Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 14th March, 2025)

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful; it's just a shame that the grass is just a tad too long; a lot of posh councils time their grass cutting so that it's at its shortest for when the croci pop through.

A bit of colour to brighten up our dull days.Displays like this let you know Winter is nearly over with and Spring is nearly with us.

Beautiful sight Colin !
Not quite sure of my bearings. Are the houses on the left what remains from the demolished Dicconson Street ? The carriage arch looks very familiar, if its original, I lived in No 38, a couple of doors from the arch with relatives for a while.

What a great photo Colin . Things are starting to come to life .
It's as if nature is waving a magic wand everywhere . Hocus Pocus here's some crocus .

You're correct, Mick, I can remember being upstairs on a double-decker bus, and as we passed Wigan Park, people would say, "Oh, look, the crocuses are coming through. It must be spring."
The park always had nice short grass, so they could be seen much better back then.

Helen, I’m not surprised that you can’t get your bearings thing have changed so much including road layouts.
I think the properties you see in the photo are odd numbers, so if yours was 34 it would have been on the opposite side of Upper Dicconson Street long since demolished.
I think you would agree that they did a good job in refurbishing these houses bringing them back to their original Georgian splendour.

Ps Helen, this row backs onto Brick Kiln Lane and the former St John’s School and playground if that helps?

I’d say they are looking a bit ‘battle weary’ in the ranks. Crocus are lovely but they don’t stay very long . Enjoy them while you can. In a few days they’ll be drooping their sad little heads. Not many people about.

They did mow the grass before the shoots appeared but unfortunately grass grows quicker than Crocus especially if the sun shines. It does in my garden anyway. I keep thinking of getting Astroturf it being less labour intensive.
Lovely photo by the way.

That's a heartening sight. We just need a bit of warmth in the sun now. Daffodils are out in some places too.

Pebbles might be a better choice WN6 looks more natural and good for the rain draining away. Artificial turf looks ok at first but it starts going dull and flat after a while. A lawn is lovely if it’s in a sunny position but if it’s facing north it soon gets too mossy. That’s why I got rid of it and have had mine pebbled. I used to spend a fortune on it feeding it and raking it! My life is a lot easier since….just my opinion.

Colin, the house was on the opposite side of street from the old Wesleyan School (that I attended for a while) & just beyond the archway.... which led through into a cobbled lane that then opened up into Menses Street & on the corner was The Scotch Bakery. I could be wrong abt the house number.
The house had 3 floors & a cellar. The kitchen had a big iron range that was fired by coal & a scullery beyond that The gate of the back yard led into a alleyway & then as I have described.

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the crocus iz.

Colin, fantastic beautiful colours to brighten up a dull and cold day.
Many thanks

Because I'm ahead of the game, I did away with our large rear garden lawn and had a black membrane put down and then a layer of golden gravel 20-odd years ago.
At the front, we had it block paved; I think we had 12 pallets of bricks to cover it all; we still get some moss at the front, so the missis has just spent nearly a week scraping it out, and I've just gone over the gravel squirting weedkiller.
Our laurel hedges were getting a bit too big so we've had a hedge cutter take a few feet of the tops.
Thanks, Ozy.

Yes you can get the odd dandelion popping up. I must get some
weed killer. Would that not rot the membrane Mick as you seem to be ‘ahead of the game?’

No Veebs I've used weedkiller and even bleach many times. The bleach i use is asda thin bleach because it easily sprinkles out of my watering can.

PS. I can't just going to have a bum.inspection at the doctors

Someone is actually using that road crossing in the background, that doesn't happen a lot.

No offence Mick but that sounds like an ecological disaster zone.
I for one will stick with therapeutic but time consuming use of a lawnmower.

Mick, you if you have gravel on your garden get a rake to create swirly patterns and turn it into a Japanese Zen Garden with a water feature, Japanese maples and bamboo fencing. Great for meditation, especially you have one or two little bells to tinkle.
Good luck with your Derrière inspection!

Thanks for telling us about your bum inspection Mick .
The image of that is now burned indelibly into every single one of my brain cells .

I may stay in bed all day tomorrow , as I’ll most likely have been up all night having bleed’n nightmares .

Nice display and the old brickwork backdrop sets it off perfectly.

Tomorrow we are going to Ramsbottom now I can’t stop thinking of Micksbottom!
Sorry for this Mick and hope it all went well. Best regards Mick and thanks to all for the nice comments. Colin.

Mick will you please convey my commiserations to your doctor. The poor fellow has a hard row to hoe.

No man hath greater love than this
That he should lay down his stethoscope to examine the rear end of his fellow man.

We always enjoy Rambottom Colin, we love the charity and memorabiliia shops, we love the Yorkshire style chippy, we love the church yard were we sit on a bench and eat our fish & chips, we love the steam train.
I remember a long time ago, I got off with a girl in Blackpool who came from Upper Rambottom. I said that's a long way from here. What's it like living up there? She said it was mostly wet and windy.

We used to go to Ramsbottom a lot until the bus from Bolton bus station was stopped. It was a lovely ride 20 minute ride through the country side. These days you have to travel from Bolton to Bury and then another bus to Ramsbottom. Awkward!
I would be interested to know how you get there from Wigan on the bus. It must take a couple of hours to get there at least.

I drive my car Veebs

You get the train to Victoria Veronica then get the bus to Rammy .

I forget the number , but I think it’s the one that goes to Skipton ,….or Burnley at least .

I don’t think I’ll bother…it was only 20 minutes out of Bolton practically on the doorstep. All down to the enemies of us pensioners with passes…you know who I mean! Anything to get shut of us…