Singers and Sunshine

We have just spent a super sunny weekend down in Hampshire with the Lampards, and really enjoyed a terrific evening at their local church for the Summer Concert given by the Wherwell Singers. Of course our main interest was to see Kim taking part - one of the greatest joys of being a parent or grandparent is to be invited to see them perform, whether it be in a stage production, a choir concert, a rugby match or whatever.

The programme was a great mixture, from Monteverdi, through Tallis, to Gregorian themes, a song from each country making up the British Isles (eat your heart out Alasdair - Loch Lomond would have got your kilt swirling), and much else. The church was full of a really appreciative audience, and the singing was SO lovely. Afterwards we had the great pleasure of being invited to a party back at one of the choir member's homes - and met some really interesting people. Such a perfect way to spend a warm June evening.

Next day was Fathers' Day, so after a delicious brunch we all went off to the pretty water meadows around the River Test - mainly because the kids were dying for their Dad to try out their F.D. present - a couple of balls which apparently bounced on water. ..... And bounce they did, providing much entertainment for us all. We stopped off at a local pub for much appreciated refreshments, before wandering back through all the families out picnicing and barbequeing amongst the buttercups on a really hot summer's day.

Once back home we all lazed in the sunshine on the lawn, enjoying our Pimms and dips, most of us ending up with more than a healthy glow! Then it was inside for a real feast of a meal, and plenty of wine, to help celebrate the two Dads.We left this morning having really been spoilt rotten, and on the way to collect a pot of the local honey we couldn't resist stopping to admire a nearby cottage smothered with roses. June is certainly 'busting out all over'.

Thank you, ALL of you, for making us so very welcome. See you again soon. xxxx

Musings on a May Morning.

This morning I had to drive five miles across country to give a Talk at a Golf Club for the gentlemen members of Probus (and on this occasion, their ladies too).    Afterwards I took a walk around the neighbouring village ,  and much enjoyed the profusion of flowers everywhere - hanging baskets and flower-filled tubs decorating the rather select shops, and the immaculately cared-for cottage gardens overflowing with an abundance of foxgloves, poppies, columbines, forget-me-nots, and the first roses of the season.     No wonder this particular village regularly wins  'Britain in Bloom' prizes - in the summer sunshine it seemed the very essence of old-fashioned Englishness.

As I drove home I passed a magnificent laburnum tree, its swags of bright yellow blossom swaying gently in the light breeze,  and I actually pulled the car over to stop and admire a large and very elegant tamarisk .  Its feathery branches were covered with delicate pink blossom, and it looked totally content to be growing a long way from the coast, where it is more usually to be found.     May trees everywhere were smothered in pink and white, and dusty pink 'candles' stood proudly and prolifically on the branches of chestnut trees.  Truly Nature paints the countryside in such gloriously colourful brushstrokes at this time of year. (and sadly I didn't have my camera with me to capture Nature's pictures.)

And yet ....  and yet.... I have to admit  that when I returned home to our own garden I was really wowed by something literally more down to earth.    Simple little dainty white daisies, and satiny yellow buttercups were popping up all over the lawn.   I can't remember this ever happening before - perhaps as a result of John painstakingly removing almost 400 dandelions from the grass quite recently, these other more tender wild flowers have been able to flourish.       It is strange that we are happy to allow daisies and buttercups to invade our regularly mowed greensward, yet we can't wait to get rid of dandelions!     For me,  happy childhood memories came tumbling into my mind - of lying on my tummy in the grass, making endlessly long daisy chains , and thrusting solitary buttercups under the chins of my brother and sisters to 'see if they liked butter'.

DAISIES:
At evening when I go to bed
I see the stars shine overhead;
They are the little daisies white
That dot the meadow of the night.
And often while I'm dreaming so
Across the sky the moon will go
It is a lady, sweet and fair
Who comes to gather daisies there.
For when at morning I arise
There's not a star left in the skies;
She's picked them all and dropped them down
Into the meadows of the town.
(F.D.Sherman). 
:......  and.....
BUTTERCUPS:
Down in a field one day in June,
The flowers all bloomed together,
Save one who tried to hide herself
And drooped that pleasant weather.

A robin who had flown too high
And felt a little lazy
Was resting near a buttercup
Who wished she were a daisy

For daisies grew so big and tall
She always had a passion
For wearing frills around her neck
In just the daisies' fashion.

And buttercups must always be
The same old tiresome colour;
While daisies dress in gold and white,
Although their gold is duller.

'Dear Robin' said the sad young flower,
'Perhaps you'd not mind trying
To find a nice white frill for me,
Some day when you are flying.'

'You silly thing' the robin said
'I think you must be crazy
I'd rather be my honest self
Than any made-up daisy.'

'You're nicer in your own bright gown
The little children love you
Be the best buttercup you can
And think no flower above you.'

'Though swallows leave me out of sight
We'd better keep our places
Perhaps the world would all go wrong
With one too many daisies'

'Look bravely up into the sky
And be content with knowing
That God wished for a buttercup
Just here, where you are growing.'

Of Bluebells, and Boleyn......

We spent much of the Bank Holiday weekend at Kim's with Rosie and Vicki (and the added bonus of Ben home for some of the time to rehearse with his band).    The household was somewhat depleted as Martin and Max had gone off to France for a rugby tour, but it was lovely to spend more time with the others.

Kim took us all to the cinema to see 'How to Train your Dragon' which was great fun - we all had to wear funny specs. to view the 3D film - a really amazing experience.     We were served delicious meals, as always, and played several games of Uno with the teenagers - their great speed completely flummoxed us at times (we are more used to playing with their much younger cousins), but it was all greatly entertaining.

Sadly the weather was rather chilly, but we did manage to go for a lovely walk with Kim in the nearby woodland where the bluebells surrounded the trees with a sea of azure - the whole scene dancing into life when the sun deigned to come out from time to time.

I scarcely set foot back home again than I was off down the M4 and M25 to Bletchingly, Surrey, to do a sleepover with my old schoolfriend Christine.   We met up with another of our oldest friends for a day out at Hever Castle.     What a magical place!  The childhood home of Anne Boleyn (whose family name was Bullen, but having spent some of her early years at the French Court, she adopted their more attractive take on her surname) - it was acquired by the wealthy William Waldorf Astor at the beginning of last century, who used his considerable fortune to restore the Castle, and acquire a fabulous collection of Tudor furniture and paintings.   Henry V111 visited the castle when courting not only Anne, but also 'The Other Boleyn Girl' so that the whole place is full of fascinating history.     On top of all this there are truly gorgeous Italian Gardens, laid out between 1904 and 1908 to display Astor's extensive collection of Italian sculpture, and if all that were not enough there are both yew and water mazes (the latter a children's delight), an Adventure Playground, and a couple of really good places to eat.  
    

I can't recommend Hever enough - it left me with so many lasting memories, as diverse at the beautifully illuminated Book of Hours (Prayer Book) which Anne took with her to her execution and bears the poignant inscription 'Remember me', to Henry's outrageously exaggerated codpiece!

A SUPER SENIOR'S SEVENTY-SIXTH CELEBRATION.

We celebrated John's Birthday in high style recently when Sean  kindly allowed us the run of his Canary Wharf apartment for a couple of days.   We walked our feet off exploring that whole area, which used to be the old East (and West) India Docks.   Amazing to think that my mother's family all lived and worked around that district - then a really drab working class locality , and now so beautifully landscaped with breathtaking glass edifices which look magical as dusk falls and they glimmer in the sky.   We did however get chatting to an old Local who clearly regretted   'what they've done to my manor'  in that very London accent, as opposed to cockney, which took me straight back to my childhood.

The birthday boy takes a look around outside Sean's flat. (Spot the Dome across the water).               

 PoplarMarina (formerly East India Dock).

One meets some very strange city gents taking the air by the wine bars at the end of the working day!

Next day we bought Roamer tickets on the Thames Clippers and had a great time seeing London from the river for the first time.    We disembarked at Greenwich where we marvelled at the glorious Painted Hall, and the fantastic Chapel at the Royal Naval College, before exploring the wonders of the Maritime Museum, where the Nelson memorabilia (including the bullet-pierced coat from his final fatal battle together with gruesome bloodstained stockings) was particularly interesting.    In the late afternoon sunshine we strolled through Greenwich Park and climbed up to the Observatory, from where the views were just awesome -  in fact we could see the whole curve of the river forming the Isle of Dogs on which Canary Wharf proudly stands - though my camera wasn't quite up to showing it!

It was hugely exciting to actually travel UNDER Tower Bridge, and empathise with the poor devils who were brought to the Tower by way of the River entrance at Traitors' Gate.  After a long day we strolled back from the West Quay to the wonderful Waitrose opposite the  pointy-topped, light-flashing Canary Wharf  icon, where once again as the day before, John was able to choose everything for our evening meal (washed down with pink champagne from Sean).     John seemed to really enjoy my two-day birthday treat to him - especially the huge number of photo opportunities of which he took full advantage!

.... and his night-time picture of the superb sculpture outside the said p.t.l.f. icon.

A few days later I drove Nana over to Wales to spend a day with Kerry at her new home in Langland Bay.   The lovely spring weather continued to bless us, and Nana at 93 (and 3/4) astonished us by managing the steep walk down to (and up from!) the bay, and enjoying every minute of her trip to the seaside.   
      

SIMPLE PLEASURES.

I am thrilled to bits!  Whilst enjoying our meal the other evening I looked up to see three young calves huddled together in the paddock at the end of our garden.   They looked as if they had only just arrived, as they kept very close together whilst exploring their new surroundings.   We have sorely missed  'our' dear old Butch, so we're hoping these lovely young animals will be with us for a while, then we can watch them grow.

So far the very attractive youngsters have kept their distance,  but hopefully before too long they will come and commune with me outside my studio here.

Whilst I am about it, I must post a couple of photos I took at the weekend when I spent a most contented half hour sitting on the bench down by the old stone bridge here in the village.    Sadly my attempts with the camera don't really do justice to the beauty that was all around me - the blue skies, the sunshine, the clear water gurgling along, the birds singing their hearts out, and the golden daffodils and dandelions all around.  I felt such gratitude that in the autumn of our lives, we have found ourselves living in such fabulous surroundings.

Whilst I'm at it - here's the view from my studio where I'm sitting ......

........ and now I'm off to plant some nasturtium seeds ... giving Nature a helping hand.

O To be in England.....

I felt it was time we back home in England made a stand!    Such glorious pictures of sunshine in Sydney whilst we could only produce snow and overcoats.

Well, we might have to wait for it - but when spring comes, who would want to be anywhere else?  It is one of those fabulous days today when the sky is all-over blue, everywhere is lusciously green, and the sun is actually WARM!      I couldn't resist getting out in the garden with my trusty little camera, and taking a few photos to make the Ozzie contingent drool for a change.

Summer is a'comin in .........

***** CELEBRATIONS *****

What a super week we have just enjoyed! Our ‘middle’ daughter’s birthday, our 49th Wedding Anniversary, and Mothers’ Day. All celebrated in the glorious sunshine which has blessed us down here for days.

The birthday trip coincided with our first visit to Kerry’s new home near The Mumbles. She has a lovely flat with a view from her bay windown down to the sea shimmering below. Just a hundred yards down the road is a delightful sandy, rocky cove, and we were able to walk from there around Langland Bay and beyond. I had never imagined it would be so beautiful – in my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined anywhere more perfect for her. We can’t live other’s lives for them, so cannot know what problems might lurk in the future, but for now Kerry seems happy, and certainly enjoyed her birthday very much indeed, as did we!

Our Anniversary, a few days later, was spent at our favourite hidey-hole down near South Molton.   We played golf, we swam, we bubbled in the jacuzzi, we ate and drank too much fine food and wine, and revelled in having been upgraded to one of the Hotel's superior bedrooms.   Had anyone told me on our Wedding Day, that 49 years hence we would be fit enough to stride the Devon hills following a small white ball, and would still be taking great pleasure in each other's company, I surely would not have believed them.                                                                                                                                                      

Certainly all those years ago I couldn’t have imagined being the mother of five unbelievably wonderful adults, who send lovely cards and presents on Mothers’ Day …… and best of all, however far away, they get in touch so that on one special day I get to catch up with each of them. Truly, this is what life is all about.