Chetenham College

This is the view from the balconies in yesterdays post. It is the world famous Cheltenham Boys College. Well, it allows girls now but locally it is known as the Boys College. The college dates from 1841 and has been on this site, in these Gothic Revival buildings since 1843. It was opened as Cheltenham Proprietary College and was founded to educate the sons of gentlemen. The college took in day and boarding students, and still does, with many surrounding streets having halls of residence. The college was originally split into Classical and Military schools but this ended in the middle of the last century. The college is one of several independent fee paying schools in Cheltenham, educating students between 13 and 18 years old. The college grounds are very large with many buildings and the huge chapel (on the left of the photo) was built in 1893-96 for the college's 50th Jubilee celebrations! The college also hosts the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, which started yesterday, and has been held there since 1872.

So, what do you think about the modern Century Court (see yesterdays post) being built opposite the classic Cheltenham College? Now you can see what all the fuss was about at the time!

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Its Just Not Cricket

Well actually it is, but it was the only title I could come up with! I wasn't sure of the difference between a cricket and a grasshopper but its apparently that crickets are brown and grasshoppers are green. Crickets make their chirping sound by rubbing their forewings together, while grasshoppers make theirs by rubbing their hind legs against their wings. Also crickets are nocturnal (active at night) and grasshoppers are diurnal (active in the day.) Someone should have told that to this cricket, as he was hopping around in the middle of the day.

I'm playing around taking macro photos at the moment. Sometimes they come out really well and other times they are just a blur (more practise needed!) I just love the detail that you can capture (click on the photo to see what I mean), especially with things that you don't normally notice.

And finally, one more difference between crickets and grasshoppers. A grasshopper can play cricket, but a cricket can't play grasshopper! No, I didn't laugh either. Anyone got a better insect joke?