Sunshine!

Bank holidays and sunshine don't always combine but this May day is behaving well, the weather is glorious. Locals advised us to avoid the beach, to go there either very early in the morning or in the evening when people are leaving or have already left. Can we call ourselves local now, after just a few months residency? Anyway, we did as advised and stayed in our own garden until the sun had disappeared behind the trees. We didn't pop round to the family either. Their paddling pool had been filled and I know what that means - we wouldn't have been dry for long, even if we didn't go in the water a water pistol would have got us! The dappled shade of our new garden seemed the perfect place to be. There are sufficient patches of sun for me to enjoy for most of the day. We had an enjoyable time just pootling. We've been eating outside for quite a few days now, something that I really enjoy. It is a sufficient novelty in our changeable climate. The wisteria flowers will soon be gone so I make no excuses for showing a few more photos of them.

We went to the beach when the sun had left the garden. It was still busy! After six in the evening people are allowed to light barbeques and as we walked along the shoreline we passed groups of people enjoying themselves, music playing, smoke wafting and the tasty smell of roasting meat. It was still pleasantly warm and a few people were swimming. One day soon I'm going to get in the water! For now we are content just to flop down on the sand and enjoy the holiday atmosphere.

Flowering now.

At last we are having some kind weather and we are out in the garden clearing and cutting back and enjoying the trees and plants as they spring into life. Lots of unkown pleasures to see as well as a few favourites. I had the lovely sambucus nigra in my last home and am pleased to have a healthy plant growing here, I'm just waiting for the flat pink flowers to bloom. The wisteria is a particular delight at the moment and there are wafts of perfume from it and from the honeysuckle and lilac elsewhere in the garden. Its a lovely time of year.

My garden in May

Everything is coming into leaf and flower and I walk up and down the narrow gravel paths to see what I am able to recognise. Much of the planting remains a mystery. There are plant labels but few offer any enlightenment as they have become detached from any growth! The bunting came down today and is drying out in the kitchen before being packed away until the next big bash, whatever that might be. Plants climb and ramble through arches, wet leaves drip above and around me, there is quite a bit of cutting back to be done. I'm not a tidy person, so I'm enjoying a space like this that teeters on the edge of chaos.

I'm seeing colour patterns emerge, bronze leaves and purple lilac linking up with the maples.

There is plenty of ground cover at the moment but I wonder how it will fare when the mature trees all around us are fully in leaf. It's all to discover!

Buckler's Hard

We met friends for lunch at Buckler's Hard in the New Forest. It is a quiet village on the banks of the Beaulieu River. In the eighteenth century it was a whole lot busier than today because it was then a ship-building village full of craftsmen and their families making warships for Nelson's navy. Three of the ships built here took part in the Battle of Trafalgar.

It was chilly, I didn't fancy swinging over cold water!