloth weaving mills. Traditionally these had been water powered, but the arrival of steam power required coal, and this could be obtained more cheaply than before once the canal had been built with some of the cost savings providing profit for the canal owners and barge operators.
The Thames and Severn Canal was constructed to continue the waterway further east to make it possible to take goods from Stroud to Lechlade on the River Thames. It opened in 1789, ten years after the Stroudwater Navigation. The next part in this series will continue eastwards from the shaking hands monument as we explore the Thames and Severn Canal.
Canal walk 4 is complete, so thanks for coming along.
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!
Journeys of Heart and Mind 
