Tag: festival gardens

October 6th – Just by Festival Gardens, on Queen Street in Lichfield, screech the bike to a halt. Fallen treasure! The conker collection instinct is as strong in me now as it was when I was a child. I don’t think any red-blooded British male can pass a fallen horse chestnut without thinking twice. There’s something about that shiny brown nut in a soft, but spiny husk that’s just wonderful.

Ah, I remember when love was nothing but a handful of sticky conkers. Come to think of it, it hasn’t changed much…

April 23rd – Whilst cycling home from Lichfield, I noticed that with the recent rain, everything looked that bit greener, that bit cleaner, that bit healthier. Slightly more alive. The Friary Gardens are often overlooked – poor relation to the Festival Gardens on the other side of the A51, sometimes I think I’m the only person to notice they exist. Today, they looked beautiful with a shock of purple lobelia flowering wonderfully at the edge of the steps. Soon, very soon, the greenery will be punctuated with vibrant splashes of colour. Bring. It. On.