Friday, September 24, 2021

Five Since the Last Time

Somehow two weeks have gone by since my last post   Time is passing so quickly and I'm trying to hold on to the last shreds of Summer even though it is now definitely Autumn.

If I hadn't taken photos I'd have difficulty remembering which days I've done things on as all the days seem to be melding together.


Last week on Monday we took a few bags of things to donate to the local Wildlife Trust charity shop. We went in first to check that they wanted what we had before fetching the bags from the car and placing them in the little changing room at the back of the shop where they would stay for a while before being sorted.  Afterwards we had a wander around the town.  Leek has some lovely independent shops and also successful indoor, outdoor and artisan markets.  All well publicised by their 'Totally Locally' campaign.


On the Wednesday we met with friends at the village of Bonsall which is near Cromford in Derbyshire and visited the Cascades  gardens.  The garden is set in a quarry and is a meditation garden and bonsai nursery as well as offering Zen retreats in the old mill house.  
 



 
We spent quite a while in the garden before finding lunch at the nearby Fountains Tea Rooms.
 

Our garden has needed quite a bit of attention over the last week.  Areas of grass we had allowed to grow long have now been mown and the seat moved to the top of the garden where the old shed used to be.  
 
 
The red cabbages have done well this year.
 
As have beetroot and courgettes but tomatoes have been less successful.

Some of the flowers are still doing well too.
 
Cosmos

Clematis

The first Comma butterfly I've seen in the garden this year.

The Sunflower has had about twelve blooms on it.

I was able to collect two of the three books I had reserved from the library.  Luckily they both became available at the same time.

The third book I'd reserved came up as available to borrow from the e-book library so I had it from there and cancelled my reservation at the library as I was still quite a way down in the queue.

So far I've read the Ann Cleeves book and the Kate Ellis one and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.  I'm now looking forward to reading '1979.'
 
This week we ventured up to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery to see the newly  opened Spitfire Gallery.  Whilst the museum has been closed through the last eighteen months lots of work has been done and some galleries were closed as refurbishment is still taking place.  
 

There was much razzamatazz over the last weekend with a fly over from a Spitfire and many living history events.  We decided to wait until it was quieter to visit.

Reginald Mitchell, the designer of the plane, was born locally.

The plane has been refurbished and is now in a lot better condition than it was.

We sat and had coffee overlooking the downstairs bit of the gallery and then went to see the other exhibition 'Curiouser and Curiouser' which uses the museums own objects within the displays of 'Alice's Adventures in a Museum Wonderland.'

All for now.  Take care.

22 comments:

  1. It looks like you have been very busy Rosie! I wish I had been anywhere this year - even for one day! You have done so well in the garden. The red cabbage looks delicious and to think it is home grown too. Love the white cosmos too. Hope you have a lovely weekend. x

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    1. We have done more in the last two or three weeks than in the last year. The garden is winding down now but there are still lawns to cut one more time and a few hedges to trim now the birds have finiahed nesting. We are having some of the red cabbage this evening with a nut roast. Hope you have a lovely weekend too:)

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  2. It can't be 2 weeks since your last post but judging from all the exciting things you've done, it must be! Your vegetables look really good and I'm heartened your tomatoes have had a difficult year like us. Interesting trips and lovely photos. Happy weekend 😊

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    1. I couldn't believe it either but we have been busier this week than we have been for ages. The vegetables have been okay this year. Even Monty Don hasn't had a good year with tomatoes, it must have been the weather patterns. Have a good weekend:)

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  3. Spitfires are such beautiful planes.

    There is a garden out in British Columbia that was created out of a quarry.

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    1. They are great planes aren't they? Quarry gardens are always fascinating with the different flowers and plants they grow:)

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  4. Lately our days seem to merge into one another as mainly we've been doing things at home. A brief written diary and photos help me remember any out of the ordinary happenings. It sounds as if you have had a productive time with some interesting trips too.

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    1. We seem to have floated through the summer without paying attention to it all and days are still confusing. We have had one or two trips out recently all still with social distance and masks but it is good these places are open at last:)

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  5. Looks as though you've been pleasantly busy. Spitfires are a fairly common sight in the skies above my village as the Duxford Imperial War Museum is just down the road.

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    1. We have had an interesting couple of weeks. It must be good to see the Spitfires and other planes overhead. I've been to Duxford a couple of times but my favourite museum is the one a little further on from Duxford at the Shuttleworth Collection - I love the very old planes there:)

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  6. How nice to see you making the most of this beautiful time of year. Autumn is my favorite.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thank you Amalis, it is a lovely time of year and still quite sunny and warm although that is to change next week according to the forecasts:)

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  7. It looks as though you have a lovely two weeks. I know what you mean about days and weeks all blending together!! I have fogotten what it is like to do normal routine shopping things etc.

    The Cascades Garden looks really lovely and the flower photos are super.

    Your garden produce looks good. We haven't had many tomatoes this year compared to last so I won't be making Green Tomato Chutney this year.

    Reading matter looks good. Iam currently reading The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths - so good to have a Ruth and Nelson book to read and it finally came down in price!

    The Spitfire Gallery looks interesting and I would love to see the Alice In Wonderland Exhibition :)

    Take care too and have a good weekend.

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    1. Thank you RR, I loved the Alice in Wonderland Exhibition, apparently they have had some of the characters (a theatre group)there over the weekend. Cascades is lovely although prettier in spring than Autumn. I enjoyed 'The Nighthawks' very much and I have her latest Brighton Series book reserved at the library, I think that was published last week. The new Spitfire gallery is quie something and has made a rather run down and dismal part of the Museum both indoors and out much better. Hope you too have had a good weekend:)

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  8. Well, my memory of a Buddha in need of some TLC has now changed to one of him having a monocle and an eye patch. A lovely day by any measure. See you again soon I’m sure. Robert xx.

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    1. Ha Ha, yes I can see what you mean. Every time I thought to take a photo of the Buddha there was someone in front of it so in the end I snapped it through the trees from a distance. We had a lovely day. See you soon, windows permitting, Long Clawson perhaps?:)

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    2. You are on. Speak soon. Went to the Naturescape Garden Centre at Langar on Friday and bought seeds our garden meadow. They have a lovely tearoom. I should have said that the Cascades Garden is in a great location, being in a small gorge and offers a good variety of walks, then up the hill to Bonsall’s church. I suspect its graveyard looks fantastic late-spring/early-summer if it is left to grow. I definitely want to go back. R. xx.

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  9. Sounds like you have spent your weeks with lovely pursuits. I have noted down your books and loved the photo of the comma butterfly. Not seen many here this year. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. B x

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    1. We have been busy these last two weeks with both visits and general things like replacing shoes, phones and visiting opticians and etc. Things feel slightly more normal for a while. I think it was the first Comma I'd seen in the garden this year and it returned over a few days to graze on the sedums. I was so sorry to read about Wizard, he will be sorely missed. Take care:)

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    2. Thanks Rosie. I know you lost your cat not so long ago so you understand just how hard it is x

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  10. The gardens do look lovely and quite peaceful. My parents have had a poor show with their tomatoes this year too, just down to the weather they think?

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    1. Thank you Pam, yes I think it was the sequence of weather patterns that did for the tomatoes. We have a few mini munch but the larger ones haven't done well at all:)

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