Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 13th April, 2025)

A Park Dennis?.
I can't see any swings and slides.
Just looks like spare land, cut grass and Daffodil plants.
Still, a lovely photo.

A nice sunny spring photo, wonder if there is somewhere to sit & let the World go by.

A small oasis 5 minutes walk from the hospital

A very pleasant area. I used to walk my son's dog, Colin, around there. Oddly, the name always reminds me of the late Thora Hird in the tv film "Pat and Margaret", when she is reading out "Marylebone Road" from the newspaper to her illiterate son, played by Duncan Preston"...."Mary-lee- bone Road".A story that is a breath of fresh air after some of the stuff for which we pay a licence fee.

It's still a Park, Kath. No need for swings and slides here, just to sit down and have a minute in piece and quiet...and to look at the lovely Daffodils.

What you described Kath is a Playground. This is a small area of Parkland off Wigan Lane where people can sit and enjoy the coming of Spring.

A lovely fresh Spring photo Dennis. I love that old tree with the Ivy creeping up the side. If it was in my garden I would get rid of the Ivy from it. If it’s not checked it will ‘ choke’ the tree and damage it.

looked more of a park in this photo https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=27470&gallery=Mariebonne&page=1#google_vignette

This is a lovely park, and yes Helen of Troy, there is somewhere to sit and watch the world go by. We do that quite often. It’s on one of our walking trails. It’s a good place to stop have a rest, and watch the world go by. Went last week.

Victoria, lvy don't bother trees it protect the Bark (get it Bark.) It can also cover up bad fencing and can hide most things that's unsightly :-)

Nice photograph, Dennis. Thank you!
When I was young, one of my friends lived in one of the houses which overlooks the park.
Also, one of my friends recently moved from Milton Grove; the house also overlooks the park.
I remember, there was a very large Horsechestnut tree on the corner of Milton Grove; I spent many happy moments getting "conkers" there.
It's wonderful how a nice photograph can bring back so many happy memories.

I love ivy on my trees, it's a good nesting habitat for birds and insects, I know that because l have a Robins nest inside the ivy on the tree. I love wildlife and we should all protect all our birds and insects.
Arthur I agree, it's nice to sit and watch our kids in piece and quiet on the Swings and Slides.

Kath, it doesn’t have to have swings and slides to be called a park. Springfield Park never had any. Neither does Goodison Park.

I don’t like Ivy getting out of control Muckley. If it’s grows up walls it can damage them and it can get under the roof. The same applies to a tree if it gets out of control. It damages fences as well.
As I have found with my fencing from next door’s land. Ivy can ruin sheds by sticking to the wood. It might look nice but it is very invasive. I don’t believe the bark is protected either. Each to his or her own.

“If left unchecked, it will eventually grow up the trunks of trees to the canopy and then grow outward, as seen in the photograph above. The added weight from the ivy makes the tree more susceptible to breakage in wind. English ivy will deny sun to the tree canopy it grows in and can eventually kill shrubs by shading its enshrouded branches. Large-diameter living ivy vines can constrict trunk growth, injuring the bark and creating entry sites for pest and disease. Once mature, the English ivy produces seed-filled berries that birds eat and then distribute the invasive species seeds across the region.

Our arborists recommend removal of all English ivy from your yard, as it can quickly spread. If you have a large amount of English ivy to remove, prioritize removing it from your trees first.”

Ivy is the curse of nature and ruins trees.

For those who cannot see the wood for the trees, a bench can be seen between the two trees on the far right.
The two replacement benches were installed next to the footpath facing the road, and not facing the park as the originals did, even so, I'm sure that both residents and the passing public are very thankful for these benches.

Myself and my late hubby spent many an afternoon sat on those benches in Summer..and yes when the Horse chestnut tree had to come down it robbed us all of the Conkers that used to collect..they would keep spiders at bay.
Some years ago I read a very interesting article about the young ones of the time would all parade up and down Wigan Lane and finish up in this little park..it was an interesting article but can’t remember where I read it.

Paul P that's because they are football Stadiums.

Hollie loves Ivy.
Especially at Christmas.

As youngsters in the 50’s we called it
THE LITTLE PARK.

I don't think swings and slides will go down well at football grounds.

Veronica, I too don't like the ivy that is invasive and takes over because of the damage it does just have you've mentioned, and the birds can't resist the berries which ooze sweet syrup when ripe.

If it is an old garden wall then an ornamental ivy would give it some character, and provide shelter for many insects and robins or wrens, in the garden of the house we had before we had a Canary Islands ivy growing along a wall, it wasn't invasive and looked a lot better than the bare bricks with its leaves of green and cream, I also like Boston ivy which turns a vivid red in Autumn.

After all I have written Cyril I do collect long lengths at Christmas and drape them over the fireplace along with branches of Holly from my Holly tree.
A good few years ago I had to get the Council to come to a tree on the land at the other side of my garden. The Ivy growing up it blocked all the light coming through the branches. They cut the Ivy at the bottom of the tree and said it would all die off. That took about 2 years for it to happen and each Spring Blossom appears now which didn’t before. When I get chance I cut the Ivy around the bottom of the tree so it won’t get in the state it was. The Blossom will be due very soon and I love seeing it from the kitchen window. If I hadn’t sent for the Council it would have had to be cut down it was in a poor state. We did take some big thick branches off it though.

A lovely Spring photo Dennis - thank you. I worked at Fairhurst, Accountants (centre of photo) for many years. Always enjoyed the cherry trees and flowers on the roundabout at this time of year. Irene - I think Thora Hird was a fantastic actress and second to none where comedy was concerned.

"Kath, it doesn’t have to have swings and slides to be called a park. Springfield Park never had any".

Sunderland fans would beg to differ.

Peter. Do you mean football stadiums or football stadia? Just checking.

A park is an area of natural semi -natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreational use

When I lived in my last house I grew ivy up the front of the house all the way up to just below the gutters. It was at least 2 ft in depth and when I removed it the wall was in good condition and it did not take long to remove the sucker tendrils.If there is any damaged brickwork like any self climbing plant the root system will go into the cracks and expand and pull plaster or broken brickwork away when you remove it

Ivy always leaves an imprint behind Peter. I’ve noticed many times houses where there’s been Ivy growing up walls. I suppose folk have taken it down realising it can cause damage eventually.