Tuesday, September 10, 2013

52 Weeks of Happy - Week 36

I'm a bit late with my 'happies' this week. As I mentioned in my previous post the last few days have been wonderful.  The misty, dew damp mornings and the golden glow of the evenings.  We've managed to get out walking a few mornings this week and on Wednesday had a trip to Attingham Park - again see my last post-  it was a perfect day for wandering in the gardens and grounds.   Here are a few more  happy things which have made me smile this week.

1. Hollyhocks and Chickens - both remind me of my maternal grandma's home and garden.  She had a wall at the side of the house with hollyhocks growing against it in the summer and a few hens for eggs in a shed at the bottom of the garden.  When I stayed with her, usually in the summer holidays, I guess I would have been four or five years old, the sound of the cockerel would wake me up every morning.  Both sets of photos were taken in the cut flower show garden at Trentham gardens.

2.  Steam Train - the train at Consall Station on the Churnet Valley Railway.  We sat in the sunshine waiting for the train to come into the station watching the dragon flies hovering over the picnic tables.  I love the sound of the engines and the buzz of excitement that people have as the train pulls in and then pulls away, children waving,  to continue its journey.  We watched it leave the station then continued our walk in the country park.

3. Fruit - lovely ripe figs - I wish we had our own tree the ones below are courtesy of Aldi!  Also plums from our own tree, just a few this year, enough to make a plum crumble for tea.  Last year we had loads, enough for jam, wine, chutney and loads of crumbles.


4.  Woodland Walks - there are lots of different fungi to be found on the damp, sheltered ground under the trees.  We found quite a few varieties to photograph at Consall on Sunday.  They do seem to be around earlier this year.


Linking up with  Little Birdie  where  '52 weeks of Happy' started. Each week you find just four things that have made you happy to share. 

18 comments:

  1. I love hollyhocks but they just won't grow here, so thank you for the pictures.

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    1. We can't grow them in our soil either, all the flowers I love won't grow here in our heavy clay and damp conditions either the roots rot or the slugs eat them:)

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  2. Lots of lovely things here but I specially like the woodland fungus. The mornings have been beautiful haven't they?

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    1. The mornings (up until the last two) have been wonderful! There is a lot of different fungi around this year and we seem to have spotted them far earlier than last year:)

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  3. Great happies! I think I did the same walk on Sunday - I definitely photographed the same mushroom, the top left one! - http://365project.org/roachling/365/2013-09-08

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    1. We must have missed each other somewhere! We got there around 10a.m. and left about 1p.m. We took the white route - mostly as we do change course and meander a bit - which is the one that goes up over the tree tops
      where you can see Consall Hall Gardens in the distance - lots of buzzards up there - can't remember where I snapped the mushroom though:)

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  4. Those fluffy black chickens are so cute!

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    1. Aren't they? I love them and look for them each time we visit:)

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  5. Our cat, Gino, didn't stay out long this morning and has curled up on his favourite cushion in the covered yard! (It's a chilly day today). Glad you had some lovely walks last week and a sit down in the old train station must have been evocative of times past. Hollyhocks and chickens - reminders of your maternal Grandma's home and garden. Mine was a chicken run and pink cosmos as the earliest memories of my Grandma's back yard.

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    1. Our cats aren't venturing out very much as it is chillier and the grass is so wet - it needs cutting again but its far too wet to do it at the moment. Ah, your grandma had chickens too:)

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  6. I love all the things above and look forward to making my first crumble this year. Your 'happies' have made me feel happy too! x

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    1. Glad to make you smile Simone - hope you are feeling better now:)

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  7. I love figs too - especially roasted in the oven, drizzled with honey and dolloped with Marscapone!!!! xxxxxxxx

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    1. Mmm... sounds delicious! I love ripe fresh figs, can't abide dried ones though - I am also hooked on the Activia fig yogurts - yumm:)

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  8. Love the woodland fungus and can almost smell the woody aroma of your walk. Lovely photos Rosie.
    Patricia x

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    1. Thanks, Patricia - the walk was very autumnal:)

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