Recent Days

Each day this week we've had a range of different types of weather; from dry, but cloudy skies to wet and windy.  Autumn is transitioning into Winter.  The good news is that Mr P's chest x-ray result was clear and we're able to get out-and-about again as he's feeling much better.  We were advised to continue with the covid vaccination Winter booster when Mr P went to see the general practitioner doctor.  The appointment is tomorrow and thankfully at our local general practice clinic.  Mr P also has a physio consultation at the hospital next week so in between we'll be resting as much as possible.  

I had a quick look around the walled garden in the park.  It's surprising what flowers can still be seen, mainly hydrangea bushes and chrysanthemums now,  sheltered by the surrounding old walls.

On Wednesday looking out of the back living room picture window I caught sight of a tree surgeon who was obviously pruning some of the branches of the huge cherry tree in our neighbour's garden. He had all the necessary safety equipment and was using a rope and pulley system to swing from branch to branch.  It was just as well he did some of the work on that day as the following day we had heavy rain storms at night and during the day.

There are berries in abundance everywhere.  The robin and other birds are still finding shelter and food in the next-door-neighbour's hawthorn tree.

We were sent photos of a firework event at Kenilworth Castle which was held on the 5th November (Bonfire Night). 

Needless to say our heavy curtains are drawn every evening now to keep us warm and we could hear the bangs from local firework displays. We think of the animals who get frightened because of sensitive hearing. I'm sure the family in Kenilworth enjoyed the spectacular firework display at this historical venue on that evening. It's fun for families to watch such an event so long as it's well organised and safe for spectators. 

As for us, I'm thankful for Mr P's improved health and the shelter of a warm and cosy house when the weather isn't so good.  

Thank you for your visit.  Have a good day and a peaceful weekend.

Friday Five and Life in General

Today I'm combining Five on Friday with happenings in the last two weeks.   Our eldest grandson and  family visited us on Sunday.  He had driven up to see the other grandmother in North Yorkshire. We  had lunch together before they went back to their home in Cambridgeshire.  Our local daughter joined us, but it's now getting harder to meet up as the working family members potentially come into contact with cases of  the virus.  They've been testing for covid daily and thankfully have had negative results, but naturally they want us to stay safe and well.  Our Berkshire daughter is coming to stay over Christmas, and she'll also be doing tests before she comes. I've been busy preparing for her visit.  Once again we're thankful for a warm house and not having to go out unnecessarily.  

This morning I was greeted by the activity of the birds in the garden.  This one was singing sweetly in the hawthorn tree.

There was a slight frost overnight.  

Thank goodness for the covered yard's shelter for the plants and trees. 

The chrysanthemums seem to be happy there.

Mr P got the artificial Christmas tree down from the loft and slowly it got decorated with special ornaments and vintage baubles (top photos daytime and lit up). Daughters D and M sent photos of their decorated trees.  Jasper kitty looks as if he's happy on his bean bag bed. 

Some favourite ornaments.  Jack Frost in the sleigh was made by me when I was a child. The horse was part of the set I had of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Coach drawn by horses ridden by the Queen's coachmen.  The horse is all that's left. 😔

There are some new traditions as on the shelves there's a collection of handmade cards made by daughter M and granddaughter A and a cotton reel figurine with crocheted bobble hat and legs.  

I hope your days are going well and you have a good weekend.   Thank you once more for your visit.  

More of this and that

 

When I drew the curtains this morning this was the scene across the rooftops.  The leaves have almost gone from the large cherry tree in our neighbour's garden,

There are crows clinging onto the branches.  You can tell this is a bird from the crow/rook family because of the size, the ruffled feathers and the way these birds stomp around especially as they walk around the chimney pots pecking for grubs, cawing raucously.  They seem to be the only birds around at the moment.  I quite like their cawing as the sound reminds me of farmland rather than where we live in a semi-rural suburb.

With my zoom lens I can see right across the Don Valley.... 

and our own neighbourhood.

Mr P has finished building a greenhouse and is now making a brick path.  The wooden planks are there as a template to make sure the path is straight.

The flower borders are full of chrysanthemums that Mr P has grown from the cuttings of the original plant.

I've bought some new clay pots and have planted up the blue hyacinths.  They're now in a dark cupboard in the garage as I'm hoping that they'll start to sprout and grow.  I like to have a few hyacinths in bloom for Christmas or at least the new year.  Usually they're gifts for our daughters and DiL, but exchanging presents might be more difficult this year.  We shall have to wait and see as we're now just about to go into a national lockdown in England and even with a review in a month's time I cannot see us coming out of it into any sort of normal life.  We're more likely to be put back into the tiered system which depends on the numbers of infections and hospital admissions in our region. 

The other evening the pumpkins in the neighbourhood were lit.  There was a full moon too.  I took a couple of photos of our next-door neighbour's pumpkins and the ones on the opposite side of the road.

The weather is so changeable.  This was the scene an hour ago, but now rain clouds are gathering.  We've heard that there's been flooding in some villages further north in North Yorkshire where rivers have burst their banks.

Finally, This morning I cut some of the hydrangeas and arranged them with lavender and fuchsias in one of my jugs brought back one time from Italy.  This particular jug is typical of the pottery made in the Lazio region and is usually used for serving wine. 

Yesterday I went for a walk in the local park which I'll share with you next time. 

Thank you for your visit.  Have a lovely day,

Linda.

This and That

A gift of flowers for Mother's Day and a family meal was enjoyed this week.

Our chef grandson came 4th in the finals of this year's Young Chef of the Year competition organised by The International Association of Gastronomy (la Chaine des Rotisseurs). Yesterday he flew to Valencia, Spain to do some training at the Michelin restaurant RiFF owned by the chef Bernd Knoller.

We've had some more odd weather again with more snow and then sunshine.  All the seedlings except for the new garlic sets are kept indoors as the covered yard is not heated.  Even in the house the temperature drops during the night and the flower and vegetable seedlings are taken off the window sills. A lovely sight is to see the peach tree in the covered yard in blossom. Perhaps we'll get some peaches again this year?

This time last year we were in Italy, but we're looking forward to going next month and have just organised our travel arrangements.  We need to do a lot more work on house maintenance, especially on replacing some wooden support beams in the roof. My husband did a few of these last year, but it's heavy and dusty work.  Before he could start a hornets' nest had to be removed. I hope they haven't returned as these insects give a powerful sting and are dangerous for anyone allergic as is the case in my family. The nest seemed to be empty, but we did find the odd hornet flying around so even though I took photos I was very careful doing it.

Getting up into the roof space is complicated as the access is through a hatch located in the upper floor family bathroom.  It was difficult to carry the beam up the ladder and then some of the roof tiles had to be removed and some smaller wooden supports repaired before nailing in the new beam.  I held the ladder when my husband climbed up into the roof just in case it slipped on the marble floor.  He also had to climb out of the hole he had made and up onto the roof in order to replace the tiles that he'd stacked there. In March the weather is as unpredictable as our own in the UK so it was important to get the work done as it looked as if it was going to rain.

Today, 8th March, is International Women's Day when we express our solidarity with other girls and women around the world. In Italy we give one another bunches of mimosa which is the Italian flower associated with the day.  Mimosa is blooming in March and can be gathered without having to go to the expense of buying flowers.  Places are decorated with branches of mimosa and there are meetings highlighting the human rights and the plight of women and girls around the world who live in oppressive conditions. On Saturday our city university will be hosting  a day of workshops and talks.

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