Elephant ready for grinding

Well, museums should be re-opening this month... if, that is, they have met the Covid-prevention conditions imposed by the government.

This means that you will once again be able to view these grisly elephant bones at Shirley's Grinding Mill Museum in Etruria. They have been preserved there for over one hundred years as a sort of odd trophy.
The mill ground flint and bone to be used in the china-making process.

Quite how the mill got the elephant bones is another story.

Hundreds of miles of canals

There are more miles of canals in Staffordshire than in any other shire county.  Yes, I was surprised at that statistic too!
Actually, I'm not one for walking along canal towpaths much, as the view can be the same for miles - but they are much frequented by people wanting exercise.  The one at Etruria (in the photo) is often used by workers too, who use it as a short-cut to get home and back.

If you're interested in local canals, the BBC Staffordshire Canals webpage makes a fascinating start.