Spring in the Dales

We've just returned from a week in the Yorkshire Dales. We arrived in sunshine, but no sooner had we stowed our bags than I looked out of the window to see snow falling! It didn't lie for long however, only leaving a dusting on the hill tops. But during the week we had a bit of everything. For several days we were in hill mist, unable to see the other side of the dale. The wind was cold and I wasn't tempted to do much gardening, only tidying up last years dried sticks and foliage. 

It  provided an excuse for a bonfire in the garth.

A pair of mallards were in the beck. 

I hope they are going to nest nearby.

 We did our regular circular walk on the moor top. 

How I love this landscape.

From the moors we dropped back down into the village.

Our neighbours across the way have sold their house and are moving into town.

They will surely miss their view!

We had a lovely, sociable time, a catch-up with friends, good food and a trip to Betty's for one of my favourite  Yorkshire specialities.

Delicious!

There was a heavy early morning frost on the day that we left,

traveling over the hill to see call in on my brother

before the miserable journey back to the West Country.

In London.

There are a lot of good things to see in London at the moment. Last week I went with a friend to a couple of exhibitions. We stayed overnight with one of my daughters who lives in central London. Her garden is the size of a pocket handkerchief and, though a nice space, provides little opportunity for picking flowers to bring into the house. She compensates for this with lovely shop-bought bouquets.

Roses to drool over.

And ranunculas that reminded me of the dresses we had seen at the Dior exhibition the previous evening. 

Our first visit was to the Bonnard exhibition at the Tate Modern. What a delight! So much to see that we took a break for lunch and then returned to the paintings for another look.

It made me think that I should paint in my garden as Bonnard did. But after digging, planting and weeding where would I find the time? Perhaps he had a gardener!

'ere tis!

Today's delivery - my tripod ladder! I'm delighted with it, its light enough to carry about with ease and absolutely stable. I should have bought one years ago. I bought the second size up. All three legs can extend and take me up higher than this, which will make it suitable for most jobs around the garden. There is a mass of work that I can do with it quite apart from thinning out the apple trees. I hope it isn't too late in the season for me to be pruning them as they are already starting to bud up.

The 'St Patrick's Day' daffodils were open on their name day.

Cold winds have given the camellias quite a bashing. I've done a lot of dead heading so that I can enjoy the flower heads that have not been too damaged.

The flowers don't last for long, but what a joy they are while they bloom.

Just look at the beauty of the unfolding bud.

This is 'Lavinia Maggi.'

Delicious!

Rare plant fair in Wells.

     
Yesterday we went to Wells to see what was on offer at the rare plant fair, held in the Bishop's Palace.
After days of rain and high winds it was a relief to see some sunshine. But the stalls were set out in the shadow of the palace walls where it was uncomfortably COLD.

I went into the palace building to get warm

and could look down on the fair from an upstairs window.

It was more comfortable to be out of the shadows, walking round the gardens and enjoying the spring sunshine.

The magnolia trees were putting on a wonderful display.

Too early in the year for anything of interest to be seen in the flower beds, but they were well manured and in immaculate order, all ready to swing into action.

What did I buy? I dithered for ages over a stall selling  old-fashioned roses. Then I discovered that the growers live not too far away so I plan to visit and make my choice at their nursery. Many of the stalls were selling plants that I wouldn't consider rare at all. I chose a couple of replacements for plants that I lost last year, nothing special, an erysimum from which I'll take cuttings, a pretty pink primrose and a rambling rose, Felicity Perpetue, to go over the arbour where my climbing Iceberg died. I've looked in my rose book since getting home and see that she's not very hardy, which is a bit of a disappointment.

I was behaving well, buying so little! Then I looked at the stall of Arthur & Strange  Ltd, 'passionate about topiary.' They had a tripod ladder on display - I've hankered after one of those for years. I went up. It was stable. It was expensive. I came back down. Study but light with three adjustable legs. Ooh, we could even put on it's rubber shoes and bring it inside for decorating!
Well, I've got the perfect reason for purchase - I'm no longer young and acrobatic and can't dangle at dangerous angles to trim hedges and prune the apple trees. Those days are over. This morning we wandered round the garden with a long stick trying to establish what size ladder would suit us best. 

In the afternoon I went on the Arthur & Strange website. The ladder is ordered.