A Day Out

Living in the county town of Staffordshire we have the benefit of living just a few miles away from the County Showground, so when there is an event that we wish to attend the travel is easy.

Recently the National Shire Horse Show took place over three days.  We attended the middle day when the classes were stallions and geldings.  Over the course of the day there were classes for different ages, as well as a competition for horse drawn farm machinery and for horse drawn trade carts, as well as the opportunity to visit the stables and get closer to the horses.

For every class the horses would parade around the ring, then individually walk and trot under the scrutiny of the judges before winners were announced and rosettes awarded.  The horses had to line up in order of their placements in order to be awarded their rosettes.

The final line up

.... and the winner is

The judges walked down the lines, awarding the rosettes.

 












The horses looked impressive, but the male judges wearing their bowler hats  made quite an impression too!









 There were were also classes for horse drawn farm implements and horse drawn trade carts. No effort was spared in preparation, the farm implements were in pristine condition  and for part of the competition they had to be shown in use.The trade carts looked like new.
















                                                                                                           
The best part of the show was being able to go backstage and see the horses in their stables.

This is where you get a real sense of the size of a shire horse.

This horse has to go back in the ring for the final parade of champions.  To make sure he doesn't need to be groomed again he is wearing a covering so that if he does decide to roll in his sawdust bedding, he won't pick up too many shavings and will look good when he goes back to the ring.

He reminded us of Spiderman.

Spring came early this year

There has been a yellow weather warning for the whole of the county for the past few days.  It is cold, the wind is gusting at gale force and the spells of rain are torrential.  Fortunately we have not been as badly affected as other parts of the country, but the local river has covered its flood plain and looks more like a lake than a river.  We are hoping for a return to the mild spring weather we experienced for most of February.

From early in  February the spring flowers in the garden were in bloom.  We had snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and miniature irises making colourful displays.  Even the hyacinths, usually not out until late April and May, were beginning  to show their colours.

The twisted hazel, a Mother's Day present many years ago, had a splendid display of catkins and looked good against the pale blue of the sky.  It is now as tall as it will grow, about eight feet, and just the right size for our garden.  Planted next to it is an ordinary hazel tree but it is far too big for the garden so we coppiced it last year and in seven years time, we will be able to harvest the slender stems that are growing from the base and they will become garden canes.  Then the seven year cycle will start again.  I have been reading about the process of coppicing and it lengthens the life span of the tree to several hundred years.  I don't think I shall see many harvests.

Towards the end of February, on a dry and sunny weekend, B and I visited a stately home called Attingham Park, and run by the National Trust.  It has extensive grounds and woodland and a herd of about three hundred Fallow Deer.  We strolled through the woodland,  admiring the snowdrops which have naturalised there, and though the car parks were very busy when we arrived, there is so much space that it didn't feel at all crowded.

Snowdrops thrive in the damp and shady woodland conditions.

Later, we went to see the deer being fed. In the Winter and early Spring the deer are given supplementary food, sugar beet we think, which is taken out to the deer park everyday at the same time.  As soon as the truck arrived, the deer which had been in the far distance started to move to the feeding area, the males first, then the females and lastly the youngsters.  Within a few minutes there were more deer than you could count and they readily started on the food.  They were no more than about six yards from the path, but they seemed not to be bothered by the spectators.  We stood quiet and still, so as not to disturb them.  It was a good opportunity to get photographs of them while they were standing still and eating.  The problem was they had their faces near the ground and so it was not easy to get a good shot of their faces and horns.  but patience paid off and I managed to get just one photo were the deer seemed to be looking at the camera.

Nice memories of earlier in the year - we are hopeful that Spring will return again soon.

What a start to the New Year

I think the last day of January can just about qualify as New Year 2019.

2018 seemed to end well - I needed surgery a couple of days before Christmas (It has been successful), and spent Christmas relaxing and being waited on by the rest of the family - the turkey is still in the freezer waiting for its chance to be centre stage.

The weather was mild and the the garden was still producing flowers. The Chrysanthemums in the containers by the front door gave a colourful display throughout December, but the colder weather that has arrived with 2019 has finished them off - we are hoping to move them to a sheltered spot so that they can survive and be ready for later in the year.

January has been very quiet so far.  With rest being the doctor's orders I have been catching up with reading and watching daytime television!  I managed to catch a cold and it has taken me a fortnight to shrug it off.  I didn't go out socially because I didn't want to spread the germs so I've missed out on two concerts, and F had to celebrate Burn's Night  without me.  That would have been my first ever Burn's night - maybe next year.

Today has been the coldest day of the year so far in the Midlands.  We woke up to a frosty garden - it looked so pretty, but the Spring flowers that have made an early start now have a battle to survive if this cold spell persists.

I am looking forward to February and being able to drive again.

A day out

The last Saturday in September was like a summer's day and it was the day F and I went on a coach tour to Bristol.  The tour had been organised through  REBOPS, a group of amateur actors associated with the local Methodist circuit, and the purpose was to visit places associated with John Wesley, who established Methodism in the UK during the eighteenth century.
 
The first stop was at the riverside village of Pill, situated on the southern bank of the River Avon in Somerset, and close to Bristol.





This was the first point of embarkation on the journey to the US where Methodist missionaries set off in small rowing boats to be taken to the transatlantic vessels moored in Bristol, which that would cross them to the US.



















Francis Asbury was recognised for the work he did in spreading Methodism across the US and a statue was erected in memory of him in Washington DC.  I wonder if it is still there?  I didn't realise that he had  had such an influence in the US - I didn't spot the statue when I visited Washington DC, but then I wasn't expecting to see such a statue.

Although John Wesley spent a little time in the US his main missionary work was in the UK.

We travelled on to Bristol Town Centre where we visited John Wesley's 'New Room', - a meeting room where he preached and the oldest Methodist church in the UK.   The building having survived the bombing raids that took place over Bristol during WWII, it has been transformed into a museum as well as a place of worship and a tourist attraction.

This statue of John Wesley on horseback, is in the forecourt of the site.  John Wesley travelled around the UK on horseback, usually reading a book, while his horse picked the safest route to their destination, I expect the horse did get some guidance from the rider!

As Methodism expanded its influence it aroused hostility from the established churches and much was done to malign the reputation of the newly growing denomination.  There were hostile mobs and unflattering posters to intimidate the new church.
 
 

 Frightening though it must have been to be on the receiving end of such treatment it was not successful in its campaign to destroy the growing influence.

 

I think that the eighteenth century principles that John Wesley voiced  300 years ago, seem remarkably modern.











It was an enjoyable day out and with so much to see we feel we need another visit to take it all in.

A Year of Garden Giants

It's been a funny year weatherwise for gardening.  Some plants have thrived in the changeable conditions and others have struggled to survive or even given up. Of course, I haven't photographed the failures.

Early in the year B was given a lettuce to transplant in to the garden.  It grew steadily to begin with then it bolted and ended up growing as tall as the apricot tree. (Its the tall thin stems with blue flowers from near the ground to the top of the tree)  It eventually flowered and has produced hundreds of flowers over the season.  The flowers are open early in the morning but by dinnertime they have shrivelled away, only to be succeeded the following day by more flowers.  We have had lettuce flowers for at least two months, and only now do they seem to be finishing.

They are so pretty (in my opinion) and in trying to identify exactly what we have nurtured I have found Florida Lettuce - Wikipedia; B thinks they are chicory; and I have a photograph of a low growing wild flower that was at the edge of the car park at a motorway service station on our journey from Washington DC to Ohio in 2008 - the flower heads look identical.  If we do get seeds from it, we shall plant again next year and enjoy it for the flowers, or possibly lettuce.

 

 By July, the self- seeded sunflowers were at their tallest.  We think this one reached ten feet.

As the seeds develop the flower heads get top heavy and tilt their heads downwards.  If the seeds dry well, and we can keep the garden mice from finding them, the birds will have plenty to eat later this year.

Another giant this year was a parsnip.  A few parsnips seeded themselves amongst the runner beans.  One plant bolted and grew as tall as the beans, about seven feet tall.  It looked a lot like giant hogweed but it was definitely parsnip.  It had dozens of flower heads and thousands of seeds.  The beans growing at that end of the row didn't produce as good a crop as plants further along the row - no photograph gave a clear picture of the plant as it tangled its way through bean poles and bean plants.

Resolution for next year - weed more effectively.

What weather!

The spring weather has been so mixed.   A few days of heatwave with Mediterranean temperatures, followed by cold spells that had me finding out the winter clothes that I had foolishly packed away.  Then spells of rain so torrential that the garden resembled a quagmire.  It's no wonder the plants are confused.

But taking advantage when the weather was warm and dry, we visited a National Trust Property, Attingham Park, a couple of weeks ago.

The Mansion

One of the views of the surrounding countryside - the Wrekin, a distant hill is a famous landmark in the region.

 

We enjoyed a guided tour of the organic walled garden, and spoke with some visiting bee keepers.



 We sampled an afternoon tea in Lady Berwick's tea room.

We had a leisurely stroll through the deer park, and the woodland way.

Perhaps we should have stayed at home and gardened. The poor weather has returned, and we need some dry weather so that we can finish cutting the lawns at home.

How to celebrate Mothering Sunday

It was Mothering Sunday (UK) on the eleventh of March.  When I got up I opened the bedroom curtains to see what the weather was like and to see whether any garden birds were on the bird feeders.

What a surprise - it is the first time I have had a mother's day greeting made out of pebbles!

B. had been out in the garden from early on to create this message and to put the two planters in place.  I went out in the garden to take a closer look.

B. had taken advantage of when I was not around during the week to plant up the two large pots with the plants she had selected for these arrangements.  She worked on the principle of 'Thrill, Fill and Spill', an idea she had seen on a gardening programme. Over the next few weeks, the plants at the rear should grow taller (Thrill), the ivy at the front should grow over the edge (Spill) and the various flowers are planted so closely that the compost is hardly visible (Fill).









The happy gardener - I never noticed the many plants, that were disguised by horticultural fleece, and placed around the edges of the garden.





 After breakfast we planned out the rest of the day.  Should we go out and join the crowds of mothers and their families celebrating the day or should we stay at home and garden together?  The choice was mine.
So we stayed in for the day, the weather was dry and quite mild in comparison to what it has been in the past month; it would be a shame not to take advantage.

If you look carefully, with a magnifying glass, at the first photo you will see that the main veg patch is full of weeds and behind it is the frame around the strawberry patch,which is full of weeds, grass and strawberry plants that are too old to produce good crops.  So that is were we started.
While B. cleared the veg patch ready for this years crops, I dismantled the cage round the strawberry patch and cleaned up the mesh panels, ready to store away.  Then B and I cleared out the old strawberry plants and weeds, saving any new strawberry plants (from runners) ready to replant in another part of the garden.

The veg patch and strawberry patch were given a new layer of compost, then B. lifted three blackcurrant bushes and one goji berry shrub, out of the veg patch and  replanted them into the old strawberry patch, now renamed the soft fruit patch.  This was given a layer of tree bark to help discourage cats from using our newly turned soil at their convenience.

This part of the  garden was transformed and it was getting too late to start any more jobs in the garden so we tidied away all the tools we had used.  The birds had not been discouraged by our presence and visited the areas where we had disturbed the soil, looking for a tasty morsel, or visiting the bird feeders.

A long-tailed tit

When we at last got back into the house B. cooked a roast dinner, so we had our own celebration meal with wine, which was another part of my Mother's day treat.

For me - it was a perfect way to spend the day - thank you B.

1,2,3,4,5,.........

February has come and gone - how did we fill 28 days and find no time to post?

1. We visited Biddulph Grange (cheat - last day in January) to go for a snowdrop walk.  We did find a few snowdrops, but the weather was unkind and it started to snow shortly after we arrived.  We shall be going for another snowdrop walk, weather permitting, in a few days time and hope to see a carpet of snowdrops.

2. On the Sunday  nearest to A's birthday we put flowers in church as a celebration of his birth.  One vase is placed near the altar, one vase is placed in the entrance and another vase is placed in a front window so that they can be seen as people approach church. (We do the same when it is B's birthday).  At the end of the day the flowers are distributed to members of the congregation who are ill or unable to attend services due to age and infirmity.

3. On the day of A's birthday we put a candle and a vase of flowers by his photograph.  The candle is kept lit for 24 hours. F and B take a day off work and we go for a meal and then a walk.  This year we took a walk by Blithfield Reservoir, near Abbots Bromley.  The water levels were higher than usual because we have had more than the usual amount of rainfall for the last couple of months.  It was muddy underfoot and the sky was overcast so we did not walk for as long as usual.

4. Beth has adopted a new budgie, a rescue budgie from the RSPCA. It was found in Manchester   but transferred to the wildlife hospital where B did a year's work experience as part of her University work. Bruce was the last surviving of B's budgies, all rescue birds, and it seemed he was in need for the company.  So Barney has come to join him - and his cage full of mirrors and bird toys.  So far, they seem to have taken to each other.

Bruce is blue and Barney is green and quite young

B was also asked if she could release a hedgehog into our garden as it was fit for going back into the wild.  Our garden has an area at the back that is left to itself and provides good cover for the garden wildlife.  Our garden connects with our neighbours' gardens so there is plenty of room to roam.  B found out her hedgehog box, filled it with straw and put it down at the back of the garden, with food and water left nearby.



The following day, it seemed as though the hedgehog had stayed in the box overnight and the food had not been touched.  When B took the lid off the box, there was no hedgehog to be seen.  She had obviously gone on walkabout and perhaps found another hedgehog or a place more to her liking.




5. F and I got to concerts at Keele University.  We  travel about twenty miles to the venue and occasionally have a meal before the concert.  In January, we listened to the K'Antu ensemble who held their performance at the New Vic theatre a few miles from Keele. Their performance  consisted of early music from Europe and around the world and extracts of their music can be found on YouTube.  We preceded the performance by eating in the theatre restaurant - an extravagance, but enjoyable.
We have been to two more concerts at the University so far in February, Kabantu playing a mixture of folk, jazz and classical from around the world, again excerpts of their performances are on YouTube; and the  National Youth Jazz Orchestra, this links to a performance on YouTube.  They may be youthful, but they are very talented performers.
Tonight, F and I are going to a performance by the Fitzroy Quartet, Chamber music, so it will be in complete contrast to the concerts we have attended this year.  All we need is for the weather to remain kind tonight - the country is being ravaged by weather from Siberia.  We are just not used to coping with these sort of fierce conditions in the UK

A little light entertainment

Our church has a newly formed committee to organise social events.  They have certainly started well.

On Saturday evening F and I went along to a film evening.  For two pounds per ticket (a little less than 3 US dollars) we were given a bag of popcorn or sweets at the beginning of the film, and during the interval we had tea or coffee if we wanted, and we could buy a tub of ice cream.  Then there was the choice of film - The General starring Buster Keaton, originally screened in 1926.

Watching a silent film was a new experience for me.  A new musical score had been added to the film, so we didn't need a musician to accompany the action.  The action was non stop and stunts very cleverly executed.  I don't know the budget for this particular film, and without the sort of special effects that today's filmmakers use , the cost would have been negligible by comparison. To me, the entertainment value was priceless.

Since then, I have checked YouTube and found lots more films and excerpts, starring BK.  If you want to relax with a different sort of film, I can recommend this particular film star and there are lots of other such films to choose from on YouTube

The North Wind doth blow ....

Winter and the snow has arrived - well at least for a few days.  The UK Midlands has been as cold as the North of Scotland while the surrounding areas have been at least a couple of degrees warmer.  So we have turned up the heating as well as wearing extra layers.

After a night of snowfall, we woke to find the garden transformed into a winter wonderland - well that is the most snow we've seen for a while.



While most plants were flattened the Quake Grass was able to take the weight of the snow, in spite of its fragile appearance.

 B made the most of the opportunity and built a mini snowman - I don't think she feels the cold.

 


And of course we make sure to feed the birds.  As well as the sunflower seeds, sprinkles, bird seeds and suet blocks, they get to feast on the cooking apples that we have grown.   The freezer is loaded with Bramley cooking apples and  friends and neighbours have been supplied, so the birds make good use of the surplus, when the conditions turn wintry.


The usual small garden birds and blackbird population were joined by  winter visitors from Scandinavia - Fieldfares.  This photograph is hazy because we were inside, taking the pictures through the kitchen windows.

And of course, today it has rained so most of the snow has disappeared!  But we shall still put out food for the birds, because it is still very cold.

Making the most of the weather

The weather has settled down and we are enjoying a spell of dry, bright, 'very' cold weather.  Combining this with B's work shift this week, she completes her shift by noon or a little later, we decided we would take advantage of the weather and go for some winter walks.

On Wednesday, B and I visited  Shugborough  a stately home about four miles from our home, and run by the National Trust.  Because we are members of the NT, we get free admission to the hundreds of sites they are responsible for in the UK  (The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is another site in their care.)  We decided to enjoy a meal at the cafe before we went for a walk.  We chose to look at the Formal Gardens, designed centuries ago and neatly manicured in comparison to the rest of the grounds.  With the Sun coming from behind the clouds as the afternoon progressed, it was ideal for getting photographs of the Autumn colours.



A Bridge over the lake which was created to be viewed from the House





Another view of the 'lake' overlooking the parklands, many of the trees still with their Autumn colours.








On Thursday, B and I chose a different type of environment, two different wildlife sites. 

First we travelled to Doxey Marshes, a site managed by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, sandwiched between a large housing estate and the M6 motorway.  The only reason it has remained free of building developments is the nature of the land - it would be tremendously expensive to drain, and not very attractive for residential development so its safe for the flora and fauna for the moment.
In spite of the noise of the traffic, it attracts a large number of wetland birds. 

 
    A grey heron waiting patiently to catch its dinner.













                                          Swans , hoping we had some food for them!

B and I then travelled to another wetland site, Aqualate Mere, cared for by Natural England.
A large shallow lake, about one mile long and averaging 3 to 4 foot deep, it is surrounded by reed beds and natural woodland and attracts large numbers of birds and mammals. We particularly wanted to see a Starling Murmuration, so we timed our visit just before sunset. In the Autumn and Winter, tens of thousands of starlings accumulate and put on a spectacular aerial display as they look for a roosting place among the reed beds.

I took still photos so it's hard to imagine the fluidity of the movement of the great mass of starlings.  B took a video using her Smartphone.  We are planning to visit again next week, and this time I intend to take a different camera and hopefully sort out how to take a video.