We've just come back from another few days in Herefordshire where we put out some food and water in the hope of attracting a hedgehog as we know there is a healthy population there.
I've (hopefully) uploaded a video of some of the footage from one of the hedgehog visits.
I don't think I've done a post on recent reading recently so here are the latest books.
I haven't read Agatha Christie for years and years but I enjoyed this first Miss Marple book and will read more.
This book, like the first in the series, was really poorly edited as an e-book (I really ought to complain to Amazon!). The font size varied from one chapter to another which isn't too much of a pain but text was repeated and even worse bits of it seemed to be missing. It is a shame because I am enjoying this series set in the Scilly Isles.
I bought this book second hand as it now seems to be out of print. I have to admit I learned a lot about the Neolithic Age, Iron Age and Bronze Age - a period of history I didn't know a lot about) and its given me lots of ideas of places to visit. Top of the list is Arthur's Stone!!
I hope this series continues as I do like Nikki Galena and this book was again very good.
I enjoyed Murder at St Anne's probably more than others in the series. I do find at times the conversations between the characters are a bit "forced". It seems to be the last in the series that you can buy although I think the next is due to be published sometime this year.
My daughter bought me this book for Christmas. It is really a coffee table book full of the most beautiful photos of Grasmere and the Lake District taken during lockdowns. My only complaint is that the photos are not captioned with details of where the pictures were taken although I recognised many of the locations.
Another Shire book - usually I adore these books but this one I found rather hard going.
A re-read of the next Merrily Watkins book.
Easter
B always makes Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday.
Posy of garden flowers for the table.
I always make a Simnel cake for Easter. I tried using a recent present of a cook's blowtorch to brown it which didn't seem that successful!
Blackthorn flowers
In the garden
The female Blue Tit has now laid 8 eggs I hope the brood is more successful than those in recent years. Butterfly wise - Orange Tip have emerged and I've also seen Holly Blue, Green-veined White and Speckled Wood plus a Peacock. Worryingly we have had no frogspawn at all this year - I still blame it on newts eating the frog tadpoles and over the years the frog population has died out! There again there could be another reason.
One of the bays is flowering.
B grew Honesty from seeds he had collected from the garden for here and the caravan. We now have Honesty Plants in two of the borders here.
The Camellias are still flowering.
Bluebells are flowering - sadly we have a mix of not just the native bluebell but also the Spanish bluebell. They are plants we inherited when we moved in and they have spread everywhere.
Cowslips are spreading too - we now have at least 100 plants in the wild flower area.
I have no idea what this shrub is but it does have thorns!
Wood Anemones and Wood Sorrel
Thanks to Rosie of "Corners of My Mind" I have now remembered what this blossoming shrub is -Amelanchier!
Green Alkanet and Forget-me-nots
One or two daffodils are still flowering.
I hope everyone is staying safe and well.
Photos taken by me with Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.
We came home on the Saturday and I wanted to stop off somewhere on the way back to extend the break a little! NT Brockhampton was the first idea until I discovered there was an Easter Egg Hunt on there which suggested busy to me! I did think of Witley Court but an hour is not really long enough to spend there so we ended up going home via Tenbury Wells and having a walk around the town centre (another place D hasn't visited before).
The Butter Cross or Butter Market was built in 1859 so that farmers' wives could sell butter and poultry under cover. This is the first time I have seen it "open" and in use.
St Mary's
There are some pretty cottages opposite the church.
River Teme
Burford Castle or Tump which was once a motte and bailey. I am still not sure if you can access it as I didn't have enough time on this visit to investigate.
Temeside House was erected in 1837 as the Work House for the Tenbury Poor Law Union which contained 19 local parishes. In 1929 the Workhouse system ended and from 1937 to 2009 it was used as the Town Council Offices.
Newly restored Tenbury Spa or Pump room.
The Royal Oak a 16th century inn was one of the main coaching houses on the route from London to the North. The name commemorates the escape of Charles II after the Battle of Worcester when he hid in an oak tree.
I am re-reading the Cure of Souls a Merrily Watkins book by Phil Rickman. We passed this hop field on the way home which reminded me of the Lady of the Bines legend - those hop poles look spooky now even in daylight!!
I hope everyone has a Happy Easter and a lovely weekend.
Photo marked *D was taken by D with the Canon SX40 HS bridge camera and rest of photos were taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.