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Home→Tags Leicester

Tag Archives: Leicester

Golden Barrel Cactus - Echinocactus Grusonii at Leicester University Botanical Gardens

Leicester Botanical Garden

Blasdale Home Posted on January 14, 2020 by SteveFebruary 12, 2020

Rosemary and I visited Valerie and Norman in Leicester, staying the night. Rosemary was persuaded to walk around the Botanical Garden, something I have already done. This time we entered the cactus hothouse to see some fabulous specimens. The sculptures in the garden intrigue me.

Ravi and Simon arrived for a pub lunch at the Cradock Arms. The place was heaving and we were lucky to be able to park. The pub was the start and end points of a club’s monthly walk trip. We all departed and went our own way after lunch.

Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Leicester University Botanic Garden
Stoneygate Tram Depot, 1904-1922
Stoneygate Tram Depot, 1904-1922
Stoneygate Tram Depot, 1904-1922
The Glastonbury Three
Posted in Leicester, Leicestershire, Sad Gits | Tagged Leicester, Norman and Valerie, Sad Gits | Leave a reply

Leicester Botanic Gardens

Blasdale Home Posted on January 27, 2019 by SteveFebruary 22, 2019

We drove over to Leicester to stay for the weekend with Norman and Valerie. Richard and Andrea also stayed over. They had been visiting Leicester to see a preacher being installed into his new church in Leicester. Saturday we visited the Cradock Arms for a beer, and then walked back home. We saw the new garden shed, Valerie’s pride and joy.

Evening arrived, with Richard and Andrea duly arriving for supper after the church service.

Sunday after breakfast, the men plus Andrea, went for a walk around the University of Leicester Botanic Garden. Afterwards, we all visited the Lansdowne for a traditional English Sunday Roast. Well at least the men stayed with tradition, the women failed to follow tradition and ate off the standard menu.

Leicester botanic garden 2
Leicester botanic garden 3
Leicester botanic garden 1

Posted in Leicester | Tagged Leicester, Sad Gits, sadgits | Leave a reply

Valerie and Norman

Blasdale Home Posted on August 17, 2017 by SteveFebruary 8, 2020

We visited Valerie and Norman for a couple of nights.  On the Tuesday we set off with hedge trimmer and chainsaw to trim their hedge.  First job on arrival was to consume an excellent soup lunch.  Then the hedge was attacked, lopping off a couple of feet.  

That evening we walked to The Cradock Arms.  We ordered and were soon eating.  But there was a pub quiz that night. What to do. We adjourned to the bar and entered the quiz, team was named SadGits.  We didn’t come last!  Walked back home, nursing our bruised egos.

Wednesday morning after a fry up, we headed out to Southwell and parked in some free parking by the leisure centre.  Our first stop was the Southwell Minster where we spent more than an hour looking around. Rosemary was hunting the carved mice on the furniture, think she found 9 of the 22.  There were numerous carving of small heads, one which looked very much like Donald Trump, which even had been mentioned in a church pamphlet.  The small carved heads stood in contrast to the rather squat fat pillar holding up the knave.

The chapter house had exquisitely carved leaves throughout.  These leaves have caused a few books to be written.  The chapter house also housed a picture exhibition themed on Adam and Even.  There was some quite interesting representations, Unfortunately the two we might have considered buying had been sold,

A quick walk down the road to The Hearty Goodfellow for lunch.  Small pub, with good beer and menu.  I ate a special of Moules Frites, We then walked to the Workhouse owned by the National Trust. Interestingly, there were some rooms that had been turned into bedsits for mothers with children which were still being used in the 70s, the fathers had to stay away.  Tea and then back to the Minster to visit the Great Hall in the Bishop’s Palace. 

On the way home we made a detour and stopped at the excellent pub called The Ale Classroom.  The Classroom is small, two rooms, but sells excellent beers, constantly changing, all served straight out of the cask. Rosemary, embarrassingly for me cos I had to buy it, wanted lager.

Back to V&N’s for a good pasta supper.  The next day we left mid morning to drove back in some large downpours. Thank you Google, you seemed to have missed predicting those.  Back at home there had been little rain and the garage was progressing.

Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster
The Bramley Apple was grown here
Southwell Workhouse laundry room
Southwell Workhouse
Southwell Workhouse laundry room
Southwell Workhouse, mens day room making oakum
Southwell Workhouse, mens excercise yard
IMG_20170816_151119
Southwell Workhouse cellars
Southwell Workhouse cellars, notice the rats
IMG_20170816_153609
Southwell Workhouse dormitory
IMG_20170816_153934
southwell Workhouse chapel
Southwell Workhouse, matrons room
Southwell Workhouse, bedsit still in use in the 70's
Southwell Workhouse, bedsit still in use in the 70's
Southwell Great Hall
Southwell Great Hall

Posted in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire | Tagged Cradock Arms, Hearty Goodfellow, Leicester, Norman, Southwell, Southwell Minster, Southwell Workhouse, The Classroom, Valerie | Leave a reply
Leicester The classromm real ale pub

Weekend In Leicester

Blasdale Home Posted on January 21, 2017 by SteveAugust 27, 2018

We had a lovely weekend in Leicester staying with Valerie and Norman, along with Bill and Viv.   The visit started off with a chainsaw massacre  in the garden with a little bit of pruning.  After this hard work, our thirsts were quenched with a couple of pints at The Classroom Real Ale pub.  This is a real ale micro pub, twenty minutes walk away, serving some great ales straight from the cask.  I was very impressed with the quality of the beer and service.  Looking forward to a return visit.

Next day Bill, Norman and I went for a walk along the Grand Union Canal from the Navigation pub to Wistow Rural centre.  Lovely day, the canal had a thin layer of ice, and the outward walk was over frozen mud.  At Wistow Rural Centre we ate lunch and had a walk around the garden centre.  The pictures I have taken are of a model village, notice the campervan. The walk back was a little muddy as the mud had thawed.  On the way home we stopped off at a real ale pub called The Cow and Plough for a quick pint.

In the evening we took a taxi into Leicester centre for supper at the Ask Italian restaurant.

On Monday we had a walk at Bradgate Park. A large open deer park with a ruined house, some lovely oak trees.  We walked to the top of the hill where the Old John Tower is situated.  This 18th Century folly sits on the highest point of the Park and is one of Leicestershire’s most famous landmarks.   Lunch nearby in the Jade Tea Rooms.  Very reasonable and sizable portions.

The Classroom Real Ale micro pub in Leicester
Wistow Rural Centre, Leicester
Wistow Rural Centre, Leicester
Wistow Rural Centre, Leicester
Wistow Rural Centre, Leicester
Cow and Plough, Oadby Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester
Bradgate Park, Leicester

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Leicester | Tagged Bradgate Park, Cow and Plough, Grand Union Canal, Jade Tea Rooms, Leicester, sadgits, The Classroom | Leave a reply
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