This title picture was taken at Croxteth Park, Liverpool.
This picture was taken at my allotment plot.
Tomato plants are doing well, but still yet to fruit.
The colours of flowers freshly opened after waking up from their sleep.
The walled garden at Croxteth Country Park.
Panorama of the walled garden at Croxteth Country Park.
The wild flower meadow on the banks of the River Mersey.
A well earned 'posh gin and tonic' with a bunch of stuff in it ;-)
Up and Out with the Sunrise
Yesterday I wrote a comedy post about the recent UK heatwave... that lasted all of two days 😅 But as short as it was, I decided to make the most of it and get out on my bike on Tuesday to visit some of the many parks and green spaces the city of Liverpool has to offer.
These are my happy places, spots where I can escape the tarmac, traffic noise and the smell of exhaust fumes. These oases in the city are places to recharge, re-wild and let go of stress.
Time to Saddle Up and Put Pedal to the Medal
In all seriousness though, I left the apartment at around 6 am to visit the allotment and avoid the worst of the midday heat, which reached 37 degrees C (98.6 Fahrenheit for all my Yank friends). This was a great decision, as after a restless night's sleep the breeze cooled my brain and woke me up to really enjoy the passing sheen of emerald-green meadows and trees in Sefton Park.
After filling up the water butts and feeding the various crops, I pulled a load of early garlic that was ready for harvest and then sat around in the sun for an hour listening to the bird's chatter in the still susurrus of the blossoming morning.
While the seven water butts filled up I wandered around the deserted allotment taking some pictures which are tagged above.
Decisions Decisions... So Many Parks so Little Time
Lol, being of Irish stock the heat can get to me, so I decided to take a long bike ride to one of my favourite green spaces in the north of Liverpool called Croxteth park. Because Liverpool is a coastal city, the breezes from the river keep you cool as you cycle.
Croxteth Country Park is an amazing place steeped in history and boasts one of the oldest walled gardens in the North West of the UK. In the garden’s heyday from 1850 to 1910 it was a time when horticultural fashions changed dramatically.
There are bee hives in the gardens which provide honey, while also pollinating the many fruit trees, some of which date to over 100 years old.
The garden was designed with a Flue Wall, where fires were lit in the cavities, smoke leaving via chimney pots at the top. This innovative design - for its time - enabled tender plants and fruit trees to grow protected from early frosts. It even allowed the victorian aristocracy to grow their own exotic tropical fruits such as melon and pineapple. The use of the flue wall system stopped with the loss of gardeners during the first and second world wars.
Clocking in Fifteen Miles Deserves a Well Earned Treat
On my way back I took the river-front route, drinking in the salt-tinged air blowing from the Mersey, check out the picture of the wildflower meadow by the river above. I stopped to lie down in the grass, lulled by the heat, the low drone of bees and the distant caws of seagulls. These types of places are where I feel most at peace and I spent some time meditating next to the meadow, getting my Hippie vibe on! 😂 ☯️
I jumped on my bike and as I neared home something called to me... a niggling voice in my head.
Is it gin-o'clock?
To hell with it, I thought, you deserve it after all that sensible exercise.
Photos by raj808-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Samsung S7 Smart Phone.
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