Out and About

Yesterday we had arranged to visit friends who live in the North East Derbyshire village of Holmesfield which isn't far from the National Trust's Longshaw Estate.

We were awake quite early and set out a lot earlier than we had thought so had extra time to meander around the pretty town of Bakewell which is one of my favourite things to do.

We spent a couple of hours in their lovely garden, unfortunatley Ian gets very tired as his illness progresses, so we said our goodbyes, promising to visit again before the end of Summer and drove home past the Longshaw Estate and through Hathersage down to Hassop and the bookshop and cafe at Hassop Station.

 It was very busy!  Notices said to take a seat under the outside canopies and then order on line.  We assumed that one had to have a smart phone to do that so, as we only wanted a drink of tea or coffee, we moved on.

 The Hassop Station cafe, gift and book shop is on the Monsal Trail.  Just a little further up the trail is another place we have visited before, Thornbridge Hall.  We realised that we weren't that far away so decided to try there.  Oh, how different it was from previous visits.

We had been here before a couple of times.  We first visited on a friend's birthday and had a tasty lunch in the coach house and a wander around the lovely gardens and extensive plant sales area. 

Later the same year we met up with the friends I mentioned above and visitied the gardens for a second time. 

How things had changed.  The coach house is now only open for special events and weddings.  There is a new car park which takes you to a newly built cafe called Quackers and the plants sales area seemed a lot smaller.  

I expect the gardens are still as lovely as they were but we didn't go in this time as we still had about an hours journey ahead.  

There is a path up to Quackers from the Monsal Trail with some lovely views of the trail and the surrouding countryside from the old bridge.

At the moment I'm struggling with my smaller camera as my Fuji bridge camera keeps telling me to take the lens cap off, even though it is off, and won't let me take photos.  The smaller camera won't accept the date and time and wants me to put it in every time I switch it on so the only way to take photos is to leave it switched on but then the photos are all over the place and not in the order they were taken. All very irritating.  I may eventually have to look for a new camera.  I've had a look online but they are so expensive.  I'll eventually go and look at some when things feel safer.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

In the Garden

 Five things for this Friday from in and around the garden.

1.  It's time for Clematis, Sweet Peas and Roses.

2.  Strawberries are ripening fast.

There are many more to come.  Gooseberries will be next and then plums.

 

3.  A posy for the kichen table from the garden made up with Pinks, Chive Flowers, London Pride and Alchemila Mollis

4. The frogs have returned to the pond. 

Three have been spotted and at least ten newts too.

5.   A couple of months ago I told you the story of the Vixen rescuing her four cubs from a couple of gardens away where an old shed had collapsed. She carried them one by one through our garden to the safety of the school's little nature reserve which is just over our hedge.  We had seen three different cubs and wondered if the fourth had survived.  A couple of nights ago we popped the wildlife camera out overnight and the film above is what we captured.  Four happy, healthy cubs.  Well done Vix.

A Morning Walk

This morning we strolled over the fields not far from home.  It was breezy and cloudy but there was a warmth in the air and the promise of sun filtering through.  

The fields are looking wonderful at the moment and the different grasses were swaying in the breeze.  We spotted Crowsfoot, Foxtail, Rye Grass and Yorkshire Fog amongst the shimmering, swaying fronds.

A Skylark rose up in the next field and fluttered and sang before it returned to its earth bound nest.

Swallows skimmed across the top of the swaying grass, so quick and purposeful, collecting insects that were invisible to our eyes.

 

Down the lane the buttercup meadows were breathtaking in their beauty.

On the corner of the buttercup meadow the flag iris spread across the pond adding to the golden glow.

In the hedgerows the Elder bushes were bursting into flower.  

We saw many wild flowers too. Some of them below.

It feels like Summer is finally here.

Have a lovely weekend

First Potatoes

In February this year we found a large potato in the vegetable drawer that had long sprouts on it so we placed it in a flowerpot of compost and left it in the greenhouse.

Earliier this week the potato plant was dying back and looking ready to be dealt with.

Would there be any potatoes in there?

 Yes, there were.

 They are now in the vegetable drawer ready for meals over the next few days.

Not long afterwards we collected some rhubarb for tea.  Lurking in amongst the leaves was the shoot of a Horse Chestnut tree so it was pulled out of the raised bed still with the conker at its base.  There is a Horse Chestnut tree at the top of the garden next door.

It was probably buried there last year by a squirrel.   We planted it in a large pot.

 I wonder if it will survive?  We'll see.

 Meanwhile, in the garden,  Peonies and yellow flag Iris have flowered.

Elsewhere in the garden other flowers are mostly pink and mauve.

All for now.  I hope you all have a good weekend.