Five On Friday: The Library, the Walled Garden, Our Garden

 sunrise at 6 am this morning - an amazing sky

After our exciting time of family events we're now back to our usual homely routine which for me includes a weekly visit to the library to collect a stack of books I'd reserved.  The weather is still good enough for sitting out in the garden during the day.  

Mr P collected more ripe figs and tomatoes from the fig tree and greenhouse  We've had a glut of both and daughter D who has gone home now has been working in her own garden.  She took a basket of figs and has made several types of jam - fig, blackberry and apple, plum and apple.  We can't wait for the next time we visit her in Berkshire and enjoy toast and jam for breakfast.

I walked in the Walled Garden by the library as usual.  The flowers there reflect the fact that we're transitioning into the season of Autumn with dahlias and rudbeckias.  The Mediterranean herb garden area and the new banana plant looked at home in the sunshine. The sunflowers also looked good as they had been planted by the newly rendered and painted high wall.

Our garden is surviving although it's not as colourful as normal. I need to water the rose bushes.  There's been a few nights when we've had some rain, but we could do with a good soaking. (The red rose bush in the pot in the above mosaic is the one that Mr P received for his birthday).

I brought a couple of roses indoors and arranged them in a small vase.  The stems and leaves were being chewed by cutter bees so I shall have to keep an eye on the young cuttings that Mr P has got established.

I'm having technical problems with editing photos so it's slow progress with blogging at the moment.  I'm sure I'll work out what's wrong with my photo files and get back on track.  Next time I'll write about the new library books I'm reading. 

Thank you for your visit.  Have a good weekend!

Holmfirth: A Drive In The Countryside

We've been making the most of our daughter D's time with us and yesterday we drove out into the countryside in the Holme Valley, West Yorkshire.  Up a lane near to the small town of Holmfirth, well known for the television location of the BBC's situation comedy Last of the Summer Wine and Jane McDonald's televised tour My Yorkshire we stopped at the Carding Shed and Oil Can Café for lunch featured in one of Jane's programmes.   

In an old mill that's currently being used by small businesses there's a company that restores vintage and retro cars and there are the cafés too. Yorkshire is a sheep farming county and carding was a process used in the wool industry.  A hand-held carding brush or comb got the tangles out of the fleeces of the sheep after sheering the animals.  The wool was usually washed, spun into thread, woven into cloth before being made into garments.

We took a look around the exhibition of restored cars and the workshops before going into one of the cafés for our lunch.

These were my favourite cars - a Bentley and a Jaguar

 as well as the old car below.

 

Restoration was going on in a workshop. Some cars and motor bikes

 that had been restored were for sale.

The tandem bicycle reminded me of the time my newly-married aunt and uncle biked everywhere and  I'm sure even on their honeymoon.  (As for Mr P and I, our mode of transport on honeymoon in the Channel Islands was a hired Vespa moped.  Mr P also bought one when he first came to the UK and I would ride pillion on the back of it.  Happy days!).

I love this caravan out in the yard and the little VW camper van on display.

If you can't afford a luxury car how about collecting model vehicles?  

A small MG for the children?

There were interesting items on display everywhere throughout the building.

It was time for lunch in the main café. 

There were old posters such as this one - an old model of a Harley-Davidson motor bike. Posters of famous racing drivers also decorated the walls. 

Mr P and Daughter D had a full English breakfast 

and I had Eggs Benedict served with a small Peroni lager.

The cakes looked tempting.

Daughter D and I took a walk and picked blackberries

 before we headed back home.

 

elderberries

 

Midhope Reservoir

Daughter D has another week before she goes back to her teaching work so it's almost time for her to travel back to Berkshire.  It has been a good August full of happy memories.  I hope everything is going well in your corner.  Thank you for coming by.