Recent Reading, Easter and Garden Flowers and Butterflies etc

 

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.

If I am honest I bought this book because I liked the title and cover! but I enjoyed it immensely.  The book covers the author's encounters with nature and visits to various homes and museums connected with past naturalists such as John Clare, Charles Darwin and Gilbert White etc.  

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.

Easter, Unwanted News and St Lawrence, Meriden

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter.

We had a quiet time at home with just the four of us.  By the way I know the Simnel cake has the wrong number of marzipan balls but to be honest I'm in a bit of a state at the moment and finding it hard to think straight. The reason for this I'll explain later.

 Some of you may remember that we were very worried last autumn about extensive building plans submitted to the planning department for  the semi-detached next door which links onto ours.  As it happened all worked out ok then as the plans were refused for at least half a dozen reasons.  We were relieved as the neighbours planned to move out for what we believe is at least a year as the house is not only going to be extended and altered internally at the rear (ground and first floor, but at the side, in the garage and above plus a loft room, new roof and twin gables (OTT!!) front and back of the house. In fact once finished they will have increased the original footprint of the house 3 fold!!!! The dust and noise would have been never ending.

Unfortunately the plans were re-submitted with just two small changes - they left off the "garden room" which already exists as it was built about 10 years ago and the conservatory which was the least of our worries.  We really did think that as so many of the reasons for refusal remained they would not get planning permission again. Sadly, we heard last week that this time (we are still bemused as to why) the plans had been approved.  

I wish I had known the decision 10 days ago as a rather super house had appeared on the market in a small hamlet near the village of Meriden and right next to a woodland nature reserve.  Of course by the time I decided we needed to view the house had already been sold!  Sorry long winded start to the post!  On the day the decision came through I just had to get out of the house to stop me pacing up and down so I decided to have a look at the house exterior and wood anyway in case other houses become available there.  It would have been perfect and I am somewhat kicking myself as we already guessed they would keep on submitting the plans until they were approved.

Anyway while in Meriden I decided to visit the churchyard of St Lawrence.

Church Farm

Mounting Block outside the churchyard.

The church of St Lawrence has  a Norman chancel. I've never seen inside as it is kept locked although (in normal times) I think it is sometimes open on a Sunday afternoon.

Moat House - timber framed and dated 1609 although Pevsner thinks it looks older.  D and I did a walk round here a few years back and thought the house looked spooky - it still does!

Grimmia Moss on the churchyard wall.

Back home in the garden I have seen several bumble bees, my first bee fly, two unidentified butterflies (too far away although possibly Peacock and Orange Tip).  Blue tits are busy building a nest box in the box with a camera and we have a Blackbird's nest with eggs in a holly bush.  A pair of Siskins appeared on the garden feeders briefly yesterday which was a great garden "tick" for the year.

Frogspawn has finally appeared although only a very small amount. Common/Smooth newts are also now appearing in the pond - are they eating all the frog tadpoles?

Wood anemones are now in flower as is Wood Sorrel and Green Alkanet.

I have no idea what we are going to do re: what is happening next door but one thing is certain we shall have to move. We have wanted to do so for some years but D and E still being at home with their jobs complicates matters. Warwickshire rural property is very expensive and I have seen very few affordable properties that I really like.   We shall have a moan at the planning department but it will do no good as, although the applicant can appeal if permission refused, those who objected can't.  We could write to MP or Councillors about the fact that so many issues which were refused the first time were allowed this time but will it get us anywhere?  The only other possibility is to consult a planning solicitor to see if requesting a judicial review (at huge cost!) would be worthwhile. Anyway apologies for being in "rant mode"!!!! One thing is certain I will be taking round a letter refusing access to our garden for any reason and also to point out they are not to chop down/back any shrubs or trees in our garden past the boundary. OK rant definitely over now. Will try not go keep going on about it!

Edit - Sorry going to rant just a bit more!! even worse OH has researched and it appears if we refuse access to our land and house they can take us to court and we will have to agree.  With the pandemic and worries also about security with scaffolding this has made the whole situation even worse. I shall do some extra reseach myself on this because my understanding was that you only have to give permission to access your land if it is to repair an existing building.  You do not have this right of access if you are building a new extension and the planning department suggests that you have a back-up plan in case access is refused.

Rant finally over!!!

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.