On Friday

 A miscellany of things for Friday.

1.  Growing in both garden and conservatory.   

Outside in the little Spring flower 'garden' under the kitchen window the Snowdrops, Grape Hyacinths and Primroses are in flower.  The Winter Aconites aren't.  We had a plant about three years ago but last year it didn't appear so late last year we bought bulbs and planted them.  They were protected by the old oven shelf you see to the left of the photo with all the tent pegs which held it down and still the squirrels managed to get to the bulbs.  We noticed one morning that the shelf had been moved and that the squirrels or perhaps just one of them had somehow got underneath.  You have to admire their ingenuity and dexterity but as you can imagine I'm quite miffed about it.   I just hope they enjoyed munching on them.  You can see one little leaf which is perhaps from the original plant just showing through.

In the conservatory there are little green shoots, Tomatoes, Radishes, Chard and Cress.  

2.  Year of the Tiger

We visited Biddulph Grange Gardens on Monday and found in the Chinese Garden the lovely red lanterns hanging from the trees.  It's the year of the Tiger and I was born in a Tiger year.

We had the place to ourselves for ages.  Obviously a  Monday morning in February is a quiet time to visit.  The weather was okay but by the time we left there was damp and drizzle in the air.

3.  Fossils in Mr Bateman's Geology Gallery at Biddulph Grange.

I just love these - the shapes, the textures, the sheer age of them.  A great deal of work has been done over the last few years to conserve and/or replace many of the fossils in the wall of the long gallery.  I know I've blogged about this space before but I can't find the links to those posts at the moment.  If I find them I'll add them here.

4.  Water birds at Westport Lake.

On the main lake there were Geese, Swans, Black Headed gulls, Coots and Moorhens.

Along the paths in the wooded area by the stream, where we always go to see if we can spot a Kingfisher, there were loads of Scarlet Elf Cups.  Elves lead me on to....

5. Fairies - there are three new ones at Trentham Gardens.  They were installed earlier this week and are called 'The Fledglings.'  When the sun came out this morning we decided that, as a wet weekend has been forecast, another walk would be just the thing. 

The new fairies were a bonus spotted right at the end of our walk.

All for now.  Take Care. 

A Friday Five

 A Friday Five from Trentham Gardens.  We've walked there twice in the last week and I've included photos from both visits as different things are spotted each time.  On both days it was calm and slightly sunny.  

The second visit was a day when loads of birds were in the air.  As we walked skeins of geese were flying over the lake making a cacophony of sound.  Swans were taking off with a great deal of flapping and clapping of wings and cormorants were fishing and then settling on logs to open and dry their wings.  So first up are -

1.  Waterbirds and Waders 

The black swans practising their ballet movements.

Greylag geese, always my favourites, with a coot trying to get in the photo.

Cormorants - there were loads of them up in the trees as well as on the water. There is a heron on the far bank.

A fine looking heron at the end of the lake, preening and watching the world go by.

Cygnets on the River Trent.
We also saw a Little Egret across the lake on the heronry island but it was very shy.  Later, across the lake, we saw a tree with at least half a dozen of them amongst the branches. 

2. Fungi

Lots of different ones including boletus, inkcap and bracket fungus.  I haven't seen any Fly Agaric this year.

 

3. Events 

The circus is in town, well in the gardens, for its 'Spooktacular' performances.

The Big Top looked cheerful in the morning sunshine.

Not sure what their 'spooktacular' displays will include.  Ghostly acrobats and ghoulish clowns perhaps?

For children there is the 'Room on the Broom' trail.

 

We didn't follow the trail but came across one or two parts of it along the way.

It ends with brooms you can sit on and a 'selfie' spot for photographs.

The 'Pods and Picnic' area was seasonally decorated.

They looked as if they were awaiting lunchtime visitors.

4. Rivers of Grass

Piet Oudolf's creation 'Rivers of Grass' which is at the side of the formal Italian gardens is still looking good.

 

It blends in well and looked wonderful in the bright sunlight.

5. Other seasonal things spotted.

 

All for now.  Have a lovely weekend and take care.

 

Five for a Friday in June

1. Reading
I've not long since finished reading a lovely book by Gill Hornby.

Miss Austen covers a visit to Kintbury Vicarage in Berkshire in 1840 by Jane Austen's sister Cassandra.  For Cassandra it is a poignant visit as it was the home of her fiance Tom Fowle who died at sea in 1797.  Cassandra, now an elderly lady,  is seeking out old family letters sent by herself and by Jane to their friend Eliza who married Tom's brother Fulwar, the last of the Fowle family to be incumbent at Kintbury church.  As Cassandra reads the old letters the story drifts back in time to when Jane was alive and past and present are brought together as Cassandra remembers the past but deals with the present and future too and comes to terms with her losses over the years.

 2. In and From the Garden

There are loads of plums on the plum tree this year.

I hope some of them survive to be picked and eaten.

The first potatoes and below lettuce from the caged raised beds.

3.  Cooking and Baking

Mixed vegetables like peppers, courgettes, beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes cooked in a pan and served with crusty bread.

Banana bread.  It is supposed to cook for one and a quarter hours at 180°c.  Knowing that our oven can burn at that temperature I timed it for fifty five minutes at 170°c but it still caught on top.  It is just right inside though and tastes delicious.

4.  Detecting

Bats.  I sent for a bat detector from the RSPB ready for Paul's birthday at the end of the month.  As he knew about it we decided to try it out.  The frequencies we picked up from the bats we saw swooping over the garden about 10.30p.m. in the evening indicated that we have long eared bats flying over the garden, following the line of the hedge. According to what we have read they will be brown long eared bats as the grey ones are only seen along the south coast.

5. Spotted in the garden

Bullfinch

 Grey Squirrel

 Pink Rose

 Pip

Pumpkin

It was Ladies Day in the garden today as all the cats that visited were female ones.  I couldn't catch them all on camera though.  Pip and Pumpkin obliged but Dolly and Mabel didn't,  perhaps I'll catch them next time they visit.

Lately......

Lately I've been

1. Walking

We've got into a walking routine over the last couple of weeks.  At around 9.30a.m. we collect the dog from next door following social distancing rules. We have a good system worked out. We've been walking him most mornings since he lost one of his owners in April and the other owner who has MS broke an ankle.  We take him as early as we can before it gets really hot as his fur is getting longer and thicker and there is no chance at the moment for him to be groomed.  We get back usually an hour later put the chairs under the gazebo and have morning coffee

2. Sitting

in the garden for morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea is lovely at the moment now it is warm enough.  It's good to sit out there reading too as well as watching the wildlife.

3. Baking

I finally got around to trying the plain flour and baking powder together to make a sponge mix although we do now have a bag of self-raising flour.  I used half to make an Eve's pudding with some apples that needed using and with the mixture left I made a few little fairy buns.  Both tasted fine and rose well.  The buns were treated to a little spoonful of white icing on the top.

4. Reading

 I've been reading books either on my Kindle or my ipad.   The Kindle books are purchased of course and the ipad ones are borrowed from the local library.

 Caro Ramsay's books are set in Glasgow and feature detectives Anderson and Costello.  I've read four so far and enjoyed them even though I'm sure I've read them out of order.

 I'm enjoying these books too.  Set on the Scilly Isles (or should it be the Isles of Scilly?) they are wonderfully descriptive of the islands both past and present. I like the detective Ben Kitto although he does seem to get beaten up quite a lot. I remember visting one of the islands, St Mary's, many years ago, I'd probably be in my early teens.   We caught a boat from Penzance, I remember it took some time to get there.  We then boarded a small bus and were taken around the island.  I remember the driver was keen to point out the bungalow owned by the then Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

I always enjoy watching and reading anything by Lucy Worsley.  I recently enjoyed her book about Jane Austen and am now reading about the early life of Queen Victoria.

5. Watching

There have been some interesting programmes on televison the last couple of weeks.  We've enjoyed programmes about the Chelsea Flower Show presented by Monty Don and Joe Swift from their gardens and this week Springwatch again presented from various areas very close to the presenters' homes.  I'm really enjoying this format and it was a great joy to see Mark from Fox 'n the City featured again.  I've been following him on Facebook for about three years now and his films and photos of the foxes in his London garden are always a delight.  I'm also enjoying A House Through Time which started this week.  I watched the last two series and this one is as fascinating.  There have been repeats of Vienna Blood which I watched and enjoyed last year then read the books and I'm looking forward to the next and last of the Canadian series Cardinal starting next week.

Whilst Paul was flying his Tiger Moth from Old Warden Aerodrome to the Fenland Airfield, all on his flight simulator of course, I watched an enchanting film called The One Hundred Foot Journey. A French setting, glorious food, wonderful actors and a happy ending.  What more could you want to divert you for a while in these troubled times?

Well, that was my five for this Friday. I hope you all have a good weekend.

Friday Again

Friday comes around so quickly doesn't it? It has been very warm for the last few days, gardening has been done, walks have been taken, sitting in the garden reading in the afternoons has been enjoyed. Not much rain over night but it is very, very windy today which I'm not very keen on. It's howling around the house as it does during a late Autumn gale.

Anyway, as its Friday here are five photos from our visit last June to Beamish Museum in County Durham. I thought I'd just quickly show you five modes of transport.

Tram - in the good old days before social distancing became so necessary.

Cycle - Penny Farthing or Ordinary

Bus - we took a ride on this bus as well as the tram above.

 Horse and Cart

Steam Train - sorry its a bit fuzzy! We took a ride on this train too and imagined how the first people to ride on them must have felt - fear, danger, excitment? A glimpse into the future?

I worry about Museums (and Libraries, Art Galleries and Theatres too).  How will they cope in the future?  How are they coping now? Many are reliant on visitor numbers and entrance fees.  Sales in shops and cafes. Sales of tickets for special events and exhibitions. Funding and support from overstretched local councils.  I worked in Museums for over twenty years so have a personal interest.  They have had ups and downs over the years let's hope they can survive.  I look forward to being able to visit them again as they are good for both mind and soul.