A peony from our garden

I am hard at work renovating the Wendy House that has kept the Talpids occupied over the years. This morning I was cutting an OSB board for the new roof and decided that it would make a suitable background for a Peony flower.

In my odd moments of freedom I continue the mammoth task of digitising our old slides and paper photographs. Today's extra offering shows a charabanc outing to Blackpool, circa 1920. My grandfather and mother are sitting at the rear left as you look at the photograph.

According to my good friend Prof. Google, a charabanc is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It has "benched seats arranged in rows, looking forward, commonly used for large parties, whether as public conveyances or for excursions." It was especially popular for sight-seeing or "works outings" to the country or the seaside. The name derives from the French char à bancs ("carriage with wooden benches")