Herefordshire Trip

 

Even though my foot and leg were still a bit swollen we managed to get to the caravan for 4 nights last week. I just had to get away.  I was trying to rest the foot as much as possible so, apart from the usual click and collect at Morrisons, Leominster, we didn't go anywhere.  I spent most of my time reading and B managed to do some gardening.  D didn't come as he is writing a dissertation for one of his Level 3 courses on Wales and has an end of course assessment due on the other course the week after.

I did take a few photos of the garden, pots and the Herefordshire trees. Here is Timothy back on his shelf!

The Herefordshire Oak is now in full leaf and looking rather wonderful.

The Octopus Tree, an ash, is now in full leaf too and leaves are starting to appear on the Constable Tree.

The pot of mini alliums has buds.

The small garden at the rear of the caravan.

B noticed that the paired leaves on the teasel formed a cup around the stem which had collected rainwater and insects had fallen in and drowned.

I've done a little bit of research to see if the plant could be insectivorous.  Francis Darwin, son of Charles Darwin, noted the insects if they fall in find it hard to climb out and wondered if the plant was carvnivorous.  However, teasels do not appear to secrete the enzymes necessary to extract nutrients from the insects and so perhaps could be regarded as more of a proto carnivorous plant.

Having said that a paper published in PLOS in 2011 where researchers had "fed" some plants with insects discovered that these plants produced 30 per cent more seeds compared to teasels that only photosynthesised.  The scientists who wrote the paper did point out the results would need to be replicated in order to be sure the increased seed production was due to insect prey. Also no chemical analysis was carried out to see if the plants were digesting the insects or even how they absorbed the nutrients.

As far as I can see no more research has been carried out which is a shame as it is quite an interesting theory.  

I found a "Green Man" (or a foliated head man as I think they are called these days) garden ornament in the garage at home.  So we decided to take it to the caravan and B was able to fix it by the door.

It looks as though a species of mason bee has discovered one of the bee "hotels".  Sadly, there were no signs of the bees when we were there.  We also get leaf cutter bees using the bee "hotels" at home so I will be looking out for those on future visits.

Record shots of a Pied Wagtail I watched one day - it is fascinating to see them catch insects.

I hope when we next return my cellulitis will have cleared up and we can go out more.  I am so annoyed to have not been able to visit more in May as it is my favourite month.

In other news somehow a mouse has recently taken up residence in the back living room.  B has always sealed gaps and made sure the house is "mouse proof".  I can only think it came in from the garage or garden as, despite me telling everyone to shut doors when they go outside, they don't.At the moment until the problem is resolved the room is out of bounds which is making life difficult as the tv is in there.  I don't like killing things tbh so B has been in control of the various types of traps/poison and D has set up a few live traps.  Sadly, nothing seem to be working. If I felt a bit better I would suggest we clear the room as much as possible and empty and move the pine unit which it seems to be living behind and try and catch it somehow although I know they move like grease lightning. We could of course open the french doors and try and shoo it out with a broom! I just hope it is only one! At least now it can't get out of the room and roam the house!!

Although the swelling on my leg and foot go down over night the leg still swells up again in the day.  So I have requested a phone appointment with the GP as I couldn't get through on the landline (Tuesday after bank holiday!!!) and could only book a phone appt on line.  I just hope we don't have the rigmarole of trips to medical assessment units and emergency day care centres with all the waiting around that involves.  I don't feel well but to be honest I am only getting a few hours sleep a night so it perhaps isn't surprising.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first, thanks).

Reading, Garden and Stuck at home

 

Recent Reading

Sadly, this seems to be the last book in the Mitchell and Markby series.  I will try and read some of Ann Granger's other series - I know there are the Inspector Ben Ross books and the Campbell and Carter books; has anyone read any of these and if so what did you think?

This book was good although for some reason I still can't warm to the chief characters in this series.

This was a lovely little booklet - I can really recommend Alex Woodcock's book "King of Dust" it is brilliant.

An interesting Shire book on Medieval Masons - I learnt a lot!

I checked on Amazon and two of my favourite series had new books - I loved both of them :)

I can't stop reading the Hillary Greene books - they are so good even now she is doing a different job.  It is yet another series I am going to finish soon!  I need to find some new authors!!

I really enjoyed this Inspector Banks book.  Another series I am going to miss as there aren't many more left to read!

Garden

The Blue Tit chicks finally fledged - 3 out of the original 6 that hatched. Not brilliant news but better than some attempts in recent years.

The following photos of the garden were all taken by D.

*D

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Holly Blue

*D

A new beetle species for the garden. I thought I had identified it but D has since come up with an alternative id so now I am not sure. Will confirm in a future post if I get positive id - may put photo on Twitter and ask for help!

*D

Sage and chives are flowering - so pretty and the bees love them.

*D

*D

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Red Campion in the wildflower meadow.

*D

Yellow flag in the bog garden.

*D

In other news I haven't been very well and have had to stay at home to rest my leg. The week before last my ankle, lower leg and foot swelled up. I assumed at first it was due to a side effect of the blood pressure tablets I  take as it  has happened before but the foot got worse so I had to go and see the GP. She diagnosed cellulitis and gave me pencillin but I also had a blood test as a precaution!  To my horror early that evening I received a phone call from her saying that one of the tests was positive and could I go to the medical assessment unit at the local hospital.   Well I have a  phobia about hospitals and that particular one has bad memories for me for certain events re my family in the past so it was a nightmare.

We were there about 3 hours which I suppose wasn't too bad! Blood pressure taken (sky high no surprise there!), another blood test, ecg. Finally saw a doctor who thought it was cellulitis too but I had to have a blood thinning injection "in case" (they were worried about clots as cellulitis symptoms similar to another condition). I could then go home as I wasn't prepared to wait another 4 hours for more blood tests results! I have to say despite the waiting the staff there were excellent!

I had to go back next day for ultra sound scan of leg  - thankfully there were no signs of any clots and then up to what they called the Emergency Day Care Unit for the results to be confirmed by a Dr.  We were there over four hours.  Another blood test - finally saw a Dr who confirmed there were no clots and doubled my dose of pencillin and gave me 10 days supply - far more  than the GP gave me!

My leg is slowly recovering and is now almost back to normal. I had another blood test at the GP's and the only cause of concern is that  my sodium levels are borderline and I have to eat a bag of crisps a day! -you couldn't make it up! Another blood test next month to check on that and I have to go back at some stage for another scan of leg to check (I think)  that the lymph glands have gone down?

One  thing I have learnt is to be grateful for good health when you are well because things like this can strike out of nowhere.  I remember  B had cellulitis last year but nowhere near this fuss he was just given pencillin although he did see a different GP!

I hope everyone is staying safe and well. Take care.

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 and those by my son with the Canon SX50HS.  (I don't particularly rate my photos but if any one wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would appreciate an email first  - thanks)

Short Trip to Herefordshire - Part 2: St Peter's, Birley

 

Monday afternoon I decided to visit a local church. I didn't want to go far as we were going for a meal in the evening and I had to get back.  In the end I decided to visit St Peter's, Birley, which is slightly less than 30 minutes drive away and has family connections. It  was dry when I left Hatfield but it was drizzling slightly when I arrived at the church.

My great great grandfather Noah  (born 1830) who was a Gamekeeper/Farmer  lived at Birley for a while and married an Anne Galliers.  Their first child, a daughter Ada, was born on 24th February, 1867, at Birley.  They later moved to the Sarnesfield area of North Herefordshire.

St Peter's is a Grade 1 Listed Building built in the C13th and extended in the C14th. The West Tower is early C13th and the shingled pyramidal roof is probably C17th.

The manors of Birley were in the possession of two important Marcher families - de Lacy and Mortimer and were run by tenants.  In 1086 the tenants were Godmund (tenant Roger de Lacy) and Richard (tenant of Ralph Mortimer).

War Memorial

The South Chapel is C14th and the timber framed gable was probably added in the C17th.

The churchyard was full of Buttercups and in some places Cowslips.

The South Door is probably C12th.

It is always good to see a sign that the church is open :)

The interior of the church was very dark and, although I tried, I couldn't find a light switch anywhere and so I used high iso for most of the photos, except the windows, and even then I was only getting a slow speed.

The church was restored in 1873/4 by Henry Ward.

This window from 2000 is by Richard Mather.

Encaustic floor tiling from the Restoration which Pevsner describes as "strident"!

The C12th chalice shaped font is the only evidence that a Romanesque church was here.  

Ogee headed C14th stoup.

Kneelers

Stained glass window by Jones and Willis 1902.

Pulpit from 1633

C14th chancel arch with ballflower decoration.  The piers are decorated with human faces and the heads of floppy eared puppies.

C14th Piscina in the chancel

The East Window (1887) is by Jones and Willis.

Looking from the chancel down the nave towards the West Tower.

Rose Window

The South Chapel

Victorian Memorial Glass

Looking from the chancel towards the West Tower

Back outside the rain had stopped - ignore any raindrops on the lens in the initial photos of the exterior!

Birley Court is opposite the church

As usual I missed a few features mainly fragments of medieval stained glass and my photos of the reredos were rubbish!

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one or one of my son's I would appreciate an email first - thanks).

Reference: "Buildings of England Herefordshire" by A Brookes and N Pevsner (Yale University Press 2017