Five on a Friday in August

 Five random things to ponder upon on a Friday.

The Marigolds in the jug were taken out of the greenhouse where they had been companion plants for the tomatoes.  I love their bright colour but I had a feeling that they weren't seen as joyful flowers so I looked them up in the language of flowers.  Apparently in Victorian England they were seen as flowers of grief or despair, oh dear - but in Hindu and Mexican cultures they represent the warmth of the sun (well we certainly have that) positive energy and creativity.  I'll go with that one.

On a recent visit to a stately home (of which more later) we found this unusual monument in the nearby churchyard.  I've tried to find out more about it but with little success.  It is covered in moss which was bright green in the sunlight.  It was under a tree near a wall and was quite small.  Is it a child's grave?  It also looks a bit like an 18th century clergyman's collar with his two preaching bands at the neck,  or am I dreaming? Does anyone have any ideas?  

I've been enjoying reading in the afternoons or late evenings.  The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers I enjoyed very much.  I've taken another book out of the library written by her and hope it will be as good.  The Burning Tide by William Shaw is also from the library.  It's the second of his Eden Driscoll series set in Teignmouth in Devon and I've just started reading it. Memories of childhood holidays in Teignmouth and Shaldon drifting through my mind when the author mentions certain places. A Year on the Fosse by Rick Thompson has been on my list for ages and I decided to treat myself to a copy.  The Fosse Way is a Roman road, 230 miles long that runs between Lincoln and Exmouth in Devon. We recently watched a tv documentary by Tom Fort called A303: Highway to the Sun in which he mentions the Fosse Way, seeing this reminded me of the book.  It was a programme we'd seen before but we enjoyed it a second time.  The Hawk is Dead by Peter James is a DCI Roy Grace novel, the derailing of the royal train just outside Brighton takes the detective up to London and into the very highest echelons searching for clues. 

Two of our Heritage pottery attractions are closing or have been closed for filming.  The Gladstone Pottery Museum will be closing soon for filming of The Great Pottery Throwdown which I always enjoy watching.  

Middleport Pottery  was closed for a few days last month for the filming of a new series called The Cadburys.  I assume about the chocolate manufacturers.  I know that another Birmingham set series, Peaky Blinders, has done some filming there once or twice.

As well as reading I've been pottering with family history.  I recently found out that an ancestor was a Chelsea pensioner.  

Thomas Parker served with the 3rd regiment of foot guards from 1798 to 1820 before being discharged after suffering a head wound whilst in Holland.   As this was during the time of the Napoleonic Wars I'm intrigued to find out more.

All for now.

Rainy Days

 Rainy days can be a nuisance but they can also be quite beautiful.  Twice this week we have got drenched whilst out walking even with weather coats and umbrellas. Today was just such a day.

The car park at the Dorothy Clive Gardens was busier than we thought they would be in such inclement weather. The friendly person at the entrance told us there were actually very few visitors and that the cars belonged to the 'Wednesday Weeders'. I guess the volunteer weeders are used to all weathers.  The gardens were looking wonderful.

We explored the bottom half of the garden in lovely sunlight but the skies soon darkened and the heavens opened.  We found a dry space in the coffee shop so early elevenses were in order.  Then it was out again in weak sunshine to enjoy the rest of the gardens.

The flower borders were looking so beautiful.  Alliums, Astrantia, roses, peonies and foxgloves.  All a treat for the eyes and a mindful escape from the woes of the world.  The colours and colour combinations were so attractive.

Of course I took far too many photos, so I've selected just a few of my favourites. 

All for now

In the Garden

 It's been far too hot to work or even sit in the garden this last few days.  The pop up gazebo was put up last Saturday but was only used until Monday when it became far too hot even in the shade to be outside until about eight o'clock in the evening. 

The warmer weather has encouraged everything to flower.  We are inundated with foxgloves.

Bees love them.

The yellow rose bush we inherited when we first moved here has had more flowers on it than I have ever seen before.  I'm not sure what type it is but the flowers have a lovely scent and progress from dark yellow to almost white as they mature.

Yellow Flag Iris in the pond.  They have taken over again this May.  Each year they get thinned out.  These too were inherited from the previous owners.

They and the other plants are draining the pond so we have had to top it up from the rainwater butts.

Also in the pond we've had Damselflies flitting around.  Two pairs.  

I think these are the more common Large Red Damselflies.

It was interesting to see them using the pond over several days.

There are loads of little apples forming on the apple tree.  I guess a lot of these will drop but it's good to see them after all the lovely blossom.

Strawberries, gooseberries, elder flower and sweet peas are on the way.  

Last but not least my very favourite plant the Philadelphus  Belle Etoile or 'Mock Orange'.  I'd wanted one for ages and we bought this last year.  Many years ago I worked in a 15th century hall and behind our museum office was a herb garden bordered by a mock orange hedge. The scent in the air as we made our way across the courtyard to the museum stores was wonderful.  I looked forward to it flowering each year.

There is so much to enjoy and  look forward to in the garden.  Much needed to calm the mind and lift the spirits in this very uncertain world.

All for now.

Mostly Pink and Blue

 Around the garden the colours are mostly pink and blue.  

The Tamarisk tree will fade to the palest, softest pink.

Whilst the Rhododendron will fade from dark pink, to pale pink then white.

Clematis Montana

and Bistort carry on the colour theme.

Blue is represented by the perennial Cornflower

and Forget-me-Not which has spread all over the garden as well as the paths.  Bluebells have faded now but they too shone blue in parts of the garden.

Long sticky stems of Cleavers or goosegrass are winding their way up into the shrubs and hedges.  Wood avens has also taken hold in some areas.  Dandelions are all over adding bright yellow to the mix until their soft downy clocks appear.

 

There is much to do.

 All for now. Take care.

Birthday, Fox and the last two Wallabies

 A lovely day on Thursday with two cousins, a second cousin various spouses and a dog.  Lots of happy chatter and a house full of flowers and cake.  Where have all the years gone?

Such beautiful flowers, the living room has been taken over by the delicate scent of lilies.

The larger bouquet above has been split into two vases,  I'm hoping they last a while.

We'd told everyone about our fox and badger visitors and right on cue Mr Fox appeared much to everyone's delight.  He looks a bit concerned because he's not used to there being a dog in this house.

As promised in my last post here are the last two of the ten wallabies on the Where's Wallaby trail I first mentioned  here.  Not necessarily in the order we found them.

Above is Wojtek illustrated by Joanna Dawidowska in collaboration with the Leek Polish Connection.  This one is at Tittesworth Reservoir, Meerbrook.

Above is Woody on the woodland walk in Dimmingsdale near Alton.  He's painted by Jim Mcshee in collaboration with Tean Youth Club.

Next week we are having a new conservatory roof fitted.  We had booked this in before we had the problem with the main house roof which I described in an earlier post.  So more noise and dust for the next week or two.  Thankfully no scaffolding!

Is anyone else having soaring views on their posts?  I've gone from usually no more than a hundred views to more than two thousand five hundred on my last post.  I've been told it's 'AI bots.'  All a bit worrying.  What to do?  For the moment keep calm and carry on.  

See you in September.

Orchids and books

 In February we were given an Orchid as part of a thank you present.  I wrote about it at the time - here.

About three weeks ago the last of the flowers died off so we freed the plant from its wire support and let it grow as it wanted.  Soon more flower buds appeared and now we have more flowers on the first of the two stems and buds enlarging on the second.  I'm hoping we can keep it going for a while longer.

In my last post I promised recent reading and more wallabies.

I've been reading quite a few books that had been reserved at the library over the last couple of months and as often happens they were ready for collection almost at the same time.

I enjoyed reading Gill Hornby's novel The Elopement, just as much as I did her first two Miss Austen and Godmersham Park.  All three feature the Austen and Knight families and are well researched and easy to read.  The fourth novel from the Reverend Richard Coles A Death on Location is just as gently amusing and entertaining as the the first three.

The Red Shore by William Shaw introduces a new detective called Eden Driscoll.  I've read all of William Shaw's DS Alexandra Cupidi novels which are set in Dungeness.  The new setting for this novel is Teignmouth in Devon.  I have many happy childhood memories of Teignmouth as we spent a couple of weeks there each summer over a number of years.  We stayed at the same guest house and always had a beach hut belonging to them on the back beach where the ferry crosses the Teign estury to Shaldon.  The setting for the book is in the area where we had the beach hut. I hope there are more books in this new series as I really enjoyed this one.

Above me and my cousin John on one of those holidays.  I'm not sure how old we were, perhaps nine or ten.  John was just two weeks older than me.  He would have been seventy five this coming Friday.

Death in Blitz City by David Young is set in Hull and has quite a convoluted storyline with several different elements shooting off at tangents until all is revealed.  It took a while to get into but I did finish reading it.

Another book I read on e-books Cloud Library  was Death at the White Heart by Chris Chibnall.  (I forgot to take a photo of the cover.) I hope this is the start of a series as I enjoyed it. 

I have three more books reserved but I suspect they will be longer getting around to my turn.  They are The Black Wolf by Louise Penny, Deadly Remains by Kate Ellis and The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith.

Two more Wallabies spotted over the last few days.

Wobbly painted by the Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt Collective in collaboration with Borderland Voices.  He's at the Manifold Valley Visitor Centre at Hulme End near Hartington.

We treated ourselves to a coffee at The Tea Junction tea rooms.

The Wallaby above is Bere painted by Nellie Shepherd and Briony Eyre from the Bullclough School of Art in collaboration with Beresford Memorial First School.  This one is outside the Peak Wildlife Park.

All for now.