Spring smells

Don't you like spring? The clematis armandii at dusk, as the blackbirds sing and my hens settle for sleep, scents the air as strong as honeysuckle.
Spring beckons. Tadpoles have grown from the spawn. All is well.
Even our kitchen looks spring like as it emerges in cream and green from the dust of the last few weeks.

Corfu visit: sun, sea, smells and sounds

We went to visit an old Norwegian friend who has a holiday house in Corfu, leaving just as the first English autumn morning dawned clear and crisp. In Corfu, there were so many flowers still blooming and the air was warm and the sea warmer - I summarised the week in two minutes at https://vimeo.com/141837801
Then we came back to the English autumn. Here, I see no flowers, but fruits everywhere and the bottom of the garden under the apple and pear trees smells of perry and cider. The leaves, though not yet fallen, are shades of red, russet, orange and yellow. I need three times as many layers of clothes as I needed last week in Corfu and next week I  might even use gloves in the morning.

Bowling together

Bowling together [1], not alone, demonstrates friendship, networks, and links.

My girlfriends, together with their partners or child in some cases, along with some very close members of my family went ten-pin bowling for my birthday. Some friends came from very close, being neighbours, and others from miles away, people I knew when our children were small, friends from the Open University, and friends from tae kwon do.

Unfortunately friends from belly dancing and toastmasters couldn't make it or we could have had some performances and speeches.

Husband made a wonderful cake - the best tasting he's made yet, and he bakes good cakes. He iced it with numbers

00111100

People gave me wine, flowers, smellies, chocolates and books, so I'm having a week of luxuriating in the bathroom. There's sparkling Saumur left to share if you have the time to come and visit me.

I don't know who gave me a dozen pink scented roses - they're beautiful. Thank you, friend.

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[1] Putnam, R. D. (2000) Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Simon & Schuster, New York ; London.

A bit ill and flowers

I had a bad night, and the day's not started too well. A cold has given me a cough, so I couldn't sleep well. Then, feeling rotten with sore glands in my neck and still bunged up, I tootle out for a little shopping:

1. On the newsagent's door is a notice 'back in 5 minutes' - so when did the five minutes start?
2. At the car phone warehouse I wait for half an hour to get served
3. At the library to return a book, person in front of me has to argue about whether her returns are overdue or not
   
4. In Superdrug to get some medicine I have lost my student card so can't have discount
5. Health food shop - they know me in there and give sympathy, but they've got no currants

I get home and find student card - things are getting slightly better.

We didn't notice anyone approach the house or heard the gate squeak, when ..

BANG BANG!

I know it says "knock loudly" on the front door, but we do jump when we're right next to it, not at the other end of the house.

But someone's sent me, yes me! Why me? a huge bouquet of flowers in the most gorgeous autumn colours with deep red roses, and a couple of tiny delicate white roses. So now with some paracetamol in me and some lovely flowers, I'm feeling a tad better. Thank you that someone - it was well timed.

Roses

Roses are planted at the end of each row of vines in some vineyards, not for prettification but because they warn of impending mildew. Any mildew infection attacks roses two weeks before the vines, so the viticulteur has time to take preventive measures such as spraying the vines.

Smoky sunlounge

The garden is lovely. Husband is out there now, mowing the lawn, getting everything ready for the open gardens day. I look out on pink valerian, yellow Alchemilla (Lady's Mantle) and a beautiful blue Ceanothus bush. I love their blue flowers.

But the leaky windows of the sunlounge let me know that husband is burning a bonfire at the bottom of the garden. I hope the neighbours haven't got their washing out on this sunny Saturday morning, and that the local police community support officer (PCSO) isn't walking round on the other side of the park wall. I don't want husband done for anti-social behaviour.

Coombe Hill

I worked at home this morning. This afternoon husband, daughter and I went blackberrying up Coombe Hill, where, despite living here for eight years, I'd not yet been. It was a lovely day for a walk, neither too hot, nor wet. We saw loads of butterflies and flowers: St John's Wort, scabious, vetch, rosebay willow herb, harebells. I don't know what a yellow flower I saw was but a purple one was greater knapweed. I got stung by a nettle. We saw something like a red oakapple growth on roses, like a lot of strings all tied together, perhaps hiding a bug. I wonder what made those.

Husband is really good at recognising butterflies. We saw a peacock butterfly and a yellow primstone and a meadow brown. Husband collected loads of blackberries for a pie. Daughter and I ate blackberries.

Then we walked down to Rumseys in Wendover and ordered vanilla ice espresso, hot chocolate, shortbread and raspberry pavlova. Finally we stopped off at the Chiltern Brewery and bought some beer.

That was as good an afternoon holiday as any!

Photos

We walked up the Wrekin.

This really was an uphill walk. The sign posts were a tad confusing too.

The flowers were gorgeous.

If you looked closely too you could see some wonderful insects, caterpillars and bees.

At the top of the hill, it was a bit windy, but you could see for miles, even if what you could see was the rain coming towards you.