TREATS!

April has not only brought us lots of lovely sunshine - though we gardeners, having grown flowers and vegetables from seeds, are becoming weary of the need to water all of them each evening, and can’t believe we find ourselves watching the weather forecasts daily in the hope of some mention of rain! - but has also brought us lots of lovely treats.

First there was a great couple of days down at our favourite ‘treat’ hotel – High Bullen near South Molton in Devon. It was my birthday treat for John and this time, as well as the delicious meals, swimming pool and cosy bedroom, we enjoyed a really jolly round of golf. We hired a buggy and John whizzed us up and down the hilly course with complete abandon – I don’t know which we enjoyed most, the golf or the ride!

The Birthday Boy

Looking over the golf course.

Our lovely High Bullen

We meandered homewards, coming across a lovely old train station which had been painstakingly restored by volunteers.   It turned out to be part of the old Lynton and Barnstaple Railway which is gradually being brought back into use couldn't resist taking a look round the station and the little exhibition in an old goods van, and ended up taking a short return journey.   Sadly for us, a diesel engine was in use that day, but at weekends a fabulous old steam engine pulls the carriages.    Still, we sat in splendour in the First Class Carriage, replete with velvet sofa-type seating, and much enjoyed our nostalgic journey.

The old waiting room

From inside the First Class Carriage

We found ourselves at Lynmouth by early evening, and whilst watching mad canoeists riding the boisterous incoming surf, suddenly spotted a group of people taking a heavy 'cage' down to the shore.   It turned out to be members of an animal rescue service who were releasing a young seal back into the sea - it was fun watching its antics, then it's little head popping up out of the sea further and further away till it disappeared completely. 

Kerry came home for a 5 day visit – the weather was hot and sunny the whole time, so she much enjoyed photographic trips to the National Trust’s Kings Wood (just off Shute Shelve under a mile from here), and along the river which flows through our village. She and John were so impressed by the swathes of bluebells and great expanses of wild garlic flowers covering the wood, that they insisted I too went along to see it next day. I have to say it was pretty fabulous – and just on our doorstep too.

We also fitted in a day over at my sister Ingrid’s, and an afternoon strolling along the prom at Burnham, enjoying ice creams.

Having been able to share Good Friday and gifts and cards with Kerry, we took her to catch her coach back home to Wales on Saturday afternoon. Then it was off to Jon and Sam’s in Bucks. on Easter Sunday. Sam has a burgeoning baby-bump now and looks really well as she’s swimming daily and keeping to a very careful diet.

We only stayed a few days but managed to fit in a game of golf (plus buggy) with Jon (whilst Sam swam at their nearby Fitness Club), did some baby-shopping, had a really good lunch sitting in the garden of a pub in Turville (such a beautiful and typically English little village), enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal on Easter Sunday evening, sunned ourselves on their balcony, and while John went off for a golf lesson booked by Jon, Sam took me for a luxury pedicure together in Gerrards Cross.

                              The churchyard at Turville, ancient cottages, and windmill on the skyline

However, the high spot of the visit was their Golden Present to us, which they had kept as a complete surprise. We went to Raymond Blanc’s Manoir aux Quatr’Saisons! We strolled in the lovely gardens beforehand, and then had champagne and the most unusual, but utterly delicious nibbles before sashaying into the dining room. There Jon ordered the 9-course ‘Tasting Menu’ – every course was OUT OF THIS WORLD, and truly a taste sensation. Though there were seemingly legions of charming French waiters, the service was never intrusive and always really efficient yet friendly. This was food taken to high art, and a fabulous experience. Conversation and laughter flowed the whole evening, and when we stepped out into the warm night afterwards, the garden now shimmering in soft lighting, we felt we had tasted paradise.

Thank you Jon and Sam for such a truly magical experience.



"...... now that April's here" (Part 2)

We have been been enjoying several days of really warm summer sunshine this past week (temperatures of 20deg. and above - which is amazing considering it is early April), so today we have been doing a bit of work in the garden.    The lawns are all beautifully mown, and edged, and the flower beds generally titivated, dead winter detritus has been cut back, and the garden looks just lovely (..... and we are both sunburnt!).

I just HAD to go round with my camera to capture some of the blooms which are filling the garden with colour right now, and here are the results........

... and Kim, this shrub is blooming from the cutting I took from your garden....

Of course we all know how capricious our climate is in this country, so we fully expect a snowstorm in May!    Meanwhile however, we are making the most of this barbecue weather in April.

" .......... now that April's here."

Spring has arrived in abundance down here in Somerset, and most exciting of all has been the arrival of six sheep and sixteen  lambs in the paddock alongside our garden.    Nothing could lift the spirits more than the sight of these sweet little creatures having such fun in their new surroundings.   The best time is at the end of the day, just before dusk, when it seems as if the mother sheep send the little ones off to use up their energy before bedtime (just as we used to do!).    All sixteen babes group together and then set off alongside the fence at a mad dash, stop, turn round, and all race back again   Meantime, the Mums take advantage of a bit of peace and quiet, and happily chew the cud, looking up from time to time just to keep an eye on their energetic offspring.

The funniest thing was to see the two Exmoor ponies' reaction to their new lodgers.    They watched them quietly feeding with much interest, but when the young lambs set off on one of their scampers, the two of them joined in with enthusiasm, and we held our breath, expecting some of lambs to be trodden underfoot, but all seem to have survived.

For the ponies, Scrumpy and Dragonfly, the coming of the warmer weather has signalled the time to get rid of their warm winter coats, which have served them well through snow and ice.    To do this they have both spent long sessions rubbing themselves against the wire fencing beside the rhyne, which must have been a very pleasurable semsation for them, judging by the look on their faces!  

They say that Nature wastes nothing, and as soon as bits of the ponies' fluffy coats get left on the fence, or on the grass below, birds dive down to gather up the cosy material to line their springtime nests.   Recycling at its best!   Though there is another recycling project going on between paddock and our garden too - the young lady who owns Dragonfly often comes to visit him, and always spends time gathering up quantities of the manure left by him and deposits it over the fence for us.    John has been busy spreading it around the garden during the past couple of months, so we hope for a really good crop of veggies and flowers this summer!

Best Mates .......  and great neighbours!

What We Two Love Best about Living Here.

John and I were fascinated to read Jenny’s list of what she loves about Australia (and the things she misses),   and then found ourselves delighted by Kim’s list of what she loves about living in Britain.

 It got us both thinking really seriously about why we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else but HERE, and we decided to chip in with our own blog on the subject..   However, between us we came up with a list that was SO long- and getting longer all the time -  that we decided it was an utterly impossible task.

Still an’ all, at the end of the day, all things considered, in the final analysis, etc. etc.. we reckoned it all came down to one thing ……. 

We wouldn’t want to live anywhere else because (almost) all the people we love best in the whole world  are here. Aaaahhhhhhh

Postscript to a Golden Celebration.

John has now downloaded the photos he took over our truly magical Golden Weekend.  There is nothing really I can add to what has been said before about the trouble that all the family went to to make it such a memorable occasion for us - but I thought a few of our own pictures would complete the record of a very special time for us.

Max was so busy being Photographer in Chief that he missed out being 'taken' himself - so to put that right - here he is at the beginning when we had just arrived and champagne was being dispensed.

Here is Jonathan thinking up dastardly questions for the 'Mr. & Mrs.' session....

..and our Hostess delightfully 'done up' in gold.....

While her sister adjusted her camera .....

By the time Sean arrived so unexpectedly that evening, dear Max had taken a well earned rest,  but John managed to capture Sean for the record .....

(It looks as if we spent all our time in the kitchen, which of course we didn't - the Celebration Lunch being served in the spacious conservatory/dining room - but Kim's pictures have covered that.)

Here we are next morning - after the Lord Mayor's Show - though we did progress from just orange juice to the full English, which Martin effortlessly produced (well, it looked effortless!)

We LOVED the banner that Max and Vicki had so cleverly made, so this is a great picture ...

Here we are, about to do a Knees Up ....

And before we left for home they merrily bedecked our car with as many of the balloons and decorations as they could! ....

.... and I think this picture really sums up the spirit of the occasion ......

HUGELY grateful thanks to all of you - We love you all so much xxxxx
(including the much-missed family in Oz, who not only sent superb hand-crafted cards, little 'models' of the bride and groom (he complete with beard), a lovely wall hanging,and a silver heart charm for my bracelet, but also the promise of a return air-fare to visit them (we shall fight over who has it.... tee... hee..! )  THANK YOU LOTS. xx)

French Fragments from a 'Golden' Honeymoon.

Kim has done a wonderfully comprehensive Blog about the truly fabulous time she and the family gave us over the weekend of our Golden Wedding.    John took all our pictures, and hasn't yet downloaded them from his camera, so I am going to put the 'cart before the horse' and give a flavour of our sojourn in France which followed straight on from the 3-day celebrations, and hope to write up the rest later.

Kim and Martin very kindly loaned us their lovely French farmhouse, La Dancrerie, which is a real 'home from home' - enormously large for just two people, yet so comfortably furnished and welcoming that we really cosied up there, with glowing log fires in the evenings and the most comfortable of beds.  We couldn't have visited at a better time for all around the house spring flowers were out in abundance.   It is such a pity that Kim and the family were not there to see their jardin francais en printemps, so I here are a few pictures to give a flavour ......

Although it was only March, the weather was surprisingly good and we were out and about the whole time.   John was in his element, clicking his camera merrily and taking 'artistic' shots like this one...

I thought I'd give it a try, and attempted to capture the incoming tide at close quarters..... but I don't think I've quite got the knack!

However, I did enjoy studying the artwork of others....

Everywhere we went there seemed to be Mimosa in blossom - something I don't think I've ever seen in England .....

Here we are at Barneville, and you can just about make out the gold tinsel on the trailer hook, and the gold bow on the door handle - when we left Harewood House after the celebrations Golden Wedding Balloons, tinsel, and banners were draped around the car.   We took a bunch of the balloons with us on the ferry to Cherbourg, and got lots of comments and smiles from officials and passengers - and have left them fixed in the salon at La Dancrerie for others to enjoy.
(We decided not, after all, to buy this house delightfully situated on the plage.)

And here are two of our favourite places  -  Carteret where we had coffee (as we do on every visit) at the swanky hotel lit up in the background)....

....... and lovely, lovely Portbail, just a short trip from the farmhouse.....

The sunshine even accompanied us home (quite surprisingly for the time of year, as the sun got warmer we were even able to leave our coats off on our jaunts along the coast)  Here we are passing the Needles off the Isle of Wight - I was surprised how well this picture came out considering it was taken through the lounge-window on the Barfleur.

It was a superb holiday - we ate FAR too much delicious French bread and cheese, and consumed far more French vin and cidre than was good for us, but what a great time we had!    Thank you dearest Lampards for making this all possible (and if the Lampards Snr. read this, then thank you too for a really tasty lunch, and fun company chez 'Freddie's').

Let's hope it's 'au revoir', and not 'goodbye' .