Autumn in Ecclesall Woods

It was another sunny day yesterday.  Mr P and I had some shopping to do in a different area of the city.  Each area of the city has its own high street and set of small, individual businesses and at the moment the shop window displays reflect the Autumn season and the forthcoming Remembrance Weekend.

the florist's 

the gift shop

the hairdresser's

Next was a walk in Ecclesall Woods.  We haven't been there for quite a while.  These ancient woods are beautiful in the Springtime when the bluebells are in flower and you can see a carpet of blue flowers among the trees. Now in Autumn the woods are just as interesting. 

There are about fifteen varieties of tree in these woods.  Here are oak, beech and sweet chestnut. The branches of trees are left as they fall to create a habitat for wild life.

The only fungi seen that day were turkey tails growing on fallen logs or branches.

There are streams and log bridges placed over them by the rangers who look after the wood.  We didn't walk to the Discovery Centre yesterday although it's very popular with dog walkers and others who can stop for refreshments there, watch woodworking demonstrations or join a group nature walk.

sweet chestnuts

Collier's Pond 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and the walk.  Thank you for your visit and comments.  Have a good weekend.

A visit to a mega shopping mall

I had been thinking about updating my mobile phone so went to the mega shopping centre. In the end I didn't buy one and instead we went and had a coffee before heading home again.    

In fact, I was more interested in some of the displays that we passed as we walked around this vast shopping centre. Above is The Man of Steel.  It's a replica of the one that will be built in a nearby historic industrial area where there will be a centre showcasing present day advanced manufacturing technologies.  It will be a 32m high stainless steel sculpture which will sit on a coal black column representing the coal seams that once dominated the geology of the region. Inside The Steel Man will be another sculpture of a heart. The British Heart Foundation has become associated with this part of the project and those who have made donations to the BHF to aid further life saving research will have their names etched on the construction. 

Another thought-provoking sculpture that can be seen in the shopping centre is Beedazzle. It was one of many sculptures that could be seen in Manchester designed and made by local artists as an art trail in 2018 as part of the events in that city in memory of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing attack on 22nd May, 2017 where the concert had attracted young people and families from all over the region. Our own granddaughter has friends who went to the concert. The sculptures were then put up for sale by auction to support good causes. Two Sheffield schoolgirls, friends of someone who had lost her life as she shielded her niece and sister during the blast, fund-raised with their friends and family and bought Beedazzle in her memory. The bee sculpture standing in the middle of a busy shopping mall where many passers-by will pause and understand its significance is also a poignant reminder of the preciousness of life. 

Another sculptural piece that has special meaning for the people of Sheffield is this group of steel workers as the shopping centre was built on the site of a former steel works. The monument in bronze created by Robin Bell depicts skilled workers pouring molten crucible steel into ingot moulds at the foundry. The process was known as 'teeming'.   

painted mural depicting steel workers 'teeming'