Lunch in Derbyshire and our Garden in May

What good weather we're enjoying at the moment here in the UK!  Along with the sunny weather there's the need for watering the plants in pots so that they don't dry out.  This weekend I celebrated another birthday.  Lily-of-the valley is the flower that has been chosen for May and I'm pleased that my plant has flowered.  I keep it in a pot as it tends to spread.  

I was given lots of lovely birthday gifts, many of them flower related.  Our son came for a visit on Friday and we had lunch together and yesterday local daughter took us out for Sunday lunch in a country pub restaurant with heat-hazy views of the Derbyshire countryside. 

One of the gifts that Mr P and I can both enjoy is this bird table.  Mr P assembled it as it came in various pieces.  It was fun putting it together!  

One day last week I took another walk in the local walled garden and spotted lilies and an amaryllis in the glasshouse.

My own amaryllis called "Dancing Queen" that was given to us by a grandson in 2018 has produced flowers every year since.  We keep it in the covered yard and each year it gradually comes to life and produces several flowers.

There are red peonies in our garden, alliums, self-seeding poppies, lilies and much more blooming there.

It really is a beautiful time of year in the garden.  May is also Chelsea Flower Show time and we shall be watching the televised programmes that the BBC will put on this week.

Thank you for your visit.  I hope you're enjoying the sunshine where you live.  Have a good day and week!

A Local Walk

We're experiencing warm, sunny weather at the moment so I took advantage of it and took a walk on Saturday afternoon while Mr P was resting after a morning of gardening.  I've come to appreciate the trails that I can walk not far from home even if most of them are at the top end of our hilly village. Further out from this village in the north-west of the city we have open countryside and the many reservoirs managed by Yorkshire Water called "The Lakeland Loop".

The area is crisscrossed by old routes once used by packhorses and other horse-drawn carriers.  These trails were important to the local economy and are now used as a leisure resource.  Heritage Highways have created a number of walks, horse rides and bike routes to help local people explore the rich history of the area.  The British Horse Society has sponsored the research needed to train up volunteers so that the trails and bridleways are well maintained and sign posted.

Below are some of the photos I took on Saturday's walk not far from home.  The trees are back to life in full leaf now and there are many wild flowers to be enjoyed along the way (even in the new park at the top of our road where the grass has been left long and many species of wild flowers were planted last year along the edge of the playground).

 English bluebells are still blooming in shady places. 

It was a joy to hear the birds singing and capture this little sparrow pecking the ground for insects among the fallen new leaves.

Back near home I was pleased to see the wisteria flowers that droop down so prettily.   Back in our own garden the neighbour's hawthorn tree that gives shelter to garden birds in the Spring and Summer months and berries to feed on in the Autumn and Winter was looking beautiful against the clear blue sky.

Thank you for coming by.  I hope you have a pleasant week whatever you're doing. 

Maytime

It's now lilac time in our neighbourhood.  The blossom has just about survived showery days.   

Most of the tulips and other Spring flowers are over now.

The seedlings have been put outside to harden off as the frosty nights are no longer happening.  Mr P continues to sow seeds and tend the developing plants.  Colour is back in the front and back gardens.  The tomato plants are doing well in the covered yard. 

We've had May Bank holiday and a Bank holiday for the Coronation so many people have been out and about enjoying the mild and sunny weather.  We've stayed around our locality as I had plenty to watch on television and library books to read.

Ornamental cherry blossom in the park was attracting one family who were out for a walk. I watched for a while as a little girl was hoisted up on the father's shoulders to take a closer look at the blossom on the lower branches of the cherry tree.

The great grandchildren are happy and enjoy our attention (either the little girl who lives locally or from internet photos that our Berkshire Daughter D sends during baby sitting sessions). Berkshire Baby A goes to a mother and baby musical sensory group and local Baby S also enjoys her soft toys and dancing, musical  'friend'.

On Coronation Day our local daughter M and her friend came around for lunch.  We had tuna, cucumber and mozzarella sandwiches, salad and a lemon drizzle cake that I had made.  

I'm still reading the supplement pull-out magazines included in the weekend newspapers that Daughter M bought for me to keep as souvenirs and watching recordings of the Coronation ceremonies and evening concert.  Everything went off well considering the logistics and number of participants. I'm sure the television companies who were involved were pleased with the result.  A day to remember indeed.