A Quick Friday Five

It's been a week of sunshine and showers.  Walks have been taken and some gardening done but often it has been too wet.

Yesterday was a wet day, very wet in fact.  We travelled over to Beeston, Nottingham to vist friends and have lunch out for an eightieth birthday.  A Sicilian restaurant was chosen and a lovely meal was eaten over a couple of relaxing hours.  We all ate something different.   I had vegetarian Parmigiana, lots of lovely Aubergines in rich tomato sauce with homemade bread slices, and after a Lemon Tiramisu.  

It was very wet outside but inside it felt warm and sunny. 

Last week we visited Buxton in Derbyshire.  It was quite a dry day so we were able to wander around.  I took a few photos in the hot houses at the Pavilion.  More in a later post.

The Wisteria Arch at Trentham Gardens is looking wonderful at the moment.

Photos taken on this morning's walk.

That is one of the famous Fantasy Wire fairies hanging upside down at the end of the arch.

I recently received a lovely gift of knitted flowers. 

They are infused with a gentle scent and are so colourful. thank you so much, you know who you are.

 

Finally plants are growing and ready to be planted in the garden. 

 

Sweet peas, Helenium, Lupin and Dahlia.

 

All for now.

Blogtober - Day Thirteen

It's that time of year when things become a bit of a seasonal jumble.  Where in shops, window displays and other places various celebrations become entangled.  Today as we shopped little felt pumpkins, bats and ghouls vied for attention with felted santas, robins and reindeer.  Around the corner mince pies and stollen could be found next to batty cupcakes and ghostly biscuits.  Treats also for Halloween and bonfires including 'trick or treat' bags of sweets, toffee and marshmallows.  

Pumpkins at Trentham where this year they will have a 'pick your own' pumpkin patch.  When we were children we used to carve swedes or beet from the farmer's fields and on bonfire night we would cook jacket potatoes in foil in the embers of the bonfire.

All these things together seems to lessen their impact especially if they start too early.  I like to deal with one event at a time. Having said that I have on the larder cupbord shelves two sachets of chestnut puree, one sachet of bread sauce and a very small Christmas pudding left over from last year all still with good dates on them.  I also have two packs of cards in the stationery drawer and a calendar for next year bought recently.  Do you start early or take each event as it comes along?

Talking of recently I saw on Ragged Robin's blog a week or so ago a reference to Dorset Apple cake.  We had apples that needed using and I remembered I always used a recipe from our old Cranks recipe book for Devon Apple cake which I thought must be similar so it was made.  Very tasty served with thick greek yoghurt as a pudding.

Yesterday Paul made bread but it was packed away into the freezer before I thought of taking photos so below is a photo of some he made a couple of weeks ago.

All for now.  Take care.

Buxton

On Thursday we spent a lovely hour or two in the town of Buxton.  I've taken you there before in several posts.  It was the first time we'd viited since November 2019.  Since then the renovation work had been done on the buildings on The Crescent and we wanted to see what they looked like.

 We parked near the Pavilion and had a cup of coffee before setting off into the town. 

The Opera House was open for performances again which was good to see.

We passed by the Old Hall Hotel which is opposite the Pavilion Gardens and Opera House.

According to the hotel's website part of the present building was built for George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury so that Mary Queen of Scots, who was in his custody, could take the waters.  George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury was the fourth husband of Bess of Hardwick.

 Above, St Ann's well.  The fountain, built in 1852, dispenses the famous Buxton mineral spring water.  It stands on the Crescent at the bottom of the Slopes next to the Bath House (below) which is now a visitor centre.

The Buxton Crescent Health Spa Hotel has now opened after many years of restoration work.  It was wonderful to see the hoardings down and the building in all its sweeping splendour.

In Georgian times there were two rather grand hotels here where there is now only the one.  The buildings on the Crescent were designed by John Carr of York.  Here is a - link - to their website so you can see and read more.

We wandered into the town and spent some time looking around a few shops and gazing at a few buildings.

 

We then found a cafe where we could have lunch. It was quiet and peaceful. The Apple and Blackberry tea was refreshing and the cheese and salad sandwich tasty.  They make their own bread.

The shop had some wonderful locally made treats and goodies for sale.  It's called The Buxton Pudding Emporium.  We didin't try the Buxton Pudding but it did look delicious and quite similar to a Bakewell Pudding.  Here is a - link - to their website.  Here is a -link- to some Buxton Pudding recipes.

 

After lunch we headed back to the car through the hot house where there were many plants to admire.

 

Plenty of fish too.  Below seasonal displays at the flower shop in the entrance.

All for now. Have a lovely weekend.

Into October

October already and days are still drifting by.  October the month of 'mists and mellow fruitfulness',  the month when mornings get cooler and evenings darker.  Lamps are switched on earlier in the evening and the heating kicks in occasionally. It's the month of crisp, brown falling leaves, pumpkins and squashes,  warming bowls of soup after long walks through fields and woodlands.  Scents of damp earth and woodsmoke in the air.

This time last year we had our 'flu jabs but nothing so far this year from our surgery, other than a note on their website saying do not call, you will be contacted.

There has been lots of rainfall the last few days.  Walking has been sporadic and the car has stayed in the garage as we hold on to the petrol we have in case we need to drive for 'flu jabs or opticians appointments which we both have at this time of year.

Life has revolved around the kitchen and garden the last few days.  The larder cupboard has been emptied and checked for things nearing, on, or sometimes past their sell by date.  Nut roasts have been made and frozen, almond slices with some just out of date ground almonds and hummus made with an old carton of chick peas.

We also had a nearly out of date packet of Falafel mix which went well with the hummus and pitta bread with salad leaves and the last few tomatoes from the greenhouse.

Things are changing around the garden.  The seat has been moved to where the old shed used to be and an arch placed over a new brick path which will lead, hopefully, to the wild flower meadow we hope to create in the top corner of the garden.  The arch will have honeysuckle growing over it eventually.

The paler area to the right is where the grass was kept long all through the summer. With all the rain it has begun to recover.

The foxes and badgers are visiting the garden earlier now it is darker. We've caught them on the 'fox cam' as early as eight thirty in the evening, badgers slightly later around ten. The foxes all have lovely bushy tails at the moment. 

 

As do the Squirrels.

 

No wonder with all the bird food they eat!

All for now.  Take care.

All the 'ing' Things

Spotting

Birds in the Garden in the Snow

As well as the usual Goldfinches and Chaffinches we had pair Greenfinches and what we thought was a Siskin or a Serin.

 Reading

Nothing too heavy or taxing, mostly books from crime series I have been  reading.  Some a little more blood thirsty than others. They were all set in the weeks before Christmas.

The Quartet Murders by J. R. Ellis - a famous violinist is shot during a concert in Halifax. Music lover DCI Jim Oldroyd from nearby Harrogate is at the concert.  A gun is found but the perpetrator appears not to have left the theatre, meanwhile the dead violinist's valuable Stradivarius has been stolen.  Can both crimes be solved before Christmas Day?  The Christmas Carol  by M J Lee,  Genealogist Jayne Sinclair has just a few days to find out who the person in a dedication  signed by Charles Dickens, in the front of a copy of a first edition of A Christmas Carol is. The answer will affect the price when the book is sold at auction on Christmas Eve.  A Cotswold Christmas Mystery by Rebecca Tope, another adventure for Thea Slocombe and her faithful spaniel Hepzie even though all her family are gathered for Christmas a local mystery is a great distraction.  Set in Oxford A Darkly Shining Star by M S Morris is the fifth book in the enjoyable Bridget Hart series.  The murder of a tour guide of the ghostly areas of Oxford leads DI Bridget Hart and her team to a twenty year old case of a young student and actress who went missing after the final performance of Twelfth Night.  Murder Unjoyful  by Anita Waller is the fifth book and last in the Kat and Mouse series of books set in Eyam in Derbyshire.  Christmas is looming and the ladies of the Connexions agency  take on their most dangerous case to date.    Murder in Advent by David Williams is set in the fictional cathedral town of Litchester where the proposed sale of the cathedral's 1225 copy of the Magna Carta leads to murder.

Watching

Festive television - not a lot of interest but I did enjoy Upstart Crow, Worzel Gummidge, Peter Rabbit, The Man who invented Christmas and Uncle Vanya all wonderful in different ways.  Uncle Vanya was a stunning production with a great cast including the fine actor Anna Calder-Marshall as Nana and Toby Jones as Vanya.  I remember seeing Uncle Vanya at Nottingham Playhouse in 1970 when Anna Calder-Marshall played Vanya's niece Sonya.  Then Vanya was played by Paul Scofield.  I still have a copy of the programme in my collection.

Eating

Mostly good, home cooked food 

The Spelt flour Christmas Pudding I mentioned in an earlier post was a triumph. It tasted wonderful.

We still have some left in the freezer.

Participating

In a wildlife treasure hunt organised by one of people in an online group of which I am a member.  The Self Isolating Bird Club has been a joy through these dark days of tiers and lockdowns.  It's run by Chris Packham, Megan McCubbin and their team.  Everyone is kind, gentle and very helpful to others who are just learning about wildlife.  There are some amazing photographers in the group too.

 

I've also registered to take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.  We've participated in this event for quite a few years now.  It is something I look forward to doing. 

 

The snow had been melting away this morning but this afternoon we had another downfall.  How is the weather where you are?  What have you been reading lately?

 

 

Highlights of the Last Week

Just a few things seen and done since my last post

Berries for a summer pudding, made on the last day of August and eaten on the 1st September.

Red Scallions which went into a cauliflower and pea frittata instead of an ordinary onion. They made for a different and yet lovely taste to a favourite meal.

Clearing and tidying in the garden, chopping down the daisies which had gone brown, lifting the gravel in the paths, weeding and then returning the gravel, small sections at a time.  So many weeds had grown this year amongst the pebbles that you could hardly see them, the pebbles that is.  You could certainly see the weeds!

We spotted a new fairy as we walked around the lake and gardens at the Trentham Estate.

 Picked up a leaflet for Heritage Open Days.  Usually just one weekend but this year there are events over two weeks.

So many openings and events to choose from just in the city alone.  There will be wonderful things to see in every county across the country I'm sure.

A walk along the canal which was very busy.  A narrow boat had set up selling oatcakes with various fillings.  Just right for a warm snack after a bike ride or walk on a cool, autumnal morning.  Although we went, as usual, into the cafe at the Visitor Centre at nearby Westport Lake as it helps support the local Wildlife Trust.

Recently.......

Recently.....

 We've made Wild Garlic and Cashew Nut Pesto with wild garlic from the garden.  The aroma in the kitchen was wonderful.

It was very tasty on tagliatelle for an evening meal with a glass of red grape juice.

Spotted a family of Greylag Geese by the lake at Trentham - there were in fact two families with eight goslings each, I hope they all survive.  Greylags are my favourite geese.

Also at Trentham the wisteria on the old sculpture gallery is in bloom.  It looks wonderful against the flaking paint on the old building. 

Yesterday we met with friends, one of whom was celebrating a birthday, at the Blubell Dairy Ice Cream Farm at Spondon near Derby. The drive over to Spondon was wonderful.  The road sides and verges were full of Joie de Vivre with Cow Parsley and Hawthorn both in frothy, white bloom whilst lilacs blossomed over garden fences and Wisteria dangled lazily over gates and door fronts swaying gently in the breeze.  Even though chilly first thing the light and colour en route was glorious.

We had a lovely lunch - mine was Cheese and Onion Quiche and Salad.  After a walk around the farm and a look at the animals we returned to the cafe for an ice cream. Two scoops each and I chose Pear and Elderflower sorbet and Rhubarb Ripple ice cream - both delicious. The rhubarb ripple was creamy and fruity and the sorbet had a delicate flavour which would be so refreshing on a red hot summer's day.

We then made our way to the nearby village of Dale Abbey where we discovered more joys in a meadow of buttercups.

 We all agreed it was idyllic

 Below are what remains of St Mary's Abbey - the imposing arch of the East window.

 A priory was originally founded here c 1150 by the Augustinian Canons from Calke Abbey. Around 1200 Premonstratensian cannons from an order founded by St Norbert in Premontre in  France took over and the Abbey flourished until the Dissolution c1538.  Stone from the Abbey ruins can be found in many buildings in and around the village.

 A view of the arch from the nearby churchyard.

 The church of All Saints is accessed through private land and is only the part of the building seen to the left in the photo above,  the gabled part on the right is now a private house.  As we arrived the owner was leaving in her car and informed us that the key to the church was held in the next village so unfortunately we didn't see the interior.  Inside the church is tiny around 25ft by 26ft.

 Parts of the church date from c 1150.  According to the village information board pre 1754 couples could be married quickly here without banns.  Apparently the Abbey infirmary was built onto the church and people on stretchers were able to see the altar from the upstairs gallery.  This infirmary later became the Bluebell Inn and the connecting door was said to lead from 'salvation to damnation'  it is now the private house next to the little church.

All too soon it was time to go our separate ways and make our way home.  We had a lovely afternoon with dear friends and thoughts of friendship, ice cream and buttercups are still fresh in my mind.