Spring in the garden.

We are experiencing low temperatures but there is enough sunshine to tempt me outside regardless. There are encouraging signs of growth throughout the garden, colourful hellebores and crocus already flowering and the leaves of the bulbs that i planted in the autumn pushing through the earth.

The narrow gravel paths stand out brightly at this time of year.

The temperature in the small conservatory fluctuates wildly, stone cold in the night and hot and clammy when the sun shines on it for a little time in the day. An automatic opener would be good! I've got a number of seed trays in there, not anything that requires constant heat. (Those seeds are cluttering up the kitchen.)

A clear night sky and it's going to be cold!

Kingston Lacy

The last day of half-term and the family wanted to do something together. In the morning the weather didn'tseem to be as bad as had been predicted so we decided to go to walk in the grounds of Kingston Lacy, our nearest National Trust property. We had suitable clothing and footwear for a walk in poor weather but by the time we had reached our destination the weather had turned from poor to bad so we abandoned the idea of a walk and looked round the house instead.

We had a peep at the rain-sodden garden from the windows and were happy to be inside.

The house had quite a different feel from previous visits made in bright sunshine. Today the light level was low and and the rooms were dimly and atmospherically lit by wall and table lights.The library, the oldest room in the house, which had escaped modernisation, looked especially inviting.

Here is a photo of the last member of the Bankes family to live in the house when it was a private residence, Henry John Ralph Bankes, 1902 - 1981. He left Kingston Lacy, it's contents and it's extensive grounds to the National Trust.

There were sufficient volunteers on this visit for the upper rooms to be open for viewing.

The house is crammed with paintings, many of them depicting family members. This charming portrait of a little girl was hanging on a wall outside the tented bedrooms.

After looking round the house we went for coffee and cake in the former stable block, passing the laundry en route. It would be a good place to hang soaking clothes after being in the garden on a day like today!

Saturday half-term

We had sun today, what a treat! We went down to the beach to make the most of it because wind and rain is on the cards for tomorrow. Half the town seemed to have had the same idea as us. It is the half-term holiday so there were lots of families with young children.

The sky was blue and the waves suitably exciting for the few that were jumping into them. I was content just to watch!

Spring?!!

There is plenty of colour popping up in the garden but it is hard to appreciate it while the weather is so wet and windy. I take a little wander between the downpours, in fair weather this is an enjoyable sring garden, the acid soil and the shade making happy growing conditions for a variety of early season plants.

The hellebores will hang their heads down. It's such a pity because it is difficult to see how lovely they are and they don't last long if I pick them to enjoy inside.

The camellias are taking a bit of a battering.

WE halved the height of a run of copper beech when we moved here and the result has been rather stumpy. I'm glad to see that they are now budding up well and should make a better shape this year when they come into leaf. (A visiting friend had said, 'dig 'em up!')

But the happiest plants at the moment are the ones, like me, that have a roof over their heads!

Hellebores

I'm concentrating on things that are small and beautiful

because the larger world seems such a troubled place just now.

It's Valentine's Day today. I wish you all love - and chocolate!

After the weekend

It's very quiet today.

Family were home with us at the weekend and the house was full of fun and laughter. Now they are back at work and school, the weather is cold and wet and we are readjusting to being just the two of us again. We had a lovely time at the weekend although on Saturday plans to be outside were scrapped because it was too grim; horizontal rain has few charms. We stayed in the warmth of the kitchen and played the sort of wet-weather games that my family used to play when I was a child. There was a fair bit of colouring in to be done as well! Everyone had a go.

Last month The Boy had made a friendship bracelet for Himself. It received much praise so the rest of us set to work to make one for ourselves.

A favourite game that we played (more than once!) was the one where you draw a head and neck, fold over your drawing to hide it from the next person who then adds the body,which again is folded and hidden. The next person adds the legs and finally the feet.

The results are ridiculous.

On Sunday, hurrah, we woke to dry weather and even some sunshine. Down to the beach for a walk and a scoot.

It was another round of games in the afternoon before going to the station in time to catch the London train.

Some rather battered hellebores from the garden.