It was a most beautiful day yesterday, in our little area anyway. We drove the few miles to the town of Leek where all was looking lovely in the bright sunshine. The antiques and bric a brac market was in the market square with a few food stalls and a display of birds of prey. Sorry no photos as there were too many people around.
We wandered into Getliffe's Yard after taking a couple of bags of books and clothing to the Staffordshire Wildlife Charity Shop nearby.
There are some lovely shops in the yard and they were all decorated, very tastefully for Autumn.
It felt like time for coffee and a toasted teacake. So we went into 'Tea-Cake'
We were the first people in although others soon followed.
Coffee was served using such pretty china which had been designed by the owner of the gift shop and cafe. Here is a link to her website so you can see more. Fully refreshed we had a look at the market stalls both inside and out before returning home.
The afternoon was spent washing and getting things dry outside including winter dressing gowns which are now clean and ready for when it gets colder. More work was done on the tedious job of getting the weeds out of the pebble path.
The garden was full of bees and butterflies. There were at least five Red Admirals.
They were all over the Sedum flowers.
Whilst Commas, Tortoiseshells and whites
seemed to prefer the Verbena Bonarensis.
We spotted a little frog on a lily leaf in the pond.
He or she had popped up out of the water to enjoy the warm sunshine.
It was nice to see the frog as we've had hardly any in the pond this year.
The Golden Hop has developed hop flowers.
The Clematis we thought was lost has flowered
Dahlias and Japanese Anemones are adding colour to the garden at the moment.
Giving the impression that it is still summer in their hearts.
Even though by the end of the day the lawn was covered in the first large leaf fall and silken spider webs were trailing across paths and adding a delicate glitter to the heather.
We've been thrilled that over the last few days the long tailed tits have returned to the feeders joining their blue tit and great tit cousins.
What a difference a day makes this morning we were woken by the sounds of heavy rain and thunder. I'm so glad we made the most of yesterday.
What stunning pictures Rosie, the Comma is particularly lovely. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you Tanya, it was lovely to see the comma smongst all the other butterflies:)
DeleteWhat a lovely day. I hope there was a cafe called 'Cheese Scone' too! Today we've had torrents of rain but they've stopped now, I can't complain as we've not had much rain this year. I wonder what all the wildlife make of the weather, at least all us well in your garden. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen, if there was a cafe called Cheese Scone, I'd be there. Rain and rain again here which is making completing the path difficult:)
DeleteA lovely post - it was so sunny and warm yesterday it was good to get out. Rain here today too but no thunder. Your garden flowers are looking lovely and I am so glad your clematis survived. Love the photo of the little frog and the butterflies. I do like the displays outside the shops in Leek. Have a good week :)
ReplyDeleteThank you RR. there are some lovely individual shops in Leek. Rain and more rain at the moment and everywhere very wet and soggy, we seem to experience extrems at the moment:)
DeleteLong tailed tits back here too. Love all your red admirals, they have been very plentiful this year. Leek looks like a perfect place to shop. B x
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara, always love to see the long tailed tits, my favourites of them all. I'd begun to think that Red Admirals were scarce this year then all of sudden there are loads of them:)
Deletethat Yard area, is lovely in any weather.... Covered, as it is. And what delightful shops.
ReplyDeleteAll that walking in the morning, and you still had "umph" left, to do yard work, in the afternoon. How wonderful!
The flowers and the butterflies! Gorgeous, so gorgeous. We hardly see any, and we do not use chemicals. But I fear, so many lawns around us, use those terrible chemicals, so that the lawn will be *perrrrfectly* green. -sigh-sigh-sigh-
It makes me sad. And it makes me mad. And there isn't a thing, I can do, about it.
Happy you took advantage of the lovely day yesterday. Today you can snuggle inside. :-)
🍁🍂🎃🍂🍁
Thank you WoW, a lot of the gardens around us are paved over and have fencing around them which makes our garden popular with wildlife as we still have grass, hedges and trees - it is hard work but worth it:)
DeleteThe rain has reached here this afternoon - what a contrast to yesterday!
ReplyDeleteThank you John, yes it does seem as if the season changed overnight. Still rain here, that's three days running now:)
DeleteThe yard looked such a wonderful place for a stroll and of course a browse. Those displays would certainly entice you in. The flowers and butterflies were a feast for the eyes, such vibrant colours.
ReplyDeleteThank you MM. Leek is a lovely place with so many interesting shops and old buildings, many with connections to William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The garden seemed magical on Saturday afternoon, now it is just damp and grey:)
DeleteIt all looks very lovely, I spy a Spider too, just under the lily pad, near your frog!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Pam, Well spotted - I hadn't noticed the spider lurking under the lilly pad, I wonder if it was hiding from the frog as surely it would have been eaten otherwise?:)
DeleteHow delighted you must have been to see the long tailed tits return! The weather is beautiful again here after a day of rain. I shall make the most of it in a moment and join Mr P in the garden. We had planned to go out yesterday as there was a local heritage event I had wanted to attend, but rain stopped play! Glad you got to Leek when you did. It looks a pretty place in the Yard.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. I hope you enjoyed yout time in the garden with Mr P. We had to put off visits too, such a shame for those organising them. Leek is a lovely town with much to commend it, especially their local shops, market and lovely buildings:)
DeleteThe butterflies are particularly photogenic!
ReplyDeleteThank you William, the butterflies have been wonderful this year:)
DeleteThe summer has wound down very gently this year, hasn't it? I was thrilled to see so many butterflies in my garden last week - your photos are fab! And well done on weeding that path, you've done a top job. x
ReplyDeleteThe butterflies were a treat after not seeing many earlier in summer, we had to get more stones for the path as P found it difficult to wash some of them clean, he now has a load to do but can do them at leisure for the other end of the path, too wet to continue at the moment:)
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