Our Shropshire Adventure: Day Three

Just when Bronwen finally found what she was after, waaaaaay at the bottom of the toy basket,

it was time to head out for a walk up Grinshill. While the rest of us did our best to avoid the numerous puddles along the way, Bronwen did her best to splash through every last one of them.

The view from the top of the hill was definitely worth the wet slog:

On our way back down, we stopped in at the church,

and as we were leaving, I noticed that someone had left this rather odd sticker on the front door.

We drove over to the lovely market town of Shrewsbury to have a proper wander--and we started out by breaking the rules. Just what did this unruly gang of four (Bronwen was safely at home with Edna) do to upset the ways of life in Shropshire's county town? Well, we walked across Kingsland Bridge (oh, it gets better),

taking in the views over the River Severn (suspenseful, isn't it?),

and, when we reached the other side, we walked right past this small green box!

That's right--we owe Shrewsbury 4p. We made up for it later on when we drove across the bridge on our way out of town, dutifully paying the 10-pence car toll (a 100% increase from the longstanding 5p toll). After a yummy pub lunch at The Coach and Horses (with the green sign, below),

we wandered through town,

and Jonathan pointed out one business where ancient city walls are visible in the basement:

Sadly, the business is McDonalds--not exactly synonymous with heritage, is it? As we approached the station, I smiled at the advertising know-how exhibited by this small shop:

We stopped in at St Mary's Church, which was as lovely as I remember it being last year. "It's not exactly Notre Dame," Bob said, to egg on Jonathan.

Somehow, the elegance of this 15th-century tomb slab was slightly compromised by the adjacent sign about the coffee shop!

After a bit more walking,

it was time for a coffee break, and as we settled into our table, I noticed this trio of lions, and asked Jonathan what Floreat Salopia meant. Apparently, it means "May Shropshire flourish," and Jonathan broke out into a rendition of the Shrewsbury School song that features the motto!

After our coffee break, we headed back down to the river, passing the distinctive round nave of St Chad's church

before arriving at The Dingle, a beautiful garden located in Quarry park.

Not just any garden, the Dingle was created by Percy Thrower, said to be Britain's first celebrity gardener. A bust of Thrower sits in the garden he tended:

As we crossed the river,

rowers from Shrewsbury School appeared from under the bridge, being pushed on by their coach in a separate (motorised) boat.

We climbed around the hill, back toward the car, passing some buildings belonging to Shrewsbury School on our way.

From the school's hilltop location, there was a fantastic view over the town.

When we got back home, Edna poured Lisa a glass of white wine, and it wasn't long before Bronwen wanted a sip.

Then it was bathtime--well, at least for one of us. I came into the bathroom and witnessed Lisa trying to teach Bronwen how to spit (I know, it sounded strange to me too!)--Bronwen would fill her mouth with water from this container,

and then do her spitting best. Ah well, plenty of time to learn . . . .

When bathtime was over, Bronwen came back into the lounge and wanted some more wine. When she was informed that there wasn't any more, she got a very "well, we'll just see about that" look on her face, marched over to the empty glass, tipped it way back, and was rewarded with the last drop that had been sitting in the bottom of the glass. Should we be concerned?! Perhaps a photo from last year will help you formulate your answer . . . .

Well, at least she's a happy drunk!

We soon gathered in the dining room

for another fantastic supper, courtesy of Edna. We were truly spoiled with hospitality, as our cottage pie, beans, and purple-sprouting-broccoli leaves demonstrate:

After supper, the two philosophers lingered at the table as the sun went down,

and after they finished sorting out world affairs, we all gathered in the lounge to enjoy another relaxing night in the country.