The Last Day of June

The last two weeks have flown by in a haze of not coping very well with the heat, mostly due to my medication and not walking very far because of painful and swollen knees and ankles but also popping out now and again here and there for treats and visits for Paul's birthday.

This lunchtime Woody visited, he landed on the tree in front of the kitchen window.  Luckily my camera was handy on the kitchen table where I'd left it when we came in from our morning walk - how wonderful to walk in cooler weather.

Isn't he handsome?

Over the last couple of weeks we have visited the Trentham Monkey Park, the RAF Museum at Cosford, taken a late evening Beaver Safari at Trentham and on the actual day a music event at the Dorothy Clive gardens where various performers sang songs from the musicals from each decade 1920s to 2020s, folk music and sea shanties.  Thank goodness it was cooler and the morning rain cleared.  Later we popped up to Bridgemere Garden World, where we visited the Food Festival and the show gardens.  One more treat to come is lunch with friends in Nottingham later this week.

Our Beaver Safari bus took us to the ranger station for a talk and presentation and then around the lake.

 Barry, the only beaver I saw that evening even though one was spotted on the lake and several people saw it.  Paul did manage to capture a photo of it.  I had binoculars but couldn't see it. I'll write more about the Beaver family group later.  The ranger in the purple top below was an excellent guide and so enthusiastic.

I thought with it being a Sunday Bridgemere would be crowded but it wasn't too bad at all.

We had the Octavia Hill show garden to ourselves.

See you in July.

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

More of Bodnant Gardens.

 Luckily on our visit to the National Trust's Bodnant Gardens the afternoon weather was quite dry, sunny and warm.  No sudden downpours of rain like there had been in the morning.

There are lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore as you work your way down to the Mill via the terraces and ponds.

First we wanted to see the huge Laburnum Arch that Bodnant is noted for.  It was looking lovely but I suspect it would be at its zenith this week and possibly next.

Rhododendrons and Azaleas added lots of colour to the garden. 

It was one of those times where there were so many photo opportunities.  In the end I decided just to enjoy the atmosphere, colours and textures of the garden.

Above one of the many gardeners and volunteers who keep the garden looking so wonderful.

Wisteria on the Edwardian Italianate terraces.

The Pin Mill is a Grade II listed 18th century building. I can remember visiting one summer and this pond was alive with Dragonflies and Damselflies skimming all over.  

The Old Mill built c 1827 and the way down to the arboretum where there are many unusual trees.

Down in the Dell, the bridge over the River Hiraethlyn.

We only had a certain amount of time before we needed to move on and check into our accommodation for the next three nights.

Time to make our way back to the courtyard, plant centre and car park.

Plas Brondanw

 I've written about this garden a few times over the years so apologies if I am repeating myself.  It's a lovely place and a firm favourite.  We just visited the garden this time.  By the time we'd had lunch - soup and a roll as it was quite a cool day - the rain had stopped.  The garden looked wonderfully green with a strong earthy aroma in the air and mist still hung over the mountains in the distance.  As we walked the sun was filtering through the clouds.

Above the view from the car park.

Plas Brondanw was the home of architect Clough Williams-Ellis best known for his Italianate village of Portmeirion which is just a few miles away.

I'll let the photos show you what it is like - small but beautiful and completely at home in its wilder surroundings.

I'm usually happier with flowers in softer colours - pinks, whites and lavenders - but I'm really liking the combination of the orange and blue.  I've seen it in a few places recently.

Plas Brondanw website - link.

Five Little Things

 We've been watching the Great Crested Grebes on the lake for the past few weeks.

Nest building

Sitting on eggs

Catching Food.  Lets hope we see some chicks soon.  I love their stripey, humbug appearance and the way they travel on a parent's back. 

Family History

I've been finding more family history on line.  I knew about this family but didn't have details of where they lived in- between my great great grandfather Alexander Young being born in Loughborough, Leicestershire and later census details of the family in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.  It seems he married my great great grandmother Rebecca Webb in Lenton, Nottingham.  They married on 1st March 1857.

On the 1861 Census the couple are living at 145 Little John Street, St Anne's, Nottingham.  Alexander was a tailor and you can see from the other entries that most people worked in the textile industries in Nottingham famous for both lace and hosiery.  Alexander was the son of John Young who moved to Loughborough from Kirkaldy, in Fife, Scotland some time in the 1820s.  John, my 3x great grandfather, married Maria Parkinson, my 3 x great grandmother, at All Saints Church, Loughborough in 1826. Ten years later they had  five of their children, including my great great grandfather Alexander, baptised at the Dead Lane Primitive Methodist Chapel in Loughborough on the same day.

In the garden the sweet peas are doing well, as are the strawberries.

Also in the garden a very relaxed fox.  

They visit early morning and late evening.  We thought they only had one cub this year as they were bringing one cub at a time into the garden but last night both parents arrived with two cubs.  Apparently they do separate the cubs to keep them safe from predators when they are very young.

It was too dark to take any photos of the cubs but it was a joy to watch them run and play around the garden.

As well dabbling in family history I've been reading.  I took these two books back to the library this morning.  Both read and enjoyed.  I did wonder about the new Elly Griffiths and if I would be able to read it as it has a time travel theme and I don't usually read anything that is time travel, fantasy or science fiction but I stuck with it and did enjoy it in the end as the writing is so good.

After leaving the library we popped into the Emma Bridgewater factory shop for coffee, the garden at the side of the factory was looking lovely.

There were some beautiful roses and the ones below caught my eye.

So pretty.

Well I think that is more or less a Friday five.  I'll be back in June.