A Few of My Favorite Things

There have been a string of gorgeous sunny days so I've been walking around snapping some pics of what I like about Cheltenham, mainly because we are sponsoring a new family who will be moving here in the summer.

Charlton Kings is a cute little town on the outskirts of Cheltenham which didn't used to be but now is a part of Cheltenham. This area is called Sixways because six roads from different directions converge in one spot. It can be a traffic nightmare, but it's also a neat phenomenon.

This is Owen on one of the hills surrounding us - Leckhampton Hill.

These are the allotments right outside our back gate. All of our neighbors have an allotment and give us fresh veg in the summer.

This is the view of Naunton Park out of our back window. Our garden in on the left.

This is our local surgery or doctors' office. I like it because it has a name, "The Lloyd Davies House", and it is an old beautiful house in a nice part of town called The Park. That's my blue "town car" in the photo.

This is just about one of my most favorite things in a part of town called Tivoli. I pass it often while out and about. It is a round bench with a lamp post sticking out of the top on a busy corner and it is porcelain. I just think it is beautiful.

Detail of the lamp post bench

I was in a store in Tivoli which is really high-end and gourmet. On the left in the middle shelf, you will see small containers of Skippy peanut butter. Not only is Skippy peanut butter considered to be gourmet in England, it only comes in a jar that is one-third the size of that in the US. The jars next to the Skippy are the size of US peanut butter jars. I forgot to look at the price. Snap!

This is St. Mary's Church which has been in use for about 850 years. It is right in the middle of downtown High Street, but it is completely hidden behind the High Street store facades. You find it by walking through a passage between shops.

This is the Cheltenham Bowling Club grounds. A game called "lawn bowling" is played here. It is like boule, where one tosses balls toward a smaller ball, but there are little grass pads where the bowler must stand or kneel and one actually bowls the ball versus tossing it and letting it roll. Also the lawn bowls are larger than boule balls but smaller than 10-pin bowling balls, more like duckpin ball sized..

This is the Thursday Market which is at the end of a parking lot sort of in an alley. There is even a little old-timey sign post pointing to the alley which says "Thursday Market". Notice the woman with the granny trolley. My right shoulder and I also like granny trolleys. A lot.

This is the Cheltenham town crest. This one is on a set of large green gates leading into Sandford Park. The town motto means "Health and Education".

My favorite fountain in Sandford Park. It is still too cold for fountaining, but it is a pleasant place to sit and eat lunch after a vigorous morning of shopping on the High Street. The bench in the background is where I usually try to sit.

I love how naturalized crocuses spring up everywhere.

This is the church of Cheltenham College which is actually a high school. This school's scenery is what Harry Potter is based on, I am sure of it.

This is a house about a five-minute walk from my house and I think it might be part of Cheltenham College. I just love the red color and the chimneys. The carving is awesome too, but I didn't want to get too close for a picture so as not to be mistaken for a stalker or something.

This is the Wishing Clock located in a shopping area called the Regent Arcade. At noon, the fish spits bubbles and the kids go wild. It might do it on the hour, but we happened upon it once at noon.

I plan on taking photos of some stuff I don't like so stay tuned.