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Dear Reader, you may see more of these test posts as I work out how to use the New Blogger format. Thank you for your visit. Have a good day!

Gardening : Early September

So far there have been wet days ...

and sunny days or ones where the weather has changed from hour to hour.

Mr P continues to pick the ripe tomatoes and some more are bottled and put in the store cupboard. The plants still need watering and tending in the covered yard. The figs are also plentiful.  From the veg plot we've continued to gather the chard and beans.  I cook the chard like spinach and mix with the potatoes that we're also lifting from the soil and using.

There are changing colours. 

Petals are dropping.

However, there are enough flowers to keep the bees happy.

The aloe vera our granddaughter gave us has been divided to give us more plants. She also gave us a small spider plant propagated from one of her bigger plants.  I've grouped some indoor plants together and put them on the welcome table in the front hall.

I hope that the September days are going well for you.  Thank you for coming by.  Have a lovely weekend.

Lower Bradfield and Seeing Rainbows

Daughter D took this photo from the middle of the stepping stones, something that I've never done!  The water in Agden Beck by the bridge wasn't very deep. Sometimes when the water is higher they can be slippery.  I've known her boys to have crossed the stream using the stepping stones when they've come for a visit.

Someone has had fun balancing these stones one on top of another.
How's it done we wonder?

Further along the water channel the stream opens up into a wider place with a shallow weir where the ducks can swim, make nests and generally shelter away from visitors although they're always happy to swim or walk over to say "hello".

We wandered along the lane and sat in the garden of The Plough Inn.  From the look of that pile of logs the inn is ready for the colder months. There's a large inglenook fireplace inside.

Honeysuckle and clematis are still in full flower.

There's a view of Foxholes Farm at the back of the pub garden which is surrounded by farmland.

Sitting in the garden looking the other way we could see St Nicholas' Church high up on the hill at High Bradfield.

The evening was drawing in and we didn't stay long.  A faint rainbow over the fields indicated that despite the fact that the sun was setting there was rain not far away too and it was time to head home.

On our way home we stopped to take a look at the decorated mural on the walls of the bus stop shelter next to the local school. It has been designed and painted by the schoolchildren and funded by Bradfield Parish Council. It looks like exterior improvements to the school building and the road outside the school entrances have been going on during the school closure and Summer holiday period.  No doubt everything will be completed in time for the children to be welcomed back to school.   

Here's the school taken a few years ago during one of my local walks.

Thanks for calling in.  Have a lovely day and a good September!

Having a Good Time Whatever the Weather

This is the scene we were hoping for on Saturday as we prepared for a socially distanced family gathering and bbq.  Daughter D and I did the preparation, roasting vegetables in the oven, putting vegetables on wooden skewers for my other daughter, who doesn't eat meat, to put on the bbq. Unfortunately Mr P had to set up the bbq in the garage and we ended up in the shelter of the covered yard when it started to rain heavily.  Nevertheless, we had fun.  Nothing can dampen our outlook on life when there are opportunities to be together with our family. 

Daughter M brought over marshmallows as she knows that her sister enjoys them. It was also an opportunity to catch up on birthdays, exchange small gifts and drink a glass of Prosecco Spumante wine with our pavlova and raspberry dessert.

It's getting a lot colder now.  The new chrysanthemums that Mr P grew and planted around the flower borders add colour in the garden. 

Our daughter D has gone home now and is preparing to start back to her work in the challenging environment of the classroom with her 'small group bubble' of infant children.  Guidelines have changed once again because of new government criteria since her last zoom conference with other members of staff that took place before the holiday period. Now more discussion and preparation has to happen before the children return to the classroom.  I'm thankful that D was able to be with us for a while despite the long drive up north and back home again with the chance to sit and relax or go out for a change of scene when the weather was good.

One evening we went to a favourite spot in Low Bradfield and saw our friendly village ducks again. I'll share the rest of our time there another day.

Have a good day.  It's a Bank Holiday Monday here.  Wherever you are I hope that you have a good day and a peaceful week.