I have been looking through my photos and decided to share some of my photos of Spring Flowers. The photos have been taken over the last couple of months, it is so lovely to see colour in the gardens after the Winter.
Primulas
Hellebore and Crocus
Tiny, dainty daffodils in my garden
Primroses and Flag Iris
Poppy
Display of Primulas and Bluebells
Camellia
Primula and Camellia
The heart of a Tulip.
To the south of Deal is the small, very pretty village of Kingsdown. This little village lies at the extreme northern end of the chalk cliffs which carry on round the coast to St Margaret’s Bay then on to Dover, and which are known as The White Cliffs of Dover.
The official footpath is the other side of the fence!
At the base of these cliffs was the Firing Range, known as The Butts, owned by the MOD and used for firing practise for the the Royal Marines who were stationed nearby. When we were children if there was firing on this site a red flag would be flown to denote that it was unsafe to enter the site.
The end of the footpath looking South towards St. Margaret’s Bay. This is where the prawns are caught!
The same view as above, this time a closer look at the recent chalk fall can be seen in the centre of the photo.
However it was fine to walk under the cliffs when the site was not in use, and at the far end of the path is the best place around here to go and catch prawns!
Both photos shown above show the sea wall, the large concrete columns apparently had jetties built out to sea at one stage. The wheel appears to be part of an old car or something similar!
The site has long been unused by the MOD, although the land is still owned by them. There is a public footpath running under the cliffs, and last weekend my husband and I had a Sunday morning walk there, we arrived to find that the footpath was closed, due to a recent chalk fall blocking the path, but that did not deter us, as the fence into the old Firing Range has been damaged in quite a few places, and lots of people walk their dogs there!
A large section of the sea wall has collapsed here, maybe in future years this piece of land will no longer exist?
It is fascinating to see the layers in the chalk, the seagulls have lots of nests on the narrow ledges, and they were telling us all about it!
I have no idea how high these cliffs are, but to walk underneath them and realise how big they are is just amazing! It is only too easy to see how the cliffs are eroding, in some places it looks like there is more chalk just waiting to fall. There is also a walk along the top of the cliffs to St Margaret’s Bay, but I haven’t been up there for a long time, something I might have to do on another sunny Sunday morning!
Looking North towards part of Kingsdown Village. The boulders have been put down to try to stop land erosion by the sea.
We have had a few days holiday from work, so on Thursday we went down to Eastbourne, mainly to collect some logs, but also to see my sister in law, who said she would treat us all to lunch in The Belgian Cafe. The Belgian Cafe is a lovely place for a meal, the food there is amazing. Almost opposite the cafe is Eastbourne Pier, a very pretty Victorian pier, and of course a very good way to see the whole of Eastbourne seafront from.
Looking West from the Pier, we were surprised to see how the view is very like the view from our Pier in Deal!
I am sure some of you will remember the fire on the Pier last year, which destroyed a Pavilion at the shore end of the pier. I asked if we could have a walk on the pier after our lunch, which we did. The destroyed Pavilion has now been removed, and will be rebuilt, the area of the fire is surrounded by a large blue fence, but the contractors obviously realized that people would like to see what was going on, so a number of ‘peep holes’ have been put in the fence all along, so we could see, and photograph the remains.
The view through one of the viewing windows – the staircase looks very forlorn, but is still standing.
A badly burnt lions head on one of the lamp posts, sad to see
The damage to one of the cast iron lamp posts, the Lions head is at railing height.
Looking back to the shore from the end of the Pier, the damaged part can be seen on the left of the photo, surrounded by scaffolding.
The end of the Pier, we can only guess that at one time boats tied up here.
Shops on the Pier.
And finally, nothing to do with the Pier at all – this little squirrel was having great fun in my sister-in laws garden, using the logs as a playground
The original railway tunnel, the opening on the left leads to the tunnels we visited.
A few weeks ago my friend Sheila and I managed to have a long overdue day out, we decided to go to Ramsgate, and parked on The Marina Esplanade. We realized that although it was only January, the RamsgateTunnels were open, with a tour starting very shortly, so we joined the group.
The first tunnel stretching off into the distance. This section is lit.
We were supplied with hard hats and tiny LED lanterns, and set off on a very interesting walk through the tunnels which run underneath the town.
Graffiti carved into the chalk.
A First Aid station.
The stairs you can see are another entrance into the tunnels.
The Tunnels were constructed in 1939 over a period of nine months, which is amazing as the tunnels stretch for miles under the town. There was already an old Railway Tunnel in place, with the ‘new’ tunnels branching off from that. Initially there had been a lot of opposition to the plans, but eventually the tunnels were dug, with space to hold 60,000 people. There were entrances to the tunnels from various locations through the town, including the Hospital and a local School.
The unlit section of the tunnels, our guide very kindly shone his very powerful torch to allow me to get my photo
A recently discovered blocked up doorway, behind the chalk is probably another tunnel, but further investigation is needed.
Blocked up with a brick wall, behind which is another entrance, with a key still in the gate!
The tunnels very quickly earned their keep, as Ramsgate was the first civilian town to be bombed in World War II, with over 500 bombs being dropped on the town on August 24th 1940. Many lives were saved because of the tunnels.
The only part of the tunnels lined with concrete, beyond that the tunnel is blocked by the only chalk fall in the complex.
Spooky dark tunnel…..
The same tunnel, once again lit for me by the lovely guide
At one stage some people actually lived in the tunnels, probably because their homes had been destroyed.
The meeting of two of the tunnels.
I think this bike has been down here for very many years!
Back to the first tunnel, you can just see a bunk bed on the right hand side of the tunnel about half way along.
It is really amazing walking through the tunnels, part of which are lit, part of which are not, which is where the tiny lanterns come in to play. These tunnels are well worth a visit, so if you are ever in Ramsgate do put them on your ‘places to visit’ list.
A makeshift ‘camp’ maybe not very comfortable, but safe from the bombs above.
Out in the fresh air, a lovely but very cold day.
A ‘rainbow’ cloud spotted by Sheila on our way to the Belgian Cafe and lunch
A lovely day out in January!!
