Skinnydipping at Hilliers, Romsey !

Yesterday despite the slightly iffy weather we went with friends to Hilliers gardens at Romsey for the day. Lots of different daffodils around.....and not chewed off by snails like mine are at home!

It's a bit cold for skinnydipping in March but this young lady was very brazen about it! (Shame on you if you only read this post because you thought there would be real skinnydipping pictures!!!!)

This pretty house is within the grounds and being used as a wedding venue yesterday.

I loved this dragonfly sculpture and hoped the sun would come out and shine through the glass on the wings, but sadly it didn't.

It was a lovely day but I would like to see it again in summer when the garden is in full flower.

Weekend leave

My son who is in the military has weekend leave so it was lovely to go for a walk today up by Creech Grange Arch on Purbeck. These ladies just watched us as we walked by.

The boys couldn't resist climbing the arch and admiring the view from the top.

Along the ridge the views just get better.

We had been to his base to a family day and watched a demonstration of drill, and some parents were dragged out to have a go!

We also watched the PT sessions, which made you tired just to watch, they went up and down the ropes at a fair crack. Visited the assault course and had lunch with our son. A nice day but also a very 'Alpha male' day!

Wintery Dorset in which Wrecks goes skating!

Baffled dog! Wrecks really couldn't understand the ice and kept trying to drink it, as he would a puddle! We haven't had much snow, just a light dusting one morning.

Walks when you don't meet anyone else, they are all tucked up in the warm. Lots of birds in the hedgerows, tits, finches, blackbirds and thrushes.Yesterday a bracing walk around Swanage, people still on the beach and families having fun together. Browsing in the bookshops and dreaming in the craft shop....

A cup of tea and piece of shortbread in this cafe looking at the view from the warm, waving to people you know as they passed the window.

Brrrrr !

Winter has arrived, a bit late maybe but it's here now. This fountain is in a little park near where I live and is frozen in time. It has been frozen for several days now, my son walked past it with the dog and told me about when he got home so I walked down to see it. I stood and admired it for a few minutes but while I was there three people walked by and all got their phones out, took a photo and walked straight on. None of them stopped to really look at it. Before cameras were invented if you wanted to keep a record of something you would have to draw or paint it and that meant spending time actually looking at whatever you were trying to record. Life can be a little too instant now, I don't think any of those three people really saw the fountain properly.

Last Sunday a wintry walk along the old railway line at Charlton Marshall, and this is what remains of the old station. It's a good winter walk because it's dry and lined by trees and hedgerows full of birds, tits, finches and usually lovely Bullfinches.

For contrast.... a beach in Hawaii, my son is there at the moment as he is to be groomsman at his friends wedding today. His friend Chris went out there to work in a Church for a few months, met a lovely Texan girl and is to marry her today.....ahhh!

Winter Walks and gruesome finds!

Some Mothers have son's who give them flowers....not me, my son was on one of his yomps with one of his friends this week when walking through a bog he found this old chap! It had obviously been hanging around for a while ....and there was no venison to be had, but he bought it home for me! The antlers are amazing and I will try and gently clean them this week and probably hang them off the shed! It's surpisingly heavy and weirdly I really like them....and flowers don't last do they!

It's a good thing to own a dog I think, because it makes you go out and walk when maybe curling up in front of the fire would be very tempting. These pictures were taken after I had come home from work on a Sunday afternoon and really didn't feel like going out but how glad am I that I made the effort! Winter walks are beautiful and the early setting sun so stunning through the bare branches of the trees.

Not many people about as you can see, although we have learnt where to walk in more secret places where the masses don't go.


We are not especially proud of this tree pruning, we laughingly call it 'pollarding'! I picked an acorn up 20 years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest son, I planted it in a pot and it became this tree. Over the years it has grown too big for our little garden and the neighbours have made a comment or two so we felt it had to be cut back. The Blue Tits and Great Tits have taken umbrage and not been around this week and I think we have really upset them! I suspect we may try and tidy it up a bit!

Going back in time at Bradford on Avon

Dave had a day off this week and we spent it in Bradford on Avon, which turned out to be a very good decision. This Tythe Barn was in use on the farm until 1971 but is now part of a country park. Just next to this are some wonderful craft workshops to browse around. Stained glass makers, carpenters, artists and much more.

Inside the barn, a beautiful space with a cross window with light streaming through. I would like to put up long tables down the middle and have a humdinger of a party there.

We had been told about this unassuming looking coffee house, Mr Salvat's. It was like stepping back to the 17th century, the seats like tall pews, crackling open fire in the grate and the wonderful Mr Salvat in 17th century dress and writing with a quill. We had a very nice lunch there but Mr Salvat does not take cards (well....they hadn't been invented had they!) so we told him prior to lunch that we would go off to the cash till, he wouldn't hear of it and told us he would be open until 5pm and just pop in any time to pay! We tried to give him a tip but he wouldn't accept that either.
The 17th century music, the fire and the decor was just so relaxing, you must visit him if you are in the area.

A quick shot of the dining room. The town feels very old, there are no big chain stores to be seen and some really nice little shops, the ladies seem to use wicker baskets to carry their shopping and I found the most wonderful little sewing shop!

We really didn't spend the whole day eating but after walking around for several hours we did go into these 15th century tearooms, The Bridge Tearooms for a reviving cuppa. The door is very low and even I, who am only 5 ft 2" had to duck....Dave is a foot taller and had to stoop very low!

Tea looked inviting, another roaring open fire and waitresses dressed in Victorian costumes, very pretty in their long dresses and pretty caps and aprons but maybe a couple of centuries too late

If you should be naughty in Bradford on Avon.... this is the old lock up. It's positioned on the bridge so the back of it overhangs the river. Again the door is very tiny!

This old Baptist Chapel, founded in 1689 and rebuilt in 1797, and people are still worshipping there now by the looks of it. How amazing to have so much history. When you looked through the arch there was actually a very big building behind

We have passed through this little town lots of times on our way to see our Welsh family and when our son was at University in Swansea but we had never stopped there, it's well worth it.

The Fantastic Mr Fox

It's really not like November at all at the moment, it feel warm and mild and beautiful sunsets to be seen.
We wandered down the lane at Middlebere, stopped to watch a couple of Goldcrests in the hedge, marvelled at the Starlings doing their dancing in the sky......a whole murmuration of them and enjoyed seeing the Fieldfares and Redwings back again.
The cottages all quiet now that the summer visitors have left,including all the swifts, swallows and martins who have long flown away.
The hedges are laden with berries and golden landscapes.
BUT the best part was meeting a man who goes down every day to feed the foxes, he feeds nine at the moment and knows them all by name. They know his car and run up to meet him. As we walked to where he was he told the fox to shoo off because he was worried about our dog chasing them, however Wrecks was on a lead and no danger to the foxes. We chatted to him for a while, said our goodbyes and we wandered off. A few minutes later he passed us in his car, he pulled over and said he had something to show us as we had seemed so interested. In his car he had an album of photos of his fox friends, he knew every one by name. What a nice man, a real countryman with a wonderful Dorset accent and a pleasure to spend time with.

Harvest

I used to be involved in my previous Church in setting up the Harvest display every year, it took ages to get it right.....but somehow I think this shop which we saw in Llangollen a few weeks ago has got it right without trying too hard!
Lets just be thankful for the rich variety of food available to us in this country, for the farmers who grow and rear it and pray that food will be available all over the world for everyone.

Tarrant Rushton Airfield

Last Sunday we walked right round the perimeter of the old disused Tarrant Rushton Airfield, near....you've guessed it, Tarrant Rushton! The airfield was used in World War II between 1943 and 1947 and gliders left here on the eve of D Day to begin what was to become the Pegusus Bridge mission. Flight Refuelling took it over for 30 years and flew Lancastrians and Lancasters from here.

Now it has become agricultural land again and is home for lots of pigs, cows and sheep as well as the crops being grown. These piglets were running under the fences, which their mother could not do and tearing up and down the tunnels made by big bales of straw that were along the side of the path.

If you fancy a rest as you walk, well someone has thoughtfully left the prettiest view in Dorset from an armchair I think!

Cows grazing and an awful lot of sky. From parts of the airfield we could see Badbury Rings. It's just over 3 miles right round the airfield and a great winter walk I would imagine as the paths are solid, although could be very windy and cold.

There is a memorial to the brave men who flew from here, where we parked the car, and behind it is one of the old aircraft hangers now used to store farm machinery and be a home to alot of birds who were flying through the giant door openings.

We have recently returned from a short break in Wales and took the chance to visit Chirk Castle. The gardens were stunning in the early autumn sunshine.

Chirk castle is on the border of England and Wales and still lived in by the family although the National Trust run it
The view from the summer house through the autumnal leaves. I will put more pictures of our Welsh break soon but have just watched the Welsh rugby team go out of the world cup and feel too sad to write about it now! Sad to lose after a dodgy ref descision, I wish it had been more clear cut.......I wish they'd won!