Pan Pipers at the Edinburgh Festival

Our visit to Edinburgh while the Festival was taking place was very exciting.

A pleasant summer barbecue

One of the few evenings this summer when the weather was fine enough for a barbecue.

Happiness

When I'm happy it's not because I'm heedless,

Knowing nothing of misery.

It's because of the sad times

That I appreciate the joy when it comes,

Drawing it into my being,

Where it will carry me through the rest.

MSK

Yorkshire

We are back from Yorkshire. We had a lovely time.

Longing

I love the fells of Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Being old people now my husband and I do not get so far from home as we used to. I hope that we may get to Yorkshire some time this year and also to Scotland. We have family in both places. I scribbled the following to try and convey something of my feelings.

Amongst the Fells

I want to go to the fells again,
To feel their presence in my heart,
To walk along lonely paths
With only sheep sounds.

I want to see the hawk hover
Along a ridge, searching the far down ground
With eyes of gleaming sharpness
For poor, small creatures.

I want the small creatures to escape
The cruel beak, but the hawk must eat
And feed its young. The only cruelty
Is cruel necessity.


Since I wrote the above paragraph and verses we have been to Scotland and, all being well, in a couple of days we are off to Yorkshire for a family visit.

A Day in the Brecon Beacons

A Day in the Brecon Beacons

Reaching the mountain top
Was a worthwhile attainment.
Aching footed and out of breath
We sat enveloped in the joy of it
While the winging larks filled
The air with their summer song.
The surrounding azure vault
Stretched away to infinity,
And we were replete with satisfaction.
Maternal ewes with attendant lambs
Roamed the green distance
While far below diminutive vehicles
Sped on their frantic, fuming way,
Leaving the hills to us.

MSK

This was such a lovely day, warm and sunny but not too hot, one of those days that live in the memory, a reminder that the recent dismal weather we have been having is unlikely to last for ever.

Alice and Jack

This is my mother, Alice, and the dog is Jack. I have been doing
my best to edit an old and damaged photo which must have been taken in
the esrly 1920s. This is the best I have managed so far. Alice died many years ago.
Jack I remember when I was a child. He was a dear old dog and he lived to be very old.

The Forth Bridge

There is always something exciting about going over this bridge.

Marmande Tomatoes

Joe grew these magnificent Marmande tomatoes in his greenhouse.
Although they are strange to look at they are sweet and delicious
with tender skins.

We are back from Scotland.

We are off to Scotland in a few days time!

All being wll we shall go to Scotland on Thursday.

Summer

Joe's Flowers

 

 

Some of the flowers Joe grew in his new greenhouse.

A rather moist day out in Yorkshire

 

Lovely Woodland

 

The weather was glorious on this day out to Bolton Abbey.

A Day Out in Yorkshire

 

A Walk To the Allotments

 

 

 

The best I could manage of Federer and Nadal

Starlings in the Garden

8-7-08

The weather is cold and dismal. Rain keeps showering down and there is little hope of a pleasant walk today. We have the light on so that we can read or write. We want to have a short break beside the sea, maybe Southend. Also we want to go to Edinburgh and to Yorkshire. Shall we manage all this? Time will tell!
The garden looks lovely. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are flourishing, and the seedlings which have been planted are flowering magnificently. This is all down to Joe’s hard work. .The Tree of Heaven is, as usual, growing at high speed. We pollard it every year to prevent it galloping up too far. I think that if we cut it down it would send out mini trees all over the garden.
We had a flock of starlings land in our garden a few evenings ago. They roosted in the wood at the end of the garden. The following morning they flew off. We had not had starlings in the garden in such numbers for many years.

 

I am rather pleased with this photo of Andy Murray that I took from the television yesterday. It is a pity he did not win Wimbledon.

A bird box

 

Here is a bird box which Joe put in the woodland at the end of our garden. It is a bit late for nesting this year but maybe some very small mammal may hibernate in it next winter. There is a fox in this wood. She has two cubs, quite big now. They sometimes come in the garden. I like to see them although they do sometimes make holes in the lawn to the annoyance of Joe. There are always squirrels. They also come in the garden, of course, looking on the bird table to see if there are any tasty titbits. The only animals I am not very fond of are rats. The only ones I see are dead ones that other animals sometimes kill and leave on the lawn. I heard some expert of some sort say on the radio that in London we are never more than ten feet from a rat. That thought makes me shudder although the poor old rats cannot help what they are. I think I shall now go downstairs, make some tea and take it in the garden. If it is too cool there I shall go in the conservatory where it will probably be too hot. There's no pleasing me, is there!!

The Fleet End Bottom Cottages

 

Family cottages in Hampshire. sadly,they are now demolished.

 

The old Jarvis house with Aunt Alice at the door.

Food Or No Food

Every day I see the crowds doing their shopping,
Walking on the pavements with their trolleys,
Loaded high with foods of great variety.
I come home with our food,
More than we truly need.
At home I see the news;
Often shown are skeletal people
With beautiful, huge-eyed babies,
Stick limbed,
No food.

MSK

Rhododendrons

 

Our rhododendrons have been doing remarkably well this year. In fact, considering the very mixed weather we have been having, everything in the garden is flourishing.

Grandad Samuel

 

My dear old Grandad

A Holiday in Jersey

 

This muzzy old photo was taken in Jersey while on holiday there in 1948. What luxury there was for sale on that lovely island. The UK was still rather drab as far as luxury items went. I bought my first pair of nylon stockings in Jersey. Another purchase was a pair of shoes, also a handbag. Many people were buying fur boots. My pocket was not sufficiently full to buy those. Anyone who has not lived through that time will not be able to imagine the intense pleasure of sitting down in a milk bar and drinking a cup of coffee with a large helping of thick cream floating on the top. There were films everywhere so we took endless numbers of photos. Buses took us to the beautiful bays. The sun shone and on the day we regretfully caught the boat home the early morning sky over the island was a golden glow. I said to myself then that I would never go to Jersey again. Never could a holiday there beat the wonder of that fortnight in 1948. So far I have kept that pledge.

This is Joe's greenhouse which he had for his birthday. His seedlings are coming on very well. We hope to have a good crop of tomatoes later, all being well.

Our Old Tree

This is the old conifer which had to be felled last Autumn

The Open Road

What I feel like doing at the moment is going over the hills and far away. The sun is shining, absolutely perfcct weather. Unbelievable!! I hope that tomorrow brings more of the same.
The North Country beckons me. Another visit to Cumbria and then on to Yorkshire. From there on to Northumberland with maybe another visit to Holy Island and also Bede’s World which we visited when it had not been open for long. Yes! The North definitely beckons. Then it’s not far on to Scotland.
Also, being an Essex girl, that county has its memories. It always pulls me and deserves a visit.
Can we manage all this? Very unlikely, I should think, but one never knows. Part of it, yes.

Yum yum

This apple tree has a lots of blossom this year. I hope it will have a great many apples.