Duke Street from Market Street, Wellington

We're up in my ancestral home of Wellington in Shropshire for a long weekend mainly for the purpose of a cousins weekend, like we did last year and the previous two years before that.

A good surprisingly straightforward journey despite a detour through the Blackwell Tunnel to avoid the perennial jam at the Dartford Crossing which despite being a slower road is often quicker in these circumstances and saves the £2.00 toll. The journey back on Sunday, if we use the Dartford Crossing will be on the first day of the new automatic Dart Charge when the toll barriers have been removed and replaced with numberplate recognition cameras. I've already registered our cars so we should be able to negotiate the new procedure without too much difficulty. I even think the charge is cheaper too.

A very welcome cup of tea and lemon drizzle cake welcomed us to Christine's place. After a filling and tasty dinner we decided to settle the food down with a walk to see Wellington's Christmas Lights only to find that not all of them had been switched on. But there was enough light and interest here for today's shot.

The town centre was largely deserted, not like remember it as a youngster. I was born and raised in Wellington and it was my home until I left college and moved to Kent 38 years ago. The town centre streets were always busy and the place seemed to have a living heart. Not so nowadays, although not for the want of trying by Wellington people. The heart of the town was ripped out when Telford New Town was built, together with a massive shopping centre just up the road