THE SEASON HAS CHANGED.....

We are now well and truly into summer and I’m acutely aware that I have been very lax with blogging recently..... I do apologise to those of you who have stopped by only to find that postings have not been updated....... Life has been busy plus coping with gardening both at home and at the veggie plot...... and my days have expired before I’ve achieved all I have hoped to fulfil.

I’ll make an attempt at catching up by continuing from where I left off in the month of April........

APRIL was a glorious month. This is a view from our village with the backdrop of mountains

Warm sunny days encouraged us outdoors to enjoy the countryside and garden. Bluebells have flowered in profusion this spring, their fragrance and colour delighting the senses.

......golden gorse too.....

Do join me and take a look around my garden and see how it looked in April. The delicate Welsh poppies are always a delight.

Apples trees had masses of blossom, so we anticipate a good crop of apples later in the season

Watching the ferns unfold in their mysterious snake like fashion is always interesting........

.....and then voila! what magnificence.

The beautiful golden hop scrambles wherever it will.....

I usually place my hostas on various tables throughout the garden, this way I avoid a lot of slug damage.

I think you know I'm very fond of architectural plants, particularly palms.......

.....this 'was' my very favourite tree fern. The picture was taken last year.... sadly the harsh winter was just too much for it, despite a good winter jacket......

and now it looks like this......

The cordylines survived....

A pretty church in a nearby village always puts on a seasonal floral arrangement around the porch door. Isn't it charming and inviting too!

Onto the delicious month of MAY.... my very favourite month. The wisteria flowers hung heavy on the boughs this year and presented a most beautiful display right in front of my kitchen window.

In the greenhouse seedlings started earlier and were all growing well.....

I wonder, can anyone identify this mystery plant for me. I bought it last year at a car boot sale, it produces a single flower on a long stem (approx 5 inches), topped with a flower that holds many stamens which hold tiny yellow dots of flowers.

We had a share of rainy days in May too..... but even on wets days the garden looks colourful.

Sadly the peonies suffer in the rain, their flower heads hold the water so, the weight of which bends the stems over badly

Another plant with no name, I bought it quite cheap at a local nursery..... the name tag was missing..... it looked a little sorry for itself at the time, but has since brighten up and has flowered well. Can anyone identify it for me please.

We are now in the month of JUNE..... days are long and warm and this month held a great thrill for me.... that of a visit from a dear blogging friend all the way from Australia.......This is Frances (Alice) the owner of Growing Delight Blog she was visiting from down under, having first spent several weeks in Europe with family and friends and meeting her darling little granddaughter Evelynne for the first time.

I was overjoyed when I heard that Frances and husband Richard.... a lovely man with such a great sense of humour were including a week in Wales before returning home....... so, on 4 June, Frances & Richard together with cousin Frances and her husband Graham spent the day with us. They had renting a holiday cottage on the Cambrian coast a little further south. It was so good to meet up after corresponding and blogging together for a few years. Frances was the second person to leave a comment for me when I first started blogging way back in December 2005. Every comment left on my blog is appreciated so very much... but you know how precious those first comments are when you first enter into the world of blogging.

Frances & Richard it was indeed a joy to spend a day with you. Who would have dreamed way back in 2005 that we'd been standing together on our front steps in 2009. What a wonderful day!

This time last year John and I had recently returned from a fantastic trip of a lifetime to Georgia USA visiting my dear blogging friend Betty & husband Edward. We have relived, day by day our time out there not only from the diary I kept and the pictures we’d taken but by turning the pages of an amazing book that Betty had compiled and had printed for us. I would like to share those days with you as I once again turn the pages of this exquisite book.... such a wonderful gift..... recording that precious time we had with them in their beautiful home, meeting their dear family and so many of their friends......

If you click on the pictures they will enlarge and you’ll be able to read about our adventure.

Thank you Betty & Edward we love you.

HAIL TO THE SPRING!

The season when the countryside comes alive again. This picture of my garden illustrates well the stark contrast between how it looks today and how it looked on that snowy February morning...... shown in my last post.

Isn’t it just the most delicious time of year, each day beginning with a dawn chorus of bird song....... our meadows, pastures, hedgerows and gardens are full of the prettiest spring flowers........ and bright, warm sunny days tempt us to linger out of doors and enjoy the visual brilliance and sweet fragrance that abounds right now.

The mowing of lawns is a frequent sound right now and the exquisite smell of freshly cut grass lingers in the air..........

........and garden retreats are tidied up to be enjoyed again.

THE HOPE AND PROMISE OF EASTER
I hope you all enjoyed a blessed Easter. On Good Friday John and I joined the procession of the cross through our town...... stopping at each church and chapel along the way where a hymn was sung together with a prayer and reading. The picture below shows us nearing the end of our walk as we approach the church we attend.

Here the cross comes to rest at the end of its journey....... to be decorated in flowers for Easter Sunday.

Later on in the day we joined the local narrow gauge steam train as it set off to tell the Good Friday story fittingly named ‘Stations @ Stations’ a journey that depicts the 14 Stations of the Cross...... commemorating the last journey of Christ from his trial to his burial. The train paused at each of these stations along the track enabling passengers to alight for prayer and meditation.

It was such a beautiful evening with masses of bluebells, primroses and daffodils in flower in the hedgerow. The occasion was well supported by local people and also visitors from afar....... we were joined in our carriage by Maureen, a charming lady who was a visitor from New Zealand, she was great company and like everyone else she thoroughly enjoyed the event. There was a collection for the diocese of Matebeleland at the end and the fantastic sum of £760 was raised

The Bishop of Bangor joined us.......

Wonderful views were enjoyed as we travelled along........ here a little village nestles on the hillside. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will see that the fence, like many in this area, is made up of slabs of slate.

The road below runs alongside the railway track.......

Here we arrive at the end of the track for a reading.

NEW WOODLAND

A new woodland has recently been planted on the outskirts of our village courtesy of The Woodland Trust......... It was a great occasion that allowed local school children and the community to join in the planting of trees........ something that will not only be enjoyed by future generations but will provide habitat for many species of wildlife. Isn't it an exquisite setting for this woodland.

We chose to plant oak trees. This tree I planted in memory of my Mother

This oak was dedicated to our dear friends Betty & Edward in America

BICYCLE RIDES
Now that spring is with us John and I are enjoying bicycle rides again. It is such a joy to experience our glorious countryside this way..... taking in the wonderful scenery, fresh air and the fragrance of the season along the way.

It can be hard going around these undulating lanes, but the views are worth the effort.

Around each bend in the lane, pretty sights are found........

Glorious golden gorse cover the hillsides. If you click on this picture below you'll see in the background some of the 10,000 trees that have been planted, representing the 10,ooo children born in Wales each year.

And my final picture is of the sun as it sets over the sea.

I would like to thank all of you who left comments and sent emails wishing me well with recent health issues. I have since had results of scans taken and with great relief, further investigations reveal that the 'something' that had been detected has been confirmed as being a cyst.

LOOKING BACK ON FEBRUARY.......

As February quickly draws to a close I guess this looks like being my only post for the month so, the best way I can review it is by showing a few of the pictures I’ve taken.

The month began with severe weather warnings...... bitterly cold winds carrying heavy downfalls of snow from Siberia covered most of the UK. London was badly affected bringing road, rail and air traffic to a standstill. We were fortunate in our corner of Wales....... and the following snowy scenes show the worst it got for us..... just enough snow fell to give a pretty covering, still allowing what colour there is in the garden to show through..... however, the surrounding mountains looked like familiar winter wonderland scenes in Switzerland.

These pictures were taken on 2 February (Candlemas) and I am reminded of an old saying that goes..... "If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter will have another flight; but if Candlemas bring cloud and rain..... winter is gone and won't come again" Hmmmm!

The dredging of snow, looks like a frosting on cakes and outlines the attractive shape of leaves and branches so beautifully.

This picture of the garden was taken through an upstairs window......

The weeping Kilmarnock Willow has grown into such a tangle of branches, a good place for a bird to make a nest.

Here's George with his gorgeous thick winter coat, which is very much in need of a good brush, but grooming is something that George isn't fond of.

On my conservatory table sit two beautiful pots of flowers....... the hyacinths are filling the room with the most exquisite perfume and the cyclamen have been most generous with their floral display since well before Christmas.

February had its sunnier and milder days too..... I have shown this clump of daffodils in an earlier post, they have been flowering since the end of November.

Walking along the dyke..... John pauses to look at the waters running icy cold and deep.

It always intrigues me to observe what an amazing amount of plants sustain life in the cracks and crevices of old dry stone walls. Right now there is an abundance of Navelwort or Pennywort as it is often called.... it has a pretty round fleshy leaf with a stalk that is joined at the rear and a dimple in the centre of the front. It is said to take its one of its names from the size of a penny coin, however, when my children were small and taken on country walks we always referred to it as ‘babies tummies’ and I was pleased to discover we weren’t far off the mark either, for its botanical name is actually...... Umbilicus rupestris. I was interested to find a recent article about this little plant in my February ‘Country Living’ magazine it states that Navelwort was once used as a poultice for burns and not only that, its juicy leaves taste good in a salad too, with a flavour reminiscent to lamb’s lettuce...... I’d be interested to know if anyone has tried it. I shall be gathering a few leaves to try next time I’m out.

A lovely clump of 'babies tummies'

Just look at what grows in these old walls, isn't it amazing!.... if you click on the picture it will enlarge for more detail

These pictures were taken later in the month..... quite a contrast to the wintery scenes at the beginning of my post. With signs of spring all around and in the warmth of the February sun..... walking the lanes is such a joy now.

More and more lambs are to be seen in the fields and birdsong is a joy to behold as mornings and evenings are lengthening.

I think my final picture really celebrates the coming of spring. It was taken earlier this week..... Whilst out walking..... I was invited to look around a neighbour’s garden and by chance had my camera with me. Oh! and I spotted a bumble bee in my garden this week too.

Before I end my February post, I would like to tell you that a health issue has raised its ugly head and I would be so grateful if you would hold me in your prayers please.

OUT FOR THE DAY.......

On Saturday, John and I decided to take ourselves away from all the usual chores that are normally dealt with on this weekend day and do something a little different.

We took a trip on a train..... on the Cambrian Coast train, you can see the reflection of the carriage lights in the window. All the following pictures were taken through the window, so, they are not as clear as they could be.

The Cambrian Coast train line must be listed amongst the most scenic in Great Britain. It tightly hugs the coast affording the traveller magnificent views along the way, which ever side of the train you choose to sit....... We chose the sea side, but views from the other side are just as spectacular...... enjoying mountains, coastal villages, busy seaside resorts and farmland.

You're not camera shy are you John!

Farms nestle comfortably on the hill side. I love to see the fields separated by the dry stone walls.

The train crosses the wide expanse of the Mawddach Estuary by means of a wooden viaduct here...... the views are quite spectacular and I always admire the house that sits at the water’s edge..... what magnificent sunsets it enjoys.

The Mawddach Estuary has treacherous tidal waters......

Here the train pulls into Barmouth with its harbour and wide sandy beach that stretches for almost two miles. Its a popular sea side resort that offers it's visitors many attractions during the summer months...... it is backed by magnificent scenery too, as the lower slopes of the Snowdonia mountain range roll down to meet the sea.

This is Harlech Castle, built in 1283 upon a rocky crag, it took six years to construct. This lofty position with its commanding views over land and sea was a great aid in its defence from attack. It was built for King Edward I to prevent the Welsh challenging the sovereignty of England, but later fell into the hands of the Welsh Prince, Owain Glyndwr in 1404. It has been the scene of many bloody battles between the English and Welsh.

Today, Harlech Castle stands as stedfast as ever and, on this sunny afternoon in January 2009, we can only look in wonder as we recall its impressive history.

Here we are nearing our destination, the popular little harbour town of Porthmadog, its a thriving Welsh community with a busy harbour..... now used mainly as a mooring place for yachts..........

But now, we have no time for sightseeing, we are off too.......

TESCO! One of my favourite supermarkets.
It has taken well over an hour by train to get here.... and it is out nearest Tesco store! Only a medium sized supermarket, nevertheless, it is well worth the journey..... and the journey, well, that was a delight in itself too.

So, equipped with my shopping trolly and John his rucksack, it was Tesco, here we come! And us happy shoppers, returned well and truly loaded!

Oh! and I forgot to mentioned another bonus...... for us over 60s, we have the privilege of free travel on the Cambrian Coast train from November until May.... isn’t that just brilliant!

I have been asked by dear friend Amy to participate in a Photo Meme. I have to select the 6th picture in my 6th photo folder and post it with a description .

I am supposed to tag 6 friends to do the same, but as I don't usually get involved with tags and awards I am leaving it for anyone who would like to participate to consider themselves tagged.

It was 24 December 2003, John and I had spent a few wonderful days in Zermatt, Switzerland and this picture was taken on the Glacier Express, just as it was about to pull out of Zermatt Station....... we were making our way back to Zurich where we were to spend Christmas with our son and his wife. This fabulous trip was a Christmas gift from them.

The Glacier Express is a magnificent train, and offers what I’m sure must be Switzerland’s most scenic train journey..... and contrary to its name, it is Europe’s slowest express train..... but that’s all part of the enjoyment, for it allows the traveller to take in the spectacular mountain scenery as it unfolds along the way. However, there were times on that journey when we encountered dense snow blizzards that completely took our views..... nevertheless, it was exciting...... as we sat in the warmth of the first class luxury of this spectacular red train, with its large panoramic windows and glass roof...... winding our way through a magnificent winter wonderland, passing pretty Swiss villages, high mountains, through deep valleys, over high viaducts and even a tunnel through a mountain.

The ski resort of Zermatt is wonderful, situated high in the Alps and is only reached by means of the Swiss Federal railway system. On reaching the village, the only mode of transport is by way of horse-drawn carriages, sleighs and electric taxis. It is a world renowned health resort, offers superb skiing facilities and a paradise for hikers.

The exquisite village of Zermatt lies at the foot of the Matterhorn, not the highest mountain in Switzerland, but I’m sure is one of the worlds most famous and surely recognisable. You will all be familiar with Toblerone, that delicious chocolate bar I’m sure.... well, it actually takes its unique shape from Zermatt’s famous mountain, the Matterhorn.

You may be interested in something I discovered the last time I was in Switzerland..... if you look carefully at the Matterhorn logo on the Toblerone package, you will see hidden, the symbol of the Swiss town of Bern.... A bear! I think this is where Toblerone was first manufactured.

2009
NEW BEGINNINGS
Looking forward, looking back,
As the year is moving on,
Thinking of those happy moments.
Wond'ring where the time has gone!
Breaking all those resolutions,
Must try harder through the year!
Moving forward, filled with courage....
New beginning time is here!
Iris Hesselden



The sun rises on a new day in a new year....

The mountains greet this new year standing as steadfast as they have done for a thousand years and more.......

.....and the tide ebbs and flows as it has done for just as many years. But, for 2009 it is a new beginning......

************************

I may have mentioned before that I'm an avid reader of Susan Hill's books and I'd been saving this little book - 'Lanterns Across the Snow' to read in the run up to Christmas, for it sets the scene perfectly! Just to give you a taster, I quote the introduction from the book......

"An enchanting account of a country childhood in Wessex a hundred years ago. Evoking the delights and surprises of Christmas and the mood of the countryside in the bleak mid-winter."

If you can manage to get hold of a copy I do urge you to read it, of course, the perfect time being just before Christmas.

*******************

I'm still catching up with our time spent with Betty & Edward in Georgia US last year.....
Here are a few pictures taken the day I joined 'The Red Hatters' for lunch held at Harper's Hotel.

I'd chosen a red hat from Betty's large collection, together with a purple blouse......

Here are all the ladies suitably dressed in red and purple, ready to enjoy the delicious lunch.....

You know.... some folk are lucky to be able to wear a hat with such elegance and style..... and Betty is one of them, don't you agree! and, red is such a good colour for her to wear too.

All assembled for a group picture in the hotel's court yard.

This was my lunch and it was absolutely delicious.... chicken salad served with a wonderful selection of fresh fruit..... just looking at this now makes me feel hungry.

Our handsome and attentive waiter..
















We even made the front page of the August edition of 'Senior News * South Georgia'. A really interesting article entitled 'The Red Hat Rambling Sisters' tells how the Red Hat Society was founded in 1997 by Sue Ellen Cooper. I had to smile when I read that I probably hold the record for traveling the farthest to attend a meeting. It was certainly worth it, for like everything else we experienced in Georgia it was a memorable experience.

SEASONS GREETINGS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.......

I have scanned a Christmas card we received this year, it is painted by a water-colour artist who lives in our village...... you will see how well she has painted the rock that is featured in my heading banner.

I hope you all had a ‘Happy Christmas’ and I would like to wish all my dear blogging friends a happy and healthy New Year.
Pity I forgot to take off my pinny.
My camera is not working, so I am using pictures taken on Christmas day by Ulreke my SIL

As always on Christmas Day we have daffodils in flower in the village, in fact they were in bloom in November.

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and laboured here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie

TIME TO CATCH UP........

I have to admit and, I’m sure there are many who will agree...... I have not been a good blogger this year.... I have neither posted nor commented regularly and I really do apologise for this.... I apologise too to those who have stopped by recently only to find that I have not updated my blog for a month or more....... I could come up with the excuse that ‘I’ve been busy’..... but aren’t we all? I could tell you that I haven’t been well this month........ this is quite true but again, it seems another feeble excuse. In hindsight, I think I should have simply announced that I was taking a ‘blogging break’ and that would have eased the guilty conscious I am now wrestling with.......

This year has indeed been an eventful one for us...... In May, John and I had the most incredible adventure when we travelled to America to visit my dearest blogging friend Betty & husband Edward. In July we had another wonderful holiday visiting our son Christopher in Switzerland...... and beside all this gadding about..... throughout the year we have been very involved with a holiday home and its grounds that we look after in our village....... so its been two homes, two gardens and a veggie plot that have commanded our attention each week..... I don’t know, maybe its my age catching up with me.

So here I am attempting to catch up and hope that all my blogging friends have not completely given up on me.

I have plenty of material for future posts, but I must finish off recalling the wonderful events of our time in America with Betty & Edward.........

So far I have written of our days up until Sunday 25 May and this is where I now take up the story again........

Betty’s husband Edward is the Minister of Frank Primitive Baptist Church and it was on this day we had the great pleasure of attending Sunday service there.......

The day started with Betty busy in her kitchen preparing dishes to take along for the Church luncheon we were to enjoy after the service. Whilst Betty was cooking, I enjoyed time sitting at the kitchen table, reading and copying a selection of many wonderful Southern recipes from her vast collection of cookery books.

We arrived at Frank Church in good time for the 9.30 am Bible Study..... this was immediately followed by morning service. What a warm welcome we received.... John and I feeling happy and relaxed felt it a great privileged to meet so many lovely people and share with them this wonderful time of worship.

Betty & Edward on the steps of Frank Church.......

A lovely picture of Edward in his pulpit.... it was a great service...... wonderful hymns accompanied by the choir, scripture reading, prayers and thought provoking sermon.......

After the service we enjoyed taking a closer look at the Church

We then adjourned to another room..... in utter amazement we saw the terrific selection of dishes that lay before us....... the lady members had indeed been very busy!....... From this point John and I were so overwhelmed with the hospitality that I completely forgot to take any pictures..... so it is courtesy of ones that Betty took and I have borrowed to include here.

There was such a choice...... Southern hospitality at its best! I thought I'd included a picture that Betty took of the puddings, somehow I failed to upload it..... believe me, it was equally as spectacular........

Felling well and truly plumb tuckered out after all that lovely food we returned home and rested up awhile in the shade of the veranda.......

Betty & Edward's beautiful home..... How patriotic and welcoming of them to fly our British flag........

The afternoon was a hot one, but nevertheless, John and I felt we should set off for a walk to reduce a few of the calories we'd consumed at lunch...... Betty & Edward's daughter Amy and husband Chad together with their wonderful family live next door...... here is a glimpse of their lovely home......... Chad spotted us walking by and called out for us to go over and join him, we stood talking under the pecan tree out for a while then retreated to the greater shade and comfort of chairs on their porch........

I never ceased to marvel at the roads in America....... straight and unbending..... the next two pictures are taken from left and right directly outside of Betty's home. So unlike the winding, bending roads here in Wales....... I know Betty and Edward will really see great differences in the environment when they come over to visit us.

Well..... I'll be moving on to my next post shortly...... Monday 26 May, not only Memorial Day, but Red Hatter's Day too...... check in again soon!

MEMORIES OF SUNNIER DAYS.....

Summer days have quietly slipped into Autumn now...... one feels the familiar nip in the air that foretells of the cold and bleak days soon to come when frosts will destroy the splendours of both garden and countryside.

.......Harvest home

Leaves on the Virginia Creeper have finally turned a bright crimson and fall fast....... a daily chore of sweeping the yard

This little box hedge is my pride and joy...... I grew it all from cuttings I'd gathered up when John was trimming the front hedge a few years ago.

Looking after Mummy's apple.......

John takes a welcome rest in the summer house...... is this the next project he's looking up?

Mist lingers in the mornings and the grass is continually wet.....

This sheltered bench is a favourite place to relax with a good book

The agapanthus have been a delight this year, sadly their beautiful blue flowers are over now, but the attractive seed heads are left and give an interesting shape in the winter garden.

The tree fern is quite hardy and it is only in a severe winter that it needs a jacket.......

The phormium grows well here in the garden, I enjoy it architectural shape and the way the spiky leaves move in the wind.

The fanned finger leaves of the Trachycarpus palm is another shape I enjoy.......

The autumnal show flares and fades and all too soon there will be..... 'no fruit, no flowers, no leaves, no birds.... November' (Thomas Hood)

..... but, the promise of the rainbow.