Pewsham (Monday 17th April 2023)

Work has been progressing at Pewsham Top Locks, according to the newsletters I have been getting from the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, so I decided to go and take a look. After parking at the mouth of Forest Lane the public footpath took me a circuitous route to the canal along blackthorn hedging that took nearly half an hour. I could see the advances of work around the lock area, including an old brick bridge that had been used for target practice during World War II. It was hard to get a picture as the metal security fences had spokes that were too close together for a lens to protrude through. When completed and the fencing removed it will be possible to admire the renovations much more clearly.

The dredger Boswell was moored at the start of the watered section and I walked on to the Squirrel's Nest bench seat where I sat for my Meal Deal lunch. The wildflowers were mostly dandelions or coltsfoot but there were a few wild primroses, a couple of early bluebells beginning to appear and some dandelion clocks.

I thought I'd found a shorter route back to the car as I went through a different stile but soon found I was on the exact same path but with fewer photography stops and a faster pace I improved the time by about eight minutes.

L.
Wednesday 19.4.2023 (1214 hr)

Blip #3856 (#3606 + 250 archived blips taken 27.8.1960-18.3.2010)
Consecutive Blip #003
Blips/Extras In 2023 #064/266 + #043/100 Extras
Day #4769 (1172 gaps from 26.3.2010)
Lozarithm's Lozarhythm Of The Day #2996 (#2836 + 160 in archived blips)

Taken with Nikon Coolpix P900 (24-2000mm equivalent bridge camera)

Outdoor Places I Have Sat In series
Pewsham series
Wilts and Berks Canal series
Canals series
Landscape series

A Walk To Pewsham Locks, 17 April 2023 (Flickr album of 25 photos)

Lozarithm's Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Davie Jones and The King Bees - Liza Jane (recorded May 1964, Decca Studios)
While I was having my picnic I met a young woman who was walking a beautiful but extremely dotty young husky who was very interested in my lunch but darted nervously backwards when I spoke. I noticed it had eyes of different colours and remarked that it had "David Bowie eyes".

As it was a puppy I thought it would be appropriate to post Bowie's first ever single. The composition was credited to producer Leslie Conn but was actually published in 1916 as a 'Southern dialect song' by Lady Ava de Lachau and known as Li'l Liza Jane. Bowie later described the song as 'excruciating'. There was a version by Nina Simone in 1960 who Bowie greatly admired but it isn't known if he was familiar with her version then. The Band later recorded it in 1968 as Go Go Liza Jane.

One year ago:
Calne (another Smokey-alike)