A Chestnut Walk to the Powderham Folly

Glorious weather and the dog’s need of some exercise made today a day for checking out Autumn’s progress. Earlier in the year I went to Kenton to take photographs for Lynne at On the Bench and found a new walk. At the time it was too cold to walk any further but it was always meant to be one to return to. The walk goes through the Powderham estate, the home to the 18th Earl and Countess of Devon. Building of the castle began in the 14th century and I’ve included a photo of the rooftop.

The start of the walk was a narrow muddy track through the marshes and then a climb up through the woods. There was a constant soundtrack from both the sawmill and the crazy sound of pheasants, whose presence tormented the dogs.  There are many ancient and magnificent oak trees but prominent today were the chestnuts, gnarled and old but still very productive. Empty shells were everywhere; no doubt the squirrels have full larders.

I was hoping for more leaf colour but there was very little display from the trees, we have only had one frost so far in east Devon. Plants in the hedgerow were definitely more autumnal though. In the field at the top of the track is the folly, built in the 18th century, and the view opens up, showing the river Exe looking east.

Click on any image for a slide show. I hope you enjoy my Sunday walk and have a lovely week!

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Jakes Sunday Post: City

It’s Sunday so it must be Jake day and his theme this week is City. He says that a city is a ‘large center of population organized as a community. The word city is derived from the Latin word civitas, which denotes a community that administers its own affairs. In ancient Greece such an independent community was called a city-state; it consisted of a chief town and its immediate neighborhood. The cantons which constitute the Swiss federation are not unlike cities in this sense. During the Middle Ages a city was usually identical with a cathedral town; accordingly, when King Henry VIII of England established new bishoprics in boroughs, he made these into cities. In modern Britain city is merely a complimentary title conferred by the monarch on important towns.
In the United States a city is a chartered municipal corporation. Charters are granted by state governments according to requirements prescribed by the legislature of that state; a city must usually attain a certain population before it can be granted a charter. City charters vary in the degree of power they confer on the municipal authorities, and the measure of local autonomy is usually, although not always, regulated by the number of inhabitants. The chief executive officer is generally a popularly elected mayor, but many cities now have professional city managers.’

This is Bergamo, in Lombardy, Northern Italy. It has a population of 120,000 and lies at the foothills of the Alps, about 25 miles from Milan. Jake would love it if you joined in, http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/sunday-post-city/