A bench for all seasons

Trainspotting, anyone?

Trainspotting, anyone?

There's one!

There’s one!

Such a blue sky! Yes, it is England.

Blue skies! It’s an English Summer.

Delving deep into my archives, I’ve concluded that I don’t take many photos of benches.

But I do like to get out into the countryside

But I do like to get out into the countryside

And find quirky benches
Like these

Coastal footpaths are great places for a bench or two.

Especially if you have to climb up there

Especially if you have to climb up there

Ahhh, that's better!

Ahhh, that’s better!

In Giverny, at the Monet Garden, I tried to capture a very cute butterfly and her sister.

Got the bench, but not the butterfly!

Got the bench, but the butterfly nearly got away!

It was such a lovely place! Spot the bench?

It was such a lovely place, with just an occasional free bench

Wasn't it Patrick's Day this week?

It’s not every day you find a bench for St Patrick’s!

Spring has been quite unpredictable too this year.  Walking has brought a few surprises.

No sitting on this one!

No sitting on this one!

Or this!

Or this!

I can’t wait for those sunny days to get here so I can begin hunting for benches in earnest.  Have you joined Jude’s Bench Challenge yet?  Come with me!  You don’t want to miss it.

125 comments

  1. So you didn’t realise you were an unconscious bench lover – you have to thank Jude then! Now you’ve found out you’ll find yourself doing it everywhere and walks will have a whole new dimension 🙂
    The little girls are so cute and the seaside hill looks familiar but it can’t be if it’s northern. Have a lovely day honey!

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    1. Who knows what’s in my subconscious, Gilly? That IS a scary thought 🙂 🙂
      It’s Whitby, Gilly. Scene of so many of my jaunts. You’d be right at home there.
      Are you up early for the partial eclipse or just always an early riser? Here comes the weekend! Have a good one 🙂

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  9. I’m somewhat taken by the “quirky bench”… Were they Amish-made judging from the way the man and the woman were dressed ? It seems that these benches are centuries old. A very good eye-catching photo!

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    1. There are quite a few wood carvers in North Yorkshire and you come across some great ones. There’s a woodland trail in Guisborough that I’ve featured before, with owls and foxes, etc. 🙂

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  12. Don’t start blaming me! You obviously have a hidden passion seeing all these benches (and by the way you don’t HAVE to post them all at once you know) I love them all – but then you knew I would didn’t you? 😛
    Jude xx

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    1. What can you mean? ALL? These are just a sample 🙂 Heaven help you when I get started!
      Actually I missed 2 out from Robin Hood’s Bay, and was coming back to sneak them into the post this morning, but thought better of it 🙂 And I have one with some nice woodland shadows, I’m sure, but can’t find it. You know those jobs like ‘back up’? Well, a photo filing system is another of them.

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      1. Photo organising has been my ‘job’ since I stopped teaching. Still haven’t got much further than when I started due to taking MORE photos!! And when I start to view/delete/file I get distracted 🙄

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      2. Do you put proper names on your photos when you post/edit them, Jude? I know Debbie and Cee and wonderfully organised people do. One day, when I stop chatting on here and get out and live my life… 🙂

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      5. I didn’t have the glasses so it didn’t look much different to me – slightly darker sky at the back of the house like twilight. It was more dramatic in 1999, but I was in the office then as I wasn’t that bothered about it then either, so let everyone else go outside to watch. It’s a beautiful day though here 😀

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    2. It was pretty murky before hand but the sun did miraculously appear afterwards (for a while 🙂 ) I have a friend staying at Robin Hoods Bay for her 44th wedding anniversary and she said it was fantastic down there this morning (but she might just have meant the breakfast 🙂 )

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  13. Always a new challenge, and Jo, you’re always up for them! I don’t know how you have time. Love the benches at the train station and the one in that beautiful garden, as well as the St. Patrick’s one. Cute collection of places to rest our behinds. 🙂 Have a good weekend, Jo!! xxx

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    1. Thanks, Cathy. Jude supplied me with lots of lovely walks so I owe her a few benches. Not my strong suite. I was out on my Greatham Creek walk this morning. The one with the seals – the first I did for my walks. It was really misty at first but then it cleared and there they were! Happy weekend to you too, hon. 🙂

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      3. We had a couple of days of summertime-like heat and humidity, Jo, and I was afraid we were going to go directly from winter to summer. Now it’s cooled down a bit, but it’s back to gray and dreary and some rain is forecast for today. I really need to move to a place that has decent weather. The Mediterranean comes to mind. 🙂

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  17. Lovely benches. So many good shots. My favorites are the ones with the train in the background (cause I love trains), the close up on the bench with the horses, and the ‘butterfly and her sister’ on the bench. Very nice.

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    1. Much easier to find boat shots, Lisa, but I do have a few benches. The ones at Grosmont are probably my favourites. I haven’t used the escaping butterfly before because it’s blurred, but I still quite like it. Thank you 🙂

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  19. What a rich collection of benches. You are liberal – no saving for a future post! Solution for snowy benches? I carried a piece of corrugated cardboard which acted as both scraper and cushion. That was when my walking distance was only between benches.

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    1. I remember you did that, Meg 🙂 Not much sitting about with the walking group!
      I hunted for hours for these. Jude was so supportive of my walks. I have more of the ornate, Portuguese style.

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