All I Want for Christmas........

Is my two front teeth.  

All right I'll explain, as Ian was eating a sandwich on Monday his tooth broke off. He has a false front tooth held in place on a plate. Now in two pieces. And Ian unable to say 'Thirty thousand feathers on a thrush', and looking like he been in a fight!
After making a number of phone calls to dentists, then dental workshops, we found we could take the bits to Oswestry where they would fix it for us. For a fee of course.
It meant an early start to catch the 8.10 bus from Ellesmere to get to Oswestry before 9am, to be sure to have the repair done by the end of the day. It also meant a day to potter around the town, with Jumble as we couldn't leave him on the boat for that long.

Oswestry is an ancient market town. Right on the border of England and Wales, with streets called Welsh Walls and English Walls on opposite sides of the town, you can guess what that is about!

The oldest part of the town is the Iron Age Hill Fort, set outside the modern town centre. Set up high as you would imagine, the views are incredible in every direction. 

There are amazing ramparts and ditches running round the fort, built to keep the occupants at the top safe in their mud and thatch roundhouses.

Oswestry was  once the headquarters of the Cambrian Railway and the old railway station is now a visitor centre and cafe. 

There are plans for opening part of the old railway line, closed by Beeching in the '60's, and outside a collection of railwayana is scattered about.

We explored the markets of course and found a cafe there where Jumble was welcomed and we enjoyed an all day breakfast meal.
Beside the market area is the Castle mound. The remains of a motte and bailey castle, again with fantastic views over the town and the hills around. 

castle mound

The castle was built to defend the town but also used as a base in the attempt to conquer Wales. A fire destroyed the castle and the walls round the town are gone too.

bits of castle wall

views across town

Christ Church below the castle

Despite being a showery day, the sun has been shining most of the time and we've seen several rainbows. We have had a good time looking round and we've kept dry. Jumble has had biscuits fed him by park-keepers and children on the bus, strokes and fusses by various shopkeepers or passers by and is now sleeping happily in front of the fire.
Oh and Ian has his good looks back and is speaking clearly once again.