The organ, nativity scene and wall paintings inside Norwich Cathedral just before Christmas 2025

I spent Christmas just outside Norwich and visited the city with my sister on Tuesday afternoon.  We went inside Norwich Cathedral and saw the magnificent organ, which is in the centre of the cathedral with a long aisle on each side.  An added bonus was that the organ was being played while we were there and it was lovely to hear it.  It was also lovely to see the Christmas trees with lights.

Nativity scene in front of the altar on one side of the organ

View of the organ from the choir stall side of the cathedral

Amazing vaulted ceiling in a side section of the cathedral

We also went up a short stone spiral staircase into a small side room with old paintings on the ceiling

and an angel on the wall

Railway carriage houses at the edge of Pagham beach - 28th March 2024

It was very windy on my last day in Pagham at the end of March and I knew that birdwatching would be very difficult.  Instead I went for a walk near Pagham beach in order to try and find some of the houses that started off life as railway carriages.  As time went by extensions were added to enlarge the houses, so they all began to look very different.  Below are some of the railway carriage houses overlooking the sea on the edge of Pagham beach.

There is a railway carriage on the side of this house

It was easy to tell that this house was descended from railway carriages

Another version of a house made up of two railway carriages

I think that this pretty house was originally from railway carriages, plus there is another one next door

This house with railway carriage windows was viewed from the road at the back of the beach

View of railway carriage house from the road

Another railway carriage house viewed from the road

Interesting architecture - houses and buildings - seen during a Christmas walk in Brightlingsea, Essex

I spent a week in Brightlingsea over Christmas and saw more than wildlife while I was there.  Below are photographs of interesting buildings in the town during a walk on Christmas Day.

Jacob's Hall - a very, very old house on the High Street

I liked the window on this house

Interesting black and white house

All the houses along the High St were different

Lovely roof above a doorway

Houses at Hurst Green

The Rosebud pub at Hurst Green

Lots of the houses had Doric Columns by the front door

Ancient barn

Timber framed house

House with interesting windows and picket fence

I liked the wrought iron porch on this large brick-built house

This amazing large house used to be a hotel/pub and is now divided into three flats

Wreck Warehouse - Cinque Port Board of Trade

George Clooney's villa on Lake Como

At the beginning of June I was staying with friends in a secluded mountainside villa hideaway above Bellagio on Lake Como.  Of course, no trip to the lake would be complete without a trip past Villa Oleandra, George Clooney's villa in Laglio, on the edge of Lake Como.

We took a ferry from Bellagio to Como.  I am an ignorant silver surfer and was completely unaware that we would be passing Villa Oleandra during our journey, but a young couple that were sitting behind us had an app on their phone that showed pictures of all the villas lining the lake that were owned by famous people.  They showed me a photo of George's villa on their phone and, when I looked up, we were actually approaching it in real life!

This photo with the villa in the distance is a little blurred - I was on a fast-moving ferry and had to take photographs through the window as the cabin was enclosed rather than open-air, as I had hoped.

There was no sign of anyone being at home.  Of course, the Clooney's were not there as they were in England at the time as Amal was due to give birth to their twins.

I was surprised that there were a lot of other villas near to and overlooking the Clooney's villa - I thought that it would be more secluded.

May blossom, birds and architecture - Battersea Park and the Thames

During the first week in May, my camera and I went for a walk in Battersea Park.  Unfortunately, this time we were unlucky with wildlife spotting.  There were only a few of the usual suspects around.

A heron was clinging for dear life onto a set of railings.

A mallard drake was lurking near the edge of the lake.

A female mallard was doing the same.

Luckily, however, there were lovely blossoms on the trees.  Below are a couple of Jacaranda trees that blend into one and looked absolutely wonderful.  The photograph does not justice at all to the amazing sight of these trees in full bloom.

On the path near the lake was this shrub covered with white blossoms.  Unfortunately, I do not know what it is called.  It looked very pretty in the sunshine.

The wildlife situation was so bad that I was reduced to taking this photo of a carrion crow sitting on a branch by the river Thames.  In the background is Chelsea Bridge and the tower of the water pumping station across the river in Pimlico/Victoria.

This time I went to investigate the new area that is now open in front of Battersea Power Station.  There were a couple of mallards standing on the wall opposite the water pumping station.  I think that they were waiting for a ferry to come and pick them up!

I loved the back view of their heads.  Here is the female mallard.

What a great iridescent green head this mallard drake has.

A huge man-made bird flew over the new glass greenhouse flats next to Battersea Power Station.

The new pink Nova building in Victoria can be seen at the right-hand side of the photograph below.

Here is a view of the very tall tower in Vauxhall, with the amazingly-shaped buildings behind.

Across the river, in Pimlico, fancy trees are painted at the top of this block of flats.

I crossed over Chelsea Bridge and walked along the other side of the river.  Below is a photograph of Battersea Power Station and the horrible new flats next to it.

There a lots of trees along the side of the river and I liked the view of the Power Station seen through the over-hanging branches.

A very disappointing day for wildlife - but good for Spring blossoms and architecture!