The sun setting by the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire... A summer green scene in Warwickshire... A couple of new arrivals on the River Avon... A 100 tonne Portland stone boulder at Compton Verney (an 18th-century country mansion housing enormous amounts of art work)... An unusual twist on the practice of yoga... A sculpture in … Continue reading My top 10 photos from May…

When the car moved this morning, it was 10:30 AM, 15°C, and blue sky was beginning to emerge; a couple of dogs being walked up an avenue with lots of puddles looking miserable made us wonder about wellies that could be worn by dogs (these two looked like Poodles cross Chihuahuas); Asdas petrol and diesel … Continue reading Food and feasting down by the river…

Uncle reversed into the driveway at 12:05 PM - and we were hugged and presented with flowers and biscuits. I - due to the hens being inquired about - took him down to the end of the garden, where the chicken (currently the only one we've got) called Willow was upstairs in the hen house... … Continue reading A return to Brandon Marsh with Uncle…

Making a run for it... (a local half marathon heading through the park) A bright red tulip I spotted nearby... Lots and lots of daffodils (with a stormy sky approaching)... A robin I spotted - who'd foraged and found a worm... The lake overflowing at Charlecote park... Walloping leaves with a wooden mallet... ...while at … Continue reading My favourite photos from April…

It was 9°C at 10.18am – when we got in the car and made our way to Stratford upon Avon on the 460th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birthday (he was born in April 1564 – no-one’s quite sure of the exact date), a bit of sun was out, a horse was trotting up the pavement, a … Continue reading Enlightenment on Shakespeare in Stratford Upon Avon…

Soot the 20 year old cat was munching his elevenses when we put our shoes on, and set off for the Bidford Teashops & Taverns walk at 11.37am; there was a lot of sun everywhere, dandelions on the verges, and a reasonable number of people in the town. There was a massive ferris-wheel by the … Continue reading This old battered book leads the way…

A giant head watching us...(in The Lost Gardens of Heligan: http://www.heligan.com) Pawprints in the sand... Drama in the hotel dining room... Seaweed going gooey on the beach... An ancient recipe book at Charlecote Park... Try this one! Something I spotted in a tree... Sunset over the cliffs... A spring scene in a local field... And … Continue reading My favourite photos of March…

I went to a woodcarving course in Buckinghamshire, and the seahorse I began carving there reminded me of the random visit we made on our return home via the M20 and M25: My mother’s description of the motorway traffic we got bunged up in on our way was that to go 3 miles in 2 … Continue reading Discoveries amongst the foliage…

Our trip begining with sun shining on a Cornish beach... Finding our way round The Lost Gardens of Heligan (https://www.heligan.com)... A brightly blossoming rhodedendron there... A small hill found there - with eyes, ears, hair and a nose... ... and a scarecrow keeping guard of The Lost Gardens vegetable patch... One of the stranger things … Continue reading Photo highlights from a few days in Cornwall…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday - and the origins of pancake races: On Pancake Day, "pancake races" are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated in 1445 when a housewife from Olney, Buckinghamshire, was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing … Continue reading The tradition of Pancake Day…