Amelia's photos

There is a really nice coffee shop here.

Today's challenge is: "Surreal Photography". I tried combining 2 photos unsuccessfully, so I merely altered the surroundings of the swan using Photoshop filter. The PiP shows another idea.

Restored section of the Montgomery Canal near Maesbury Marsh.

Clean-up crews worked at a Shrewsbury bridge which was targeted by vandals just hours after reopening following an 11-month renovation project. The .graffiti artists had painted their tags on the Dana Footbridge which links the Castlefields area of Shrewsbury to the railway station and the town. Engineers completed extensive steel work repairs on the structure as well as repairing and replacing timber panels and supporting beans and brick work. Windows were also replaced on the grade II listed footbridge and the deck walkway has been renewed with an anti-slip surface and the structure has been repainted. What I cannot understand is why a slightly different colour of paint was used to cover the graffiti.

There was once a pub in Shrewsbury called The Bear, which no longer exists. The Bear Steps are named for the Bear Pub . And that got its name because they used to have a bear that would dance in the street for the entertainment of the public. Apparently there is a hook in the ground was once used to tether the bear down while it was made to dance. It's very strange to think that Shrewsbury once had such public displays. I'll have to look for that hook.

Since yesterday the flood levels have gone down by about 1 metre as can be seen from the wet brickwork, but many properties are pumping out water, and there are house contents in the streets. We managed to get into town today using the P&R which couldn't go through the centre of town as roads are still closed. More rain is expected tomorrow and Saturday. The first PiP shows the same area 6 days ago after the first serious flooding. This level of flooding was even worse. The second PiP shows the cycling sign on the footpath by the river.

4 days later and the situation is now critical here. Car parks are closed because they are under water, the routes into the town centre are mostly closed. The river level is now higher than the tidemark seen on the building on the left which was the height of the river on Tuesday last week. A number of lines in and out of Shrewsbury's train station will close at 14:00 because of the flooding in the town. Network Rail said all services are now being cancelled, except for those to and from Chester and Crewe. The Royal Mail delivery office, near the train station in Shrewsbury, has decided to close its customer collection point to protect the office from rising water levels in the River Severn. The flooding means a number of schools, colleges and libraries have been forced to close today. They are the Shrewsbury Colleges group, University Centre Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury High School, St Winefride's and Shrewsbury Library. I feel so sorry for home owners and businesses that have been affected so badly for the second time in a week. Many of them are uninsured because no company will take them on. It is normally possible to walk on the riverside at the side of this building. This year it has rarely been possible so to do.

Today's challenge: Tell the time. I've been gardening today, and when I do that then all concept of time goes haywire. 30 minutes can stretch to 3 hours.

Today's Saturday Challenge: Dramatic Picture.

It pays to always take time to look at something in more detail. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthoria_parietina

Xanthoria is a yellowy orange coloured leafy lichen that is one of the most common species around. The yellow chemical xanthorin is thought to be produced as a defence against UV radiation to which it is exposed in its normal habitat. In this photo the lichen is on wood, and it can be found here all year round. Xanthoria parietina is a very pollution-tolerant species.

Carpets of snowdrops and a fallen tree left to rot away naturally.