Another week of glorious weather and I've been stuck indoors or in the garden! I still haven't plucked up the courage to go for a walk outside the house and life is getting a trifle claustrophobic! Don't get me wrong I know I have a lot to be grateful for with a roof over my head, a garden and all of us at home but sometimes I have a bad week.
The Wildflower area is looking glorious this year. Sadly though I can't see any signs of Ox-eye Daisy or St John's Wort this year but perhaps they will still appear?
Yellow Rattle - much loved by bees!
Cuckoo spit is starting to appear. It is formed by the larva of a froghopper who ejects sap from its rear end to protect itself from predators!
Honeysuckle
Foxgloves are starting to flower - there are at least 7 plants around the arch on the second lawn and many others scattered throughout the garden.
Pyracantha flowers
Sowthistle seedhead
Bistort
After weeks Wall Pennywort seeds have germinated! I am going to have to transplant them into bigger pots at some stage which may well require some delicacy!
I put the moth trap out last Friday night.
Min temp was 9.6
A lot of moths escaped while I was trying to pot them but I did identify
Heart and Dart x 14
Brimstone Moth x 1 - no photo it was too lively a shame as they are pretty little yellow moths
Common Swift x 1 - not the best of photos the moths were all moving around too much and in fact I had to chase several round the kitchen.
Cinnabar x 2
Small Magpie x 1
A carpet I couldn't identify as it wouldn't open its wings!
Possible Common Pug? Pugs are difficult to identify - so many similar looking ones and this is not the best of pictures.
I did put the trap out last night before the weather goes cooler and possibly wetter but I'll write about the moths in the next post.
Baking
We tried two more recipes from Mary Berry's Fast Cakes
E made Peanut Butter Cookies and
I made Royal Ginger Squares which look a bit messy as I cut them before the icing had set!
When D and I went to Gladstone Pottery Museum last year he bought an oatcake mix and decided to try making some last weekend. They were delicious :)
I've been carrying on with the little Journal
The first Small Tortoiseshell of the year was seen earlier this week.
D is on holiday for a couple of weeks and we have re-commenced going through the boxes and boxes of slides we bought home from my mother's house. I think the box we did yesterday probably belonged to my grandfather.
A few of the slides were labelled and and a few places I recognised but I owe thanks to many on twitter who helped me identify some of the places. The slides are about 60 years old - and here are just a few of them.
Tintern Abbey
Monnow Bridge, Monmouth
Hereford Cathedral
My paternal father was born and lived in Hereford and, although he moved to Birmingham and then Kingsbury when he got married, we used to spend many days visiting Herefordshire.
Ledbury
The Dingle Shrewsbury
Weobley
Eardisland
Ludlow
My paternal grandmother came from Burford, near Tenbury Wells, and we often used to visit so she could place flowers on family graves. This is Burford Church.
When we can eventually go the caravan I will re-visit the church as it is only about 15 minutes away. B and I did once go years ago but I couldn't find the family graves! I will try again!
St Mary, Clumber Notts
Major Oak, Sherwood Forest
Trent Building, University of Nottingham
My grandparents did get about a lot! But when I was little we used to go out with them every Sunday (yes all 6 of us in one tiny A40 as Dad didn't have a car until I was about 11) visiting places of interest or just going into the countryside
The tall girl on the left is my cousin holding my brother's hand and I am on the right!
I hope everyone is staying safe and well. Take care.
First set of photos taken by me with Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
Scanned slides taken I think by my grandfather although they could of course be my father's. I know Dad bought home my grandfather's slides when he passed away but unfortunately they were stored in the identical brown wooden boxes to my fathers! Now we are finally making progress going through them I am rather regretting that I didn't bring all the boxes home. Some were left in the garage and one of the wardrobes as I had got to the stage where I couldn't face bringing one more black plastic sack home!
What a lot of amazing stuff you have found!
ReplyDeleteSimon Douglas Thompson - Thanks so much Simon :)
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of your garden flowers especially the Foxgloves and Honeysuckle. I can see your drawing of the Cinnabar moth in your journal, it will be lovely to look back at your sightings later in the year or this time next year. Baking as always looks tempting too. I know what you mean about some weeks up and some down, this is definitely a down one for me but I feel better today now it is cooler, the heat got to us both over the weekend. I love your old slide photos. Many of the places I've been to and of course Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest were childhood haunts, we used to visit Saturdays or Sundays. When we were small children we could stand inside the Major Oak and another tree called Robin Hood's larder which was further in the forest. Happy days. Such a sweet family photo, I remember being buttoned up in one of those coats:) Take care and stay well:)
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your garden, and so pleased you are still doing your journal it looks great, it will be so good to look back on in years to come.
ReplyDeleteHopefully next week you will get out as I think quite a few will have gone back to work and the outdoors will be much quieter.
Amanda xx
Rosie - Thanks so much Rosie. Sorry to hear you have been down too - I too am grateful it has gone colder. It is hard enough sleeping as it is in these worrying times let alone when it is hot too. I thought of you when I saw the church and Major Oak. We used to go to the Oak too when I was little and when there were less people than in the photo I showed! and we too went inside! I don't remember Robin Hood's larder though! David and I visited a few years back and had a lovely day there. I will tweet a few more family photos in the next post as it makes a change from garden, baking and books! I don't think those coats were very practical for children as presumably they weren't washable!! Take care and stay well too :)
ReplyDeleteAmanda Peters - Thanks so much Amanda - yes keeping up with the journal :) Still trying to work out where we can go for a walk as the kids don't seem keen on any of my suggestions!
Well, what a productive week it looks as though you had, RR, even if it may not have felt entirely that way at the time! Your journal is really coming along well, and those ginger slices and oatcakes look sumptuous. I remember having oatcakes for breakfast in a lovely B&B in Derbyshire a few years ago. I have noticed the beautiful scent of honeysuckle on my wanders around the garden this week: I wonder if yours has been wafting its perfume into the air, too? It really added a new dimension and put a smile on my face! And then all those wonderful family photos and travel pics, many of places I visited when we lived in Swansea. I remember being the very proud owner of a camel coat, which was so much softer than the gaberdine macs we had for school!
ReplyDeleteCaroline Gill - Thanks so much :) There does seem more time when you don't go anywhere not even shopping! The oatcakes are so tasty :) Yes, the honeysuckle does smell lovely although it is half way up the garden so doesn't reach the house. Oh gosh! yes I remember those awful gaberdine macks :( and the school blazer! and we had to wear a horrible felt hat with ribbon in the winter and a straw hat in summer!
ReplyDeleteYou're not on your own Caroline, i also find Pugs a very difficult family to identify.
ReplyDeleteAnother great blog post btw.
Punk Birder - Thanks so much Dean :) I find even on the rare occasion they stay still for long enough to get a photo it is still v. difficult and as for worn ones - well best not get there! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, i've been enjoying seeing your slides on twitter :) I've just noticed cuckoo spit appearing over the weekend too, not a lot at the moment.
ReplyDeletePam - Thanks so much. There will be more slides to come! At least it means I can put some stuff on my blog away from reading, baking and garden wildlife!! More and more cuckoo spit appearing in our garden so you should get more too soon :)
ReplyDeleteI love seeing your photo archives :-)
ReplyDeleteCherryPie - Thank you.
ReplyDelete