October Visit to Herefordshire - Part 2: The Pumpkin Patch

 

On the Thursday D and I went to Marden. I was surprised at how close it was -  only 31 minutes by car.  I have wanted to go for ages as there is a church there with a mermaid legend and a holy well.  But first I had promised to take David to the Pumpkin Patch on a farm to select a pumpkin for Hallowe'en.

Not too many words as the photos are self explanatory!

This moving gargoyle was absolutely terrifying!

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We walked to the pumpkin field to select a pumpkin. It would be a good day out if you had young children as there were lots of activities for them.

There was a maze there but to be honest as I really wanted to visit the church as well I didn't want to get lost in a maze for hours!

This is the pumpkin D carved that evening.

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There was food at the farm but, as there were queues and also thinking it might be expensive, we had lunch instead at Farmer Jacks - a farm shop and cafe in the village.

I had bread pudding and D bought a cheese sandwich.

I'll write about the church visit in the next post.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and D with the Canon SX50HS 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).

October Visit to Herefordshire - Part 1 : Hatfield, Walk, Monkland Cheese Dairy

 

Last week we finally managed to get back to the caravan for four nights and D came with us which was great as it gave me the motivation to go out with him and enjoy his company.

There are definite signs of autumn tints appearing now in the leaves on the Herefordshire Oak.

The Octopus Tree

The Constable Tree(s)

The perennial wallflower is still flowering as is the rose in a pot.

This is the view from the lounge which we will lose should the proposed development be given permission and go ahead.

D went a walk to the Hen House one morning to buy some eggs and was lucky enough to see a Red Kite. I haven't seen one there for ages so it is good news they are still around.

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We arrived on the Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday D and I went to Monkland Cheese Dairy to stock up on some of their delicious cheeses.

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These were the purchases and in the box is a slice of their delicious Herefordshire Apple cake.  We do have a book of Monkland Dairy Recipes and the apple cake recipe is in there so one day I will try making one at home.

On the way back we stopped off at Morrisons to do a small food shop and D took some photos of leaves and berries in the car park.

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Mistletoe growing on a tree by B and Q and a house decorated for Hallowe'en.

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A view of the lane as we drove back and were nearing Hatfield. The lanes there are very narrow and I spend most of my time praying I won't meet a tractor coming the other way!

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I did use the bat detector most nights but I wasn't picking up any bats and we didn't see any. The house martins have departed for the winter although I did see a few on our last visit.

On the Thursday D and I went to a pumpkin farm and then we visited a new church which I will write about in the next few posts.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 and those marked *D were taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or one of my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks ).

Mid September Visit to Herefordshire

 

Last weekend we made a brief visit to Herefordshire just for 3 nights. The journey there was a bit of a nightmare as the M42 by Redditch was closed between two junctions due to an accident so we had to make a huge detour to travel across country! The journey ended up taking 3 hours rather than the usual 90 minutes!

There is not much change in the Herefordshire Trees although I think the leaves on the Octopus Tree may be starting to change colour very slightly?

Herefordshire Oak

Octopus Tree

Constable Tree(s)

The pink geranium is still flowering really well. I must remember to bring it home with us when we winterise the caravan.

There are about ten tomatoes on D's tomato plant.

D and I are beginning to think the chilli plant was mislabelled and it is actually a green pepper plant!

Teasel in the garden. Despite B's efforts to eradicate them they managed to self seed.  I am quite pleased as when they are in flower they attract pollinators and the seedheads are good for goldfinches in the winter.

The Hawthorn hedge is full of berries.

Apart from going to Tesco Tenbury Wells on the Saturday to do a food shop yet again we didn't go anywhere. I am still hoping D will come with us on one of our visits. E did plan to come with us last weekend but in the end she stayed at home as her friend who now lives in Blackpool was returning for the weekend and she wanted to see her.

There is not much other news. I am still not sleeping very well and continue to try and fend off cellulitis. It really is becoming rather wearing!

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 appreciate an email first - thanks).