Wiltshire in Pictures: Outdoor art and mini trains

Shannon from Longleat stands by the drivers cab of a small-gauge train wearing high-viz. The train is red with a long yellow stripe down the side, with the carriages going off into the distance.Image source, Longleat
Image caption,

Longleat has welcomed its first female train driver, Shannon, in more than a decade

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The weather has been a mixed bag this week, reflecting the time of year perhaps, but it has created opportunities for some dramatic skies.

They've been marking the 60th anniversary of the mini heritage railway at Longleat, and over in Westbury one little dog had reasons to be grateful to firefighters after getting stuck.

Some unique art popped up at Avebury Manor Garden, and a military veteran celebrated a special birthday.

A rainbow clearly arches across the landscape, which is a golden field, a green one, farm buildings in the distance. Above the clear rainbow is a slightly more faint one.Image source, Weather Watchers/Chris A

Twin rainbows: Weather watcher Chris A caught these double rainbows, a symbol of this week's mixed weather, at Corsley near Warminster.

A group of people dressed variously in fire kit, high-viz, hard hats and outdoor camera look at the camera with a small, very muddy dog standing and being supported by a firefighter.Image source, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

Canine kerfuffle: Ruby the dog got herself stuck down an open drainage tunnel and was rescued by a fire crew, local council workers, highways maintenance and some locals.

Three stylised cat-shaped mosaics in blue, green and orange with googly-type eyes. They have an old wall behind themImage source, National Trust
A metal sculpture made to look like a dinosaur standing in a meadow-type area. Behind it other metal sculptures can be seen in the distance including a bird of prey. The meadow is ringed with a hedgerowImage source, National Trust

Garden art: More than 100 sculptures by 23 artists have gone on display at Avebury Manor Garden as part of its annual Sculpture Exhibition. They are featured across the 11 different "rooms" in the garden, joined by topiary, walls and gateways. On until 19 October, all the artwork is for sale, with a percentage going to the National Trust.

A huge mural on a wall of a mythical creature that looks a bit like a red dragon, but with a human face and crown. There are arrows and armour painted scattered around it with a medieval wallpaper like background and a distant castle tower. The artist has his back to the camera in the left of the picture, making finishing touches.

Scaling the wall: Swindon Paint Fest has included a big mural of a dragon-like creature with a human face. It is artist Luke Gray's interpretation of a mythical creature called a wyvern - which has been put onto the side of the town's Wyvern Theatre.

A very ruined castle, a single, crumbling tower in the background with a set of very low ruined walls showing where the rooms would have been. It sits on a green landscape, with a large tree to the left. It is all below a very moody grey sky

Moody skies: Grey, threatening clouds swirled over Ludgershall Castle as BBC Radio Wiltshire's Ben Prater went along for his series Living on the Edge, speaking to people in places next to the county's border.

A group of men in naval dress uniform with medals, three holding certificates, one with a pictures. They stand around a man in a wheelchair who is holding a ceremonial swordImage source, Colten Care

D-Day memories: Veteran Commander Douglas Parish celebrated his 100th birthday at Braemar Lodge care home in Salisbury in the company of uniformed Royal Navy representatives. He was gifted a keepsake bottle of the traditional rum of the Royal Navy.

A group of people in cycling kit inside a pub, with a couple of bikes there as well. All are smiling at the camera, a few with helmets on tooImage source, Wadworth

Charity cycle: Staff from the Wadworth brewery in Devizes have marked its 150th anniversary with a three-day, 150-mile charity cycle ride, raising funds for the Licensed Trade Charity and Julia's House children's hospice. Wadworth's founder Henry Wadworth famously completed a similar journey in 1869.

A shot inside a forest, two trees in the foreground with their leaves still, sun shining through and behind them a sea of smaller trees and fern-like plants

Autumn warmth: The sunshine has still broken through at times, as this photograph taken at Savernake Forest near Marlborough shows.

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