Drum roll

Ever since we've known Steve he's been a drummer, his fingers moving on the chair arm as we sit and chat, on the table at suppertime, or, failing all else, tapping out a rhythm on his knee. But now he's joined a band (and it's given him a good excuse to go out and buy a better drum kit!) Although our children are musical and have sometimes played with Steve I don't play an instrument and am incapable of holding a tune. All that's left for me to be is a groupie. Okay, I can do that!
The band was invited to play on a Sunday afternoon at a pub on Portishead Quay and Himself and I went along to stomp our feet and make encouraging audience responses. It was a lovely day and plenty of people were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine.

We, however, were inside.

1. 2. 3...

blow that thing!

This little girl was most appreciative.

She couldn't stop dancing.

Phew, but it's rather hard work!

The band made a great sound and it was a lot of fun. When they had packed up their kit we all went back to one of the band members homes for supper. (Steve didn't rap  on the table, he'd done his bit for the day!) We sat and ate in the garden overlooking the estuary.

It's a magical place.

The tide was out and the sun was warm.

A perfect evening.

Aaah, what a lovely time we had!

Thank you so much musicians and hostess.

Bolton Hall garden

When we were in Yorkshire I noticed this sign for an open garden day. I hadn't been to Bolton Hall for over forty years. On that occasion there had been an auction sale of unwanted household goods, what Americans would describe as a 'yard sale'. Some yard! I well remember what we bought; three Victorian chairs, all of them riddled with woodworm and a child's playpen. Our first child was at the crawling stage and we were delighted to bid for, and get, the enormous Victorian playpen. And enormous it was, it took up nearly all the space in the living room of our home. It was designed for the nursery of a far greater house than ours! One of the chairs was beyond saving but the remaining two, a small button-back rocker and a ladies' fireside chair, treated and reupholstered, are still going strong.

The Hall is imposing. Lord Bolton had been walking his dogs and was putting them into the house before people arrived.

The gardens have 'good bones', a strong structure of terraces leading you upwards to enjoy the lovely setting.

I would have loved to have seen any old photos of the garden in it's heyday. This upper terrace obviously had a hard pathway and deep border at some point

and the wall would have been heated to aid the production of fruit from the trees trained along it's length.

The Edwardian rock garden has been newly restored. It lies beyond the formal gardens in a dip of land.

It's a good place to sit out of the wind and catch a bit of sun. 

A small stream runs through the rock garden

with stepping stones

and a cupid who has lost his bow and arrow.

Just the sort of outing I enjoy!

Rainbows in the Yorkshire Dales

I was away from home for much of May and experienced fair weather and foul. After heavy downpours great arcs of rainbows appeared in the sky.

Every time I looked, another rainbow!

For Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday

It's been a pleasure to skywatch this week, the weather has been dry and bright, there's blossom everywhere, large magnolia trees in front gardens as I drive into town and plum blossom in the neighbours' orchard.

I told you that the primroses were everywhere, can you see them in the vegetable garden path?

And in the row of chives along with some violets. Those violets are TOUGH, they've spread all over the lawn!

I have a four bed rotation system in the veg garden.

That makes me sound wonderfully organised, but it's not really the case. Some of the overwintering crops are still productive and while I could do with their ground I shall have to wait. Then in summer I pop things in where spaces occur and the whole scheme starts to fall apart.
One thing that did completely fall apart was our old fruit cage. I neglected to take off the roof netting a few years ago and a heavy snowfall made the whole structure collapse. Now the bits of metal and  old netting come in handy for keeping the pigeons away from the crops. Not a pretty sight but effective.

I love white in the garden

but I'm not averse to pink when it's as pretty as this!

Himself is an optimist. He put up a deckchair on the lawn. He didn't sit in it for long - there's still a chill wind blowing!