Flowers on Friday

Currently ...

A snapshot of my life in May:

Reading

I haven't actually started this yet, I've been saving it up for a while. I do like a good historical novel, and have a soft spot for anything about Richard III. This is about his wife, Anne Neville.
I hope it's worth the wait.

Eating
Right now I'm trying to eat less than normal, in an effort to lose some of the pounds I piled on recently. Feeling sorry for myself after surgery was a poor excuse to fill up on too much chocolate, cake and biscuits and now I'm paying the price!

Drinking

I only drink fruit teas at home, but I can't resist a frothy cappuccino when we go out. The addition of chocolate on the top probably wipes out the 'trying to eat less' regime aforementioned.

Wearing
My new favourite item is a Breton top, which I've wanted for ages and ages. In my head I will look like this:

only not so skinny .... and certainly not those earrings!

Making me happy
Family and friends!
Mr B. is home from work on half term, our son is back for the summer from uni, we're going up to Newcastle very soon to see our daughter, my best friend has returned from 18 months in New Zealand, and I had a lovely lunch with another good friend yesterday.

Watching
Right now I'm watching the rain pouring down, and wondering when I can venture out to take Inca for her morning walk.

Thinking about
What to pack for our trip to Florence next week. I'm hopeless at packing a suitcase, because most of my holidays are taken in a caravan and I just fill the wardrobe with lots of 'stuff' for all different scenarios. My husband despairs of me!

Fed up with
Sadly, it's the same answer as last month ..... the weather. I can't believe how awful it's been,  with no signs of improvement on the horizon.

Oh, quick, the sun has just peeped out. I might chance that walk after all!

Sunshine!

At long last we've had a lovely sunny weekend on the Paradise Peninsula ..... yes, that's two whole sunny days this year! After a busy day in the garden yesterday, today we decided to head into Chester for a stroll and some lunch. On our way into town we chanced upon two giants limbering up for a little music festival in Northgate that was taking place this afternoon.

They're going to have another outing next weekend, as there's going to be a parade to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee Coronation year.

The Chester tour bus actually had people sitting out on the top deck .... that hasn't happened for a while.

We decided that it was far too nice a day to eat indoors so we headed to a well known high street store to purchase a picnic instead.

Armed with some tasty treats we made our way down to the river to watch the boats go by.

 I love this old bandstand ..... no band there today though.

 After a gentle stroll along the river bank we headed up through Grosvenor Park, which was full of families enjoying the sunshine too, and then came out through a different gate than the one we usually use. To our surprise we found some ruins which we had never seen before.

At first we thought it was something to do with the old city walls, but it was actually the ruins of St. John the Baptist's church dating from 689 A.D. It had been abandoned in the 16th Century, when it had started to collapse, and a new church was built next door.

Then we discovered that the huge tower of the 'new' church had collapsed suddenly in 1881 destroying the porch. It is said that the bang was heard all over Chester. 

What are the chances? 

What are the chances for a few more sunny days this week? Looking at the forecast - very slim- it would seem. Still, we live in hope!

Flowers on Friday ... and a Postcard from Muncaster Castle

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I've been wanting to visit Muncaster Castle for ages, but it's quite a distance away, on the western coast of Cumbria. Anyway, last week, I finally managed to get there, because I was doing the driving!

And, my goodness, it is a long. long way but well worth the effort.

It's one of those lovely old English places which is still a home. There are family photographs displayed alongside jumbled ancient treasures and the audio guide was made by the family themselves. It's not slick like some other places you visit from time to time, and it all has a warm fuzzy feel about it. The castle is also reputedly one of the most haunted places in Britain, but we didn't feel any ghostly vibes in the slightest, and the great hall had the most welcome log fire to warm us on another cold day.

Outside, there are acres and acres of beautiful gardens filled with rhododendrons right now. These photographs don't convey the sheer scale of them.

From the terrace there are the most spectacular views of the Esk valley. Just stunning!

Muncaster is also the home of the World Owl Trust bird sanctuary, and we saw some beautiful specimens. They are all too damaged to live out in the wild, and seem to be very happy here.

In the afternoon there was a display of some of the owls, and we got a closer glimpse of a few of them.

Later still, we noticed a strange sight in the nearby trees as many herons were sitting like statues in the branches. I counted fourteen in one tree alone. We found out that they were waiting to be fed.

We watched them for over ten minutes as we waited to see what was going to happen, and they barely moved. They were all facing in the same direction .... then on the dot of four o'clock a keeper came along with a large bucket of fish. The air was filled with a whoosh as the herons swooped down and made short work of the meal.

Sad to say, there were a few squabbles amongst them as they fought over the scraps. Within a few seconds the fish was gone and so were the herons. It was quite a sight!

As we were leaving, an old man wearing a scruffy fleece jacket came up and thanked us for coming. It turns out he was the owner himself, Patrick Gordon Duff Pennington. He had a lovely chat with us. Amongst other things, he told us that before the first world war there were 32 gardeners working in the grounds. Now there are only two .... and himself. He was 83! He was utterly charming and happily agreed to pose for a photograph with my parents. It made their day.

Yet another Postcard from the Lake District ...

I spent last week in the Lake district again, this time with my parents. It was a very different experience from the trips I usually have with my husband and our dog. For a start we stayed in a lovely apartment in Grasmere, instead of our caravan. It overlooked the little river and the church. Just lovely!

With two 80 year olds in tow,  life was much slower, and we stayed on pavements for our little walks, (no walking boots needed). I discovered that mid-week in May was surprisingly empty and we were able to visit places we usually avoid because they're so busy. 

The weather was disappointing - cold and wet- but we managed to get out and about most days.

Here are some things that caught my eye.

Dove Cottage, one time home of William Wordsworth.

Bold swans on the shores of Lake Windermere waiting for food.

The boats on Windermere.

Market day in Keswick.

Music while you shop.

John Ruskin's beautiful, beautiful house at Brantwood overlooking Coniston.

The Coniston steam gondola.

Stained glass at Brantwood.

My lovely daughter who had come to join us for the last two days.

The jetty at Brantwood.

The Old Man of Coniston.

Ann Tyson's house in Hawkshead where William Wordsworth boarded when he was a pupil at the local grammar school.

This sign in Hawkshead raised a smile.

You can't leave Grasmere without a purchase from the Gingerbread shop. That's my mum.

My lovely Dad enjoying a rare moment of sunshine.

We spent hours watching the birds feeding on our little terrace, and checked them out on an RSPB chart. There were a huge variety of visitors every morning, practically queuing up in the trees all around us. More birds in the next post!