Street Party

It being an unexpected holiday yesterday (thank you William and Kate!) we had a street party, complete with balloon hats, fire-eating, some decidedly lurid cakes, and even Mexicans.

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Chester Giants

At Midsummer Watch there is a parade of Chester Giants, and this year they are adding two new giants. They were being shown to the city for the first time recently.

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Looking Up XI

The face below is in St Michaels Row. All the internal shopping areas of the Grosvenor Precinct are also called Rows - St Michaels, Pepper, and Newgate.

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On the Walls III

Just recently I found some workmen putting these markers into the city walls. One of them told me that they are so that the walls can be more efficiently surveyed and repaired.

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Roman Legionaries

There is a new service available in Chester - guided tours by authentic Roman soldiers. You can find out more about them here:
http://romantoursuk.com/

 

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Narrow Boats

The was a rally for narrow boats over the weekend, and some of them stopped here on their way.  The one in this photo is an original style boat, with open sides, for loading cargo such as coal into, instead of the covered ones that are used for cruising nowadays.

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Chester Food and Drink Festival

Today we went along to the Food & Drink Festival at the Racecourse. There was plenty to see and do, but my favourite was the Champagne Tasting - four small taster glasses, then a large glass of the one you liked best. The cookery demonstrations were interesting, too.

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St Georges Day

Why a photo of a dandelion? Because traditionally they should be picked on St Georges Day to make dandelion wine. And there are thousands of them covering parks and allotments in Chester at the moment.

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Dry Dock and Swans

Two swans have built a nest in the corner of the dry dock at the Canal Basin near Telford's Warehouse. They are right next to the Roving Bridge, where a constant stream of people walk past, but they seem to be unbothered by it.

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Chester Castle

This shows part of the original motte and bailey castle, and the later-built Napier House, which became barracks and offices. The army still used the Castle until relatively recently.

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On the River - the Weir

There is a weir in the River Dee, just by the Old Dee Bridge, and one of the joys of being a Cestrian was watching tourists take out rowboats and get too close to the weir, unable to row their way back. Now the council have put up warning buoys, and spoilt all our fun.

 

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Grosvenor Bridge

Grosvenor Bridge was designed by Thomas Harrison, and at the time was the longest single span bridge in the world. Local worthies did not believe that his design would work, so they made him build a scale model to prove it, which is still to be seen on a grassy bank below the Castle.

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On the Walls II

There are many marks on the City Walls, and some of them are dates left by the murengers - the wall menders. The one below is near the Kaleyards Gate, and is the date that section was repaired.

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Fancy Dress

These motorcyclists rode past me yesterday. Why they are dressed as cartoon characters, I have no idea. Maybe they were on their way to a Fancy Dress party?

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May Blossom

Yesterday the weather was amazing for April, and the hawthorn blossom, known as May blossom because that is when it is supposed to come out, was showing for the first time.

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