Five things for Friday.
1. In the garden.
Leaves and plenty of them from the Tulip tree all over the top lawn. They have been raked up a couple of times so far and there are a lot more to come down. Today there is a slight breeze blowing them about.
Our foxy visitor seems to have something wrong with its eye, I'm not sure if this is permanent or if it will clear. We have another fox that visits and that one has a slight limp. Lets hope that clears up too. Life is precarious for our urbn foxes.
2. Lakeside Walks
Cormorant
Photos taken on a recent walk around Westport Lake. There are not so many visitors now the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has closed its visitor centre and cafe. Such a shame, it was a lovely place for coffee overlooking the lake. Many locals used it to meet friends and there was a good community spirit. The city council are hoping to find someone to take over and are still maintaining the lakeside walks, car park and children's play area.
Muscovy duck and Runner duck
They are always together and seem to be great pals.
3. Halloween
Lots of pumpkins and pumpkin carvings at Trentham gardens this week
4. Autumn Colours
A quick walk at the Dorothy Clive gardens on Tuesday as it was quite damp and grey. The wonderful colour in the trees and shrubs made up for the dismal day.
The tables in the cafe were decorated with fresh flowers and small squashes and gourds.
5. Recent reading
Bournville by Jonathan Coe, set in and around the Bournville area of Birmingham. It's the story of Mary and takes her and her family from the second World War through notable times in our recent history right up to the Covid 19 epidemic.
It's another grey day here but at least the slight drizzle we had yesterday has disappeared. I think more leaf raking and gathering is in order for this afternoon.
I didn’t know there was another Maisie Dobbs book. I’ll have to order it. A lovely autumnal five. Have a good weekend. B x
ReplyDeleteThank you B. I enjoyed the last Maisie Dobbs, a very satisfying end. You too have a good weekend:)
DeleteIt's looking very Autumnal in your corner but if it's like here, it's quite warm to be out and about enjoying all the colour. Poor little fox, fingers crossed his eye improves quickly. Such a shame about the café which will have been a favourite for many no doubt and would have encouraged more to enjoy and take note of the countryside. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you CK. It is warm for this time of year but also damp rather than dry. So many people used to meet there, we saw the same people when we visited, greeting each other and pulling up chairs to sit together, one older man used to have his breakfast there more than once a week. It had become so much more than just a cafe. A place for people off the canal to take a break too:)
DeleteIt is lovely to see the autumnal colours and there are some super Halloween and pumpkin displays at Trentham Gardens. I am sorry about Westport Lake cafe and visitor centre closing and I do hope the Council find someone to take it over. I hope the health of your garden foxes improves soon. The books look interesting - I do love the Maisie Dobbs books but such a shame if it is the last. I will have to check out the Vera book too!! The Bournville book sounds good as well. Thanks Rosie and have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Caroline. There are some lovely colours around this year, the carved pumpkins at Trentham were rather good, there were loads along a trail. We used to walk at Westport almost every week, we've been a couple of times since the centre closed at the end of September, we take a flask with us, or we could walk down the canal to Middleport pottery for refreshments. I enjoyed all three of the books. You too have a good weekend:)
DeleteI always enjoy your pictures of Trentham Gardens. It looks like the team there really put on a show for Halloween!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tracy, the gardens are very photogenic, the carved pumpkin displays were exceptional this year:)
DeleteOoh, another Maisie Dobbs book. I will look it up. There is much to see on your walk around the lake. The fox is such a handsome fellow and I do hope his eye clears up.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lorrie, it's sad for the series to end but it ends well, I hope you enjoy reading it. I hope the fox isn't in pain, I don't think so but it is always more wary than the others as it probably doesn't see so well:)
DeleteI was very interested in the Jonathan Coe book as Bournville is only 5 miles away from us. Thank you for bringing it to my attebtion, Rosie.
ReplyDeleteThis time of the year starts to get very difficult for some of our wildlife . I do hope the foxes that visit you will make full recoveries which will see them through Winter in good health.
My favourite pumpkin is the triffid pumpkin :-)
Thank you Beverley, I worry about the wildlife when the loud fireworks start too. The new ones, as we call them, won't have heard or seen them before. I enjoyed Jonathan Coe's Bournville, so hope you do too. We visited the place a few years ago. We stayed in Reddich and travelled up by train. One day to the University Campus to the museums and art gallery there and the next to Bournville to explore the village as well as the Cadbury factory, I did write a post about it but can't remember which year it was I must look back:)
DeleteSome great pumpkin carvings! I usually make a pumpkin pie with tinned pumpkin but that is difficult to get these days. I bet you have done a bit of leaf raking since this post Rosie! x
ReplyDeleteThank you Simone, yes, more leaf raking still needed, we didn't have a pumpkin this year so it was good to see the ones at Trentham:)
DeleteThank you for your beautiful photos...
ReplyDeleteWe also winterized our little garden and today I put up the birdhouse.
We visited the UK for the first time this summer and we loved it so much, especially the gardens... a hug coming to you from Viola
Have a nice weekend.
Thank you Viola, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. It is hard work getting the garden ready for winter, we have tackled all the bird feeders this morning so they are all clean. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit over here and yes, we do have some lovely gardens both public and private. I hope you too have a lovely weekend:)
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