Withy Brook

Summer Holidays 2011

2011-10-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Summer Holiday

We crossed the North Sea from Hull to Zeebruger in a gale, but we slept through it! We drove to Giverny and where we had reserved a room in the only Hotel. It was only s few mintutes walk from Montet's garden.

Next morning we walked along to see the magiic place.

After walking through the house and admiring the strong colours that Money had used,, we walked through the garden's in front of the house.. They are laid out in strips, with a path down the centre of each strip and organised colour bordering it. Being early autumn, there were many dahlias and other autumn flowerers. Not easy to photograph. The path in front of the above picture was lined on either side by nasturtiums - quite a sight. - as they had spread right across and nearly joined in the middle of the path. It must look very different in May - the most popular time to visit - but they get several thousand a day then, so I would rather visit when we went.

After walking up an down the paths that you are allowed to use, we went into the tunnel under the main road and come out in the water garden.

This was magic. A different world. The garden that Monet had made. There were masses of weeping willows, now mature, and all the water, with water lilies in it. The Japanese bridges, painted green. The feeling of great peace, despite all the visitors,

We wandered round at our leisure, and in the afternoon, while G was resting, I returned and went round again. It is a magic place. Peaceful and beautiful. You are not too aware of the other people, though I fear that if you go in May, it might be far too full.

Back in the house garden, we found the naked ladies.

Next day we went on to Chenonceaux. It will follow when I get round to adding it!!

My garden, pictures taken on 2nd Sept.

2010-09-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Not a lot to see this September, but I took a few pictures.

First we have this years picture of the lilies from which my avatar came.

A couple of years ago I scattered some poppy seed from a friend in the lily bed. This year these lovely double red offspring appeared in the cleared bed by the arbour

The herbaceous border looks thoroughly over grown and lacking in colour.

The bed with the lilies, seen from a different direction. The Smoke bush is really misty this year - it has not flowered like this before.
Lastly we have the current view from the arbour, where I sit when ever I can find an excuse and often when I can't

A Welsh Birthday

2010-09-06T13:38:00.001-07:00

I recently had a magic 4 day 80th birthday.

The day itself was spent travelling from Chester to Brecon and a magic self-catering barn conversion. We took our time and it was a lovely drive.

Shortly after we got there A, V, C and M plus a grandson and his friend arrived. It was a pleasant surprise when my eldest brother and wife turned up, bringing "the friend's" grandmother who was to stay with us - a brilliant surprise for her as she did not know that H was to be there.

The next day was my niece's wedding - a very happy celebration. Bless them, during speeches they congratulated me on my birthday and gave me a bouquet. On Sunday, my youngest brother (Father of the Bride) gave a lunch party for his brothers, sister (me) children, grandchild, numerous nephews and nieces and some friends. Later most of us drove off to a place on the River Usk that is a known swimming place. After a bit of a hike along the bank amongst the trees, we reached the place and most people swam while the rest watched. Later still we went back to the house for a peaceful end to the day.

Monday, the intention was for us to climb Pen y fan, the highest of the Brecon Beacons, so although it can be reached from the house, by a route to the right of the picture, we went off by car to the Story Arms, where we met up with more of the family. And so we started up the first bit of the climb. It was pretty testing to those over 70 - not just me! At about half way, we stopped to eat our sarnies, sitting among the blaeberries in the sun. By then I had come to the conclusion that even if I could make the top, I would not be able to get down again!! This was some relief to the 70 and overs, who didn't think they could either.

On the way down we saw these Welsh ponies. When I was a child I had one which I loved dearly.

We all ended up at the house - the climbers came down the direct way and the first to arrive was the 9 year old, followed by my 16 year old grandson who was very peeved to have been beaten by G. After tea and more gossip, we said our farewells to all who were not staying. I did not notice the winks and nudges that were going on. Shortly before we were to have dinner, cooked by C, I turned round and there were 2 brothers and their wives - a complete surprise. A happy evening was spent by all.

I thought you might like to see some of my cards

especially the one below - the creation of my Dil. They had to google to get cruciverbalist.

To end, here is a picture of the third peak, taken as I was out for a walk. The other is the view from the barn, towards the Black Mountains.

It was not the end of the holiday. My lot left on Tuesday and the step family arrived (not enough beds to have them all at the same time) We had a happy 3 more days, which would make another story, before coming home.

August again

2010-08-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

The garden is looking pretty rough and ready just now but there is still some colour about.

This corner border is not that old but the shrubs are a good size now. I am still developing the back and you will see a picture of any progress in the Autumn/Winter.

Potentillas grow like weeds and self-seed in Northumberland. At this time of the year they seem to take over as they grow fast. I will be cutting them back in the autumn.

One of the many Hostas, with very few slug holes. Is this due to so many birds? Or the hedgehogs? Or both?

This particular rose has taken off this year and has been marvellous. It is past its best now, though. Isfahan was amazing in late June, with its lovely scent, but there are only very few flowers left now

The herbaceous borders are fairly colourful just now

The Astilbe is showing no sign of drought as I watered it earlier, and we have had plenty of rain lately

The wander round comes to an end, sitting in peace, listening to the birds and enjoying the part of the garden to be seen from here. I am waiting to see if the Clematis will flower again. It is certainly growing well

Flowers mostly - July

2010-07-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today, I have done a tour of the garden, only altering the order of the pictures so that you could compare the view of the arbour with May's

The variegated cornus lights up a dark corner. It looks a little odd here - the sun has produced a very white colour.The reason I went out with my camera was the Kolkwitzia, which is more solidly covered than it has ever been. Unfortunately, the Seneccio has suffered somewhat in the middle - I think there must have been damage from the weight of the snow that is only now becoming obvious.

Did someone mention slugs? I think that the hedgehogs and the birds must be keeping them under control. No copper is used at all and only organic slug pellets in the kitchen garden. This is one of a large number of Hostas in the garden and they are all clear, so far.

Here is Isfahan, looking as good as it is likely to. It goes a bit scrappy later. I wish I could add scent to the blog.

The Primular is doing very well this year by the pond, though I seem to have lost the rest of them.

I planted the 'ball' hedgeling to mark the end of the shrub bed, above steps leading down to the door onto the Village Green. At last they are joining up and beginning to make a mark .

Penelope arrived early in my time here, and she still pleases me. After losing a large, taller piece last year, she is flowering well.

One of my many pleasures as I walk round the garden, or when I need a rest from working, is to sit in the arbour, listen to and watch the birds and enjoy this view.

The Pyracantha, that fell flat on its face a few years ago, has never had so much blossom. I look forward to the mass of orange berries that should come in the autumn.

There used to be a columnier conifer planted in front of the down-comer and the rose. I only managed to get it removed when there was a leak and it needed to dry out! The rose is very ancient, but it survived and this year, what there is of it is flowering bravely.

The roses the other side of the door are old too and nearly had their come-uppence a few years ago. I decided to try cutting them back almost to the ground and now look at them!

So here, at the end of the walk, I turn back to look at the arbour. You can see the same picture at the beginning of the pevious blog - things have grown a bit!

May Garden

2010-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

My May garden is a little short of colour, but there have been developments that have not appeared on my blog. We have bought an Arbour and have placed it as an exclamation point at the end of the path through the herbaceous borders.

I have just planted a Clematis Josaphine on one side and a Rose Lavinia on the other. I am hoping that they will climb over and flower and generally cheer us up.

I am already sitting on the seat and enjoying the silence, or bird song and just 'chilling out'

Nearby is this Osmanthus delavayi. It is covered in flowers and has a lovely scent. There is another small one, which is flowering nicely, but I need it to grow.In the path is this Saxifrage. I have reduced the clums enormously, as it spreads and spreads. It had taken over the path, but now I want a bit of order!

This is a lovely patch of yellow by the pond. I found a frog, while cleaning the pond a few days ago. I do not know where the toad is that appeared in the middle of the dining room and which I put by the pond.

I like the brightness of this shrub in front of the Ribes.

Here is the Old English Rose border, that you meet as you enter the garden, with geraniums and aubretia growing below. I hope that I shall be able to post picture later, with roses out.

And to finish, this is Withy's joke. A Salix grafted onto presumably a Salix wand. The shoots have to be cut hard back after the catkins die. Is it a tree, with giant daffs or the other way round?

Early April in the Garden

2010-04-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

I have a great shortage of colour in what should be a lovely spring garden. As in many places, we are about a month behind. I have taken pictures of what I have got. First, though, here is the new project.
The Pagoda Arbour was delivered this morning. It forms a long needed focal point at the end of the path between the herbaceaus borders. Before, along the wall was a Russian Vine. It was meant to hang over the wall, but first the East wind blew it in, then the snow came and flattened it to half its height. This was the trigger to my getting it out and doing a bit of re-designing. The second picture gives a good idea of the area it covered - from the left of the arbour to the conifer. It was kept in check by vigorous pruning. It did the task for which it was planted - it filtered the winds that hit the wall.

Now we come to the flowers in bloom at the moment.

This Helibore is one of several. There is a dark mauve one that is no good for photographing, as its heads hang down even more than this one.I thought I should include this picture of death! You have seen its wonderful sunny presence before, as it lit a darkish spot by the little gate from the stable yard to the main garden. I dare say it will come again from the bottom if I cut it back, but it would be more sensible to start again. I just hope the old tub that it is in stands up to the change-over

The little daffodils should have been out over a month ago. Today, two days after this picture they are almost making it.

A couple of clumps of crocus. I have very few left - I think the mice eat them. I must make a resolution to plant more, as I love them.

Last, but not least, we have these Hyacinths. They were grown for Christmases several years ago and this year they are better than ever. And really hardly late at all. Funny things plants!

Mid-March garden

2010-03-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the month the only thing in flower was the Hamamelis and a few snowdrops. Now the weather has changed and there is a sea of snowdrops, a few Helibores and Crocuses and my lovely little Irises.

The Hamamelis is beginning to go over but it has earned its keep and I have already given it a top-dessing of some left-over ericaceous compost.

A Walk to Moot Law

2010-02-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

It is a gorgeous, cold, sunny day here in Northumberland - just the weather to go for a good walk, though the boundless views that are to be found here were somewhat spoilt by mistiness.

I set off going south from the village up a hill to the site of an old WW2 Observation Post. The post is marking the place where the underground room has been filled in. Just beside it is the sheet of corrugated cement that was part of the roof

I turned left towards the very top of one of the largest quarries in Northumberland, which was mothballed towards the end of last year. Since then this bit of it has filled with water, which makes it quite beautiful. When it finally closes, much of the area will be reinstated as grazing land, but there will be an area at the very tip as a large pond or small lake nature reserve. As the Quarry extended outwards, they had reinstated as they went, so much of it is grazing already.

Looking to the SW, the fault line marks the end of the limestone that they are quarrying. On the other side of the dip, the Whinstone starts. It runs from Holy Island and right across to the Pennines, with the Roman Wall following its Northern edge for quite a long way. Kirkheaton stands on it and as it is an extremely hard rock, it is very difficult digging graves in the Church Yard!! It does mean that they are never going to want to bring the quarry any nearer to the village, though.

Having taken pictures of the frozen quarry, I walked south again, on an ancient road which was once the route to Hexham. Mr Bowman, at the very end of the 1800's, took his horse and cart that way on market days and took stuff either way for a fee. That little business is now Proudlock's Transport, with great big lorries parked at the bottom of the village and carrying livestock all over the north of England and southern Scotland. From little acorns..... Three of his grandsons still work in the business. The road has not been a proper track for a very long time.

The road has been cut by the quarry and is not seen again until you reach the B road that passes the gate to the quarry at its southern extremity. The very last of it here is at Kirkheaton Gate, where it crossed the Parish boundary. There is still an old gatepost to be seen. I remember when the gate was still there and the track went on. It is sad when historical things like that go.

Here the right of way goes on the outside of the Parish Boundary towards the West. I followed it to the end of the quarry and then cut across up the hill to Moot Law. Here are both the holding tank for our water supply and a medieval platform for a beacon.

The water supply is fed by an aqueduct from 3 different reservoirs, one on the Scottish Border, near to Carter Bar. It goes down to the Whittle Dean Treatment works, between the A69 and the Military Road. I don't know who else it supplies, but part of it is pumped up to the tank on Mootlaw and it then finds its own way down to Kirkheaton, on to Ingoe and Ryal and Matfen. Ironically, the aqueduct passes through Matfen. Ours is the first house on the supply line since they renewed the pipes in about 2000. We were last on the line before that. We now have a really decent pressure and clean water!!!

I walked across to the Beacon site from the tank, just a hundred yards or so. There is a large square platform with a well marked edge. Just in from the edge is a trig point at 258 metres (838 ft), the highest point anywhere in the vicinity. (The village is at 220m/715ft) This is why there is a 365 degree view . It is only spoilt by a strip of wood immediately to the east. Starting from the sea (which I could not see because of poor visibility) and coming round to the north, you see the Simonside Hills and The Cheviot, both covered in snow. On round to the west are the Pennines and then down to the Lake District hills, across the Pennines again and to the Durham hills and round past Newcastle and its surroundings back to the coast which is here hidden by the trees. It was no good trying to photo the view, partly because of the visibility and also because the hills are so far away that they would not make a good picture without specialist equipment.

In the centre of the platform is an irregular mound which is presumably the structure that was used for the beacon.

After that, I turned for home, still a good walk away, down, along, up, along and down to the the gate that I had come through at the start.

Bereavement Visiting Training

2010-02-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

I have just completed Bereavement Visiting Training and have a certificate to prove it.

We were a happy group of people. I suppose that the fact that we gelled so well was because we all had the desire to help people who were having trouble getting to grips with a loss. We had all had our own losses of various degrees of awfulness. The really surprising thing was how quickly we came to trust each other. On the first day we had a practical exercise, when we had to tell a story that had happened to us - another was a 'listener' and the third an observer. Even on that occasion, some very deep tales were told. The listening bit is the most important part of being a bereavement visitor. This pattern of excercise was often repeated. The speaker either told something of importance to themselves or played the part of someone who had a problem eg had got stuck and was not progressing through the mourning process. The listener was the one who was learning. It was a bit hair-raising sometimes. It gave you a hint as to what you might meet for real and could you cope? The observer and the speaker gave positive criticism after. I learnt that I could listen fine but there were weaknesses in the process after that. I know that I will be able to do better for real after those excercises.

We spent much time over the training period brainstorming various things such as 'what is a good/bad death', why are some people having trouble grieveing, various complictions in grief, what make good listening, handling silence. A knowledge of grief and the process of mourning and the many things that can get in the way are all helpful when trying to be helpful. The most important thing that we had to learn was that we were not there to advise or make it better. We are there to listen (always needed by someone in mourning) and to enable the mourner to make progress.

I now wait, with some trepidation, for my first call to visit.

February Garden, post bad snow.

2010-02-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Not much to show this month. The Witch Hazel is coming out at last though

I passed Viburnum bodnantense by - its flowers are looking very sad and if it was thinking of coming back, the weather forcast for this week will change its mind!

Instead, I took a picture of these golden leaves as an example of what can be done to cheer you with foliage. Around the garden there are many different greens, golds, silver and many shades of brown. They form a background in summer but are the core of a winter garden.

Hiding away were these promises of Spring to come.

and next door this Lonicera nitida is looking very sad as I had to cut it hard back. It had been allowed to encroach on the path anyway and then the weight of the snow brought it right over, so now it does not look pretty! It will come again though and I may yet reduce its height as well.

While on the sadder things, here is a picture of one of the many brown patches on the lawn. It is probably a fungus which develops if snow lies on grass for too long. It can be seen on other lawns as well as ours and the greens of golf courses are badly affected. A young man who lives in the village and is a trainee at a local course is going to get advice from his boss for us. I think that fertiliser when the grass starts to grow and a fungicide next October may be the treatment. When I hear, I shall put the advice on the Gardening Club Forum of Purple Coo.

And now two happier pictures to cheer you as you leave

Visit to Bolam Lake

2010-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

This morning, G and I decided that we wanted to walk somewhere different, so we went off to Bolam Lake. This used to be part of the grounds of Bolam Hall but now belongs to Northumberland County Council and is available for all to enjoy. Usually there are plenty of people walking, picnicing or even canoeing on the lake, but it was really lovely today because we nearly had the place to ourselves and there were no noisy children, so we could hear the birds uninterrupted!

Bolam Hall was built about 1800, on the site of the village of Bolam, which disappeared after the Great Plague. The lake was made by the then owners and many interesting trees were planted, some of which are still to be seen.

Having parked in a road-side car park, we walked round the end of the lake and along most of the other side, towards the Visitor Centre. We passed this view of the lake.

Unfortunately, the swans, various varieties of duck and the seagulls were feeding too far away, off the end of the island. Even when I went right in on the photo, they could not be seen, but there were a great crowd of them, all making use of an area that was ice-free. A little further along we came to this leaning tree.

I loved the line and filigree nature of it, only spoilt by the detritis that was set in the ice underneath it.

When we got to the Visitor Centre we looked at the plan of the site and decided to follow a tack round through the trees and rond the edge of the site, which passes an iron age fort. I am glad that we did because on the way we passed this monster.

All through the woods, and particularly near the lake, where there are a number of rhododendrons, there was much damage caused by the weight of the snow. A lot of work had already been done, especially where paths had been blocked, but there is much more to do. I expect that this monster had reached this state before the snow, probably by degrees over the last few years, with a gale taking it to its current stage. I wonder how many years it has seen.

Sadly, we failed to find the iron age fort but we completed our walk back at our car park and returned home feeling much refreshed for the hour in the fresh air.

Snow in the Garden

2010-01-08T07:19:00.001-08:00

I am going to take you on a tour of the garden. Not a very complete one because the snow is so thick, but pictures taken from the paths I have kept open walking on them. First we have a shot in the utility/veg garden. I had cleared the top of the compost bin so that I could empty stuff into it.The Geenhouse has its duvet of snow and the icicles formed by the sun on it in the afternoon.

Here we have the end of the path that leads to the Consevatory. Too much snow to crawl along it on hands and knees!

I do not find the seat very inviting, do you? But the scene is pretty.

To the left of the last picture, this is a plant of Senecio greyii, that looks even more enormous under its coat of snow. The Holly that we decapitated is looking rather sad.

What happens if this falls on my head as I walk under?

The same path from the other end.

Anyone for cucumber sandwiches?

The herbaceous borders.

This shrub looks nicely wrapped up!

And to finish, here is Roly's memorial seat, and the oak planted to celebrate the Millenium.

More snow pictures and icicles

2010-01-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some icicles for starters. The first one is taken through the glass of our bathroom window.The second is some more of the same - from outside this time.

This is the biggest collection that I found walking round the village.

To end here are three snowy pictures. The first is a view looking north over a tiny quarry where they got the stone to do the roads, back in the 1920's

This Chapel has been bought and is being converted into a holiday home. They came to connect up the water pipe on the green yesterday. I can think of better conditions for a job like that!

I put my car out here the day before yesterday as it is beside the road. There was even more snow on it today.

This scene has been on my blog before, but the snow is just getting deeper and deeper, which makes it look different. I have to make my way out to the washhouse every morning, knocking snow off the shrubs that are hanging right down. The bird food lives there, so the trip is a must.

Another walk

2010-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Pictures of icicles on my greenhouse

Today we went together up to the third turbine. Here are some more pictures

G walking up into the bitter westerly wind

This is one of the bleakest views around here - to the Lake Distict hills. The sheep do not seem to mind

And we would like to know if you are going to thaw out our water troughs

A Wintery Walk

2010-01-02T08:36:00.001-08:00

There has been a little more snow here since these pictures were taken in the garden. They are in lieu of flower pictures for Christmas/beginning of January.

Today, I went for a walk. First up to the Church, then on around the place to take pictures of the countryside. I think that they speak for themselves. I have included the Red Setter because he was the one truly lively thing that I saw!! The horses were marginally pleased to see me, but I had no food. Otherwise, apart from a few birds and the tractor, it was a dead but very beautiful scene.

Christmas 09

2010-01-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

For the last few Christmases, I have taken pictures of flowers out for Christmas. This year there was nothing. There may have been the odd Helibore under the snow but as for roses - they were brown or so bedraggled as to not be worth taking. The Winter Jasmine was also brown, but with buds to bring hope. Since then the snow has increased and we are almost, though not quite, snowed in. I shall be back with pictures of flowers as soon as possible and will probably add a snowy picture to this blog. Happy New Year to anyone reading this and farewell friend to one of my followers, Woozle, who is now at peace.

A December Garden on a Grey Day

2009-12-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

A few days late, I have got out into the sodden garden with my camera. Last night we had 1/4 inch of rain and today has varied between a clear blue sky and heavy showers. Most of the time I was taking pictures, the cloud was building up.

This first picture is of twigs of Belula ermanii pendular, which caught my eye. Sad about the telephone line!

I only took the twigs because I was in amongst the tree to take the mahonia, which is doing very nicely just now.

The Helibore is going over now, having been in full colour for at least a month.

The two roses were the only ones left that could be photographed. Graham Thomas has suffered in winds and rain. The other is an old rose that was moved years ago. I have no idea what it is.

I planted the Euonymus europeus several years ago and it has not flowered or produced any of these lovely red fruiting bodies until this year. I wonder if it is a plant that takes some time to do so? Someone may tell me. Anyway, I am now full of hope for a decent display next year, instead of just one!

These silvery leaves are hiding away and are so much colder to look at than the many gold/yellow leaved shrubs that are all around the garden. Their picures speak for themselves.

I put in this picture because it shows two years berries. The black ones at the bottom are from last year.

November Garden

2009-11-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

Rather belatedly, here is my November garden, pictures taken on the 2nd November.

This Viburnam will flower until next April.

The berries on the Sorbus are eaten late, so we have the display for ages. The branches are well weighed down

The small Mahonia is flowering well and is seen here in context.

Graham Thomas is the best value of my Old English roses, flowering off and on till christmas The Hydrangea came from a co-in-law and is fairly small, flowers well and does not mind our limy soil

The fairly new shrub bed in the far corner is looking appropriately autumy

I love my brave little cyclamen who press on through foul and cold weather and spread themselves too.

Betula ermanii pendula is a joy throughout the winter with its creamy-white stem. The two young ones will not add to the view from my bedroom for a year or two.

The beech hedge was one of the best things I did when I first came. It is a marvellous shelter for the vegetable area.

Kirkheaton Wind Farm

2009-10-05T10:15:00.001-07:00

I really believe that we now know what is to happen up the lonnen (track, in Northumbrian)to the dead wind turbines.
They came into production about 2000, so far as I can remember. Since then at least one set of blades has been replaced, involving low loaders and huge cranes. A couple of years ago, men came to repair the blades by abseiling down or along them patching the places where there was trouble.
In about March 2007, two of the turbines stopped turning and later the arms and nacelles were removed and put carefuly on the ground. The other one soldiered on.
Now, more than 18 months on, an application has been made for more time to keep the two turbines even though they are not working, to allow the owners to come to a decision re. their future. A planning condition was that a turbine that was inactive had to be removed after 12 months, so they have had quite a lot of extra time. We await the decision on this application. We know that the Parish Council has not objected.
Today, G talked to an engineer that he found up at the site. This man said that an order had been put in for 3 sets of new sails. Delivery is expected to be December - about the worst time of year to fit them! Now we wait to see what happens.
What ever does occur, I feel sure that the energy expended on these three turbines - building, transporting, repairing etc will require a very long functional period with the new blades to make it carbon free.

October Gale

2009-10-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have just come in from a really bracing walk. Not very far, you understand, but quite far enough in the conditions.
We woke this morning to a westerly gale - with gusts over 53mph because the remaining wind turbine was stationary. Much to my relief, apart from beech twigs and mast on the lawn, no damage had been done - and still hasn't. But they really are not the sort of conditions that are conducive to gardening and the walks westward and eastward involve passing under quite a lot of trees, which I did not fancy.
So after lunch, after checking that the Church was alright, I set of southwards. This involved a longish pull up a hill completely exposed to the full force of the wind on my right-hand side, which was trying to blow my walking pole between my legs. Why did I not use it in my left hand? you may well ask. Just my blurdy mindedness. The top of this hill is the site of a WW2 observation point and there is an amazing view. I was able to enjoy it in reasonable comfort because trees have grown up round the site and protected me from the gale to the west.
The Lake District hills were hidden by another piece of high ground. To the south is the northern end of a very large quarry and beyond it a fairly young wood. Glimpsed beyond that were the Durham hills. Going on round to the east, the horizon for many miles is the coast. If I had had my binoculars I would have probably been able to see the sea. As the crow flies it is about 18 miles away at the nearest point. Continuing round towards the north you look over the village towards the Simonside hills near Rothbury and on to Cheviot, the most northerly point of the Pennines. They run on down the west side to complete the view.
It was made more spectacular than usual today by a rainbow reaching from Simonside to the coast and a great black rainstorm from Cheviot to the Roman Wall, which at that point is due west of us.
Walking back down the hill, the gusts felt even stronger and I had some difficulty in maintaining my balance. However, if it does as 'they' say, it should start to ease soon. At least the sun is shining mostly, with small white clouds rushing across the sky, reminding me of the White Rabbit in Alice and Wonderland.

October Garden

2009-10-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

The garden looks short of colour as you walk around, but when I went out with my camera I found all sorts of things. This time, I am showing you what is left of production in the vegetable garden first. Corgettes, a few surviving carrots under the green stuff and barely visible on the left the pyramid of runner beans.Near the back door is this Sorbus, so laden with berries that it is being deformed. It should be growing upright! They are not yet ripe so I hope the berries will be there for some time yet.

This Old English Rose, Sarifa, is the only one in flower just now.

From outside the wall this is always a similar colour but is brighter now. Your have seen this rose before. I do not apologise for repeating it as it gives me such pleasure each morning as I look out of my bedroom window.

Rosa rugosa is covered with red hips, if you look hard

I have a little Lobelia either side of two short stone paths to give some brightness in a dark place. They are still doing well

You can just see the Leycesteria to the left of the Hydrangea. I do not know the variety of the hydrangea as it was given to me without a name, but it does well in our alkaline soil.

This picture does not do justice to this climber, it should be much redder. It is interesting that some has turned and some is still proper green.

The Geraniums keep flowering away. The best buy of the year!

Asters are always valuable at this time, though many are very susceptible to mildew. This one seems to be immune.

Another yellow herbaceous plant

Anemones are so pretty that they make up for the way they invade everywhere.This Helenium has not been here long but is giving pleasure at the moment. I think the grass would please Westerwitch!

Part 3 - Poolewe to Achiltibuie to Home

2009-09-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we left Poolewe to go to Achiltibuie. We had to retrace our tracks for a few miles and stopped at the Corrieshalloch Gorge. This was cut by a river running under a glacier a very very long time ago. Now a river runs in the bottom of the gorge with the Falls of Measach visible from a wobbly Victorian suspension bridge. The chasm has 60 metres verticle walls.

The next photo was taken from a layby, later on the road.

We arrived at the Summer Isles Hotel, Achiltibuie, which has a good view of the Summer Isles. That evening we took a walk along the road and on the way back I 'crossed my feet' and fell on my face - literally! I was walking along with my hands in my pockets. I hit my nose slightly, and my chin rather harder. I also damaged my left arm a little and bashed my knee. Later I discovered a painful lower rib, which is still sore - bruised or cracked? If my hands had been free I would probably have broken an arm so was really very lucky. A bag of ice did wonders for my knee and none of it caused any problem for the holiday.

This is a view of Tanara Mor and other Summer Isles. Skye can be seen in the far distance.

One day we headed North to see Kyleskue, where we had hoped to stay. A somewhat more reasonably priced hotel, but the Summer Isles Hotel gave us comfort, good service and excellent food. Kyleskue is in a great site at the end of Lochs Glencoul and Glendhu. The crews of the X-craft mini-submarines trained here in WW2.
This bridge crosses the bottoms of the Lochs. We walked to it in a gale which nearly knocked us off our feet. Taking photographs was very difficult trying to keep the camera still.

We had to go up to Scourie to get fuel but did not have time to go on the 24 very slow miles to the North Coast. There is nothing much more to see there, just the matter of reaching the farthest North!

On the last day we went for a walk on a beach which was not that easy to access. G has a thing

about walking on beaches so that was what we did! Afterwards we went a short way in the opposite direction and were amused by the sheep.
The lamb was looking down at its mates, which it desperately wanted to join, but didn't know how.
The other three were feasting on seaweed, which they love

One afternoon, I went to see a lady who does Hydroponics and organic growing in a very large plastic tunnel. It was interesting to see her plants growing in various different ways. Some were growing in a non-soil medium with their roots reaching down to the water below. Some were in organic raised beds. And there were other methods too. There were very productive tomatoes and strawberries and Courgettes, potatoes etc etc. I have come home with her Herb kit - 4 growing pots to live in a trough, with wicks to take the water up to the plants growing in the special material. I have sown Italian Broad-leaved Parsley, Sweet Basil, Mazuma and a special lettuce. I shall report more on this in the Purple Coo gardening forum.

On Thursday we came home - a long drive back to Inverness, down the A9 to the Erskine Bridge, and so down to Northumberland and home. It is always good to get home to one's own bed but there is also the holiday laundry and catching up in the garden. It now feels as though we have not been away!

Lochewe, Part 2 of the Scottish Idyll

2009-09-26T13:17:00.003-07:00

The next morning we said goodbye to Killin. We were heading for the far North West. In order to achieve this we had various options. To go up the West Coast. This would have taken a long time, and we would probably have had to spend a night en route. Go via Fort William - not sensible. So we went east to go west and headed down Loch Tay onto the A9 and up to Inverness. A little way north from there we turned north west and were at last into the mountainous wilderness which took us to the west coast. We arrived at Gareloch at tea-time, so stopped for a cuppa before the few miles on to Poolewe.

The Poolewe Hotel looks down the loch. We were in the annexe, with 2 bedrooms, a sitting room, a bathroom and a kitchen. Yes, you've guessed it, we were in a self-catering appartment on a half-board rate. Good if you can get it. G used the other room as a dressing room and we were able to spread ourselves in a lovely untidy manner. The food was of a very high standard and we ate far too much but really enjoyed it.

On Thursday, we went to the famous Inverewe Gardens, which were visible from the Hotel.

Half the Wall Garden, looking east

An ancient Eucalyptus tree, which had fallen and then grown upwards.

These are two of a number of pictures taken there. We went round on our own in the morning, had lunch and then I did the tour with a guide, which was interesting.

In the evenings we walked up the River Ewe, where there was always at least on person fishing.

Gareloch played a very important part in the war. The Russian convoys gathered there with their escort before heading out to the North of Russia. A terrible number of the men who sailed from here never returned. There was a submarine net across the mouth of the loch, from the north side to an island to the south side. On the south side there were a great many gun emplacements.

It is here that a memorial to the men who were lost was placed. Many of the buildings/gun emplacements are still there - somewhat dangerous now but chilling. The men who manned them must have been terribly cold in winter and bored, with no entertainment, no comfort, no luxury. They were not in danger but what they suffered was pretty bad all the same.

On the third day, we re-visited Gareloch, to walk down the peninsular and find the beach, beyond the golf course.

Here endeth the second stage of the holiday. The third should follow tomorrow!

Holiday in Scotland Part 1

2009-09-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Nearly a fortnight ago, G and I headed up North. Our aim was the far North West but we were to break our journey in Killin where we were to stay in a B & B. We got there in good time so were able to visit old friends for tea. I had visited the house once, many, many years ago, but did not recognise it at all on arrival. The reason became clear when I saw a picture of it before the present member of the family took it over. It was more that twice the size! They had removed a very large addition that had been built on - 24 rooms, if I remember rightly. The resulting mix of the original house and a small addition make an interesting and unusual house. The centre is the very large kitchen, where we had our tea, which has that wonderful feeling of the centre of a family, even when that family is scattered around the country.

From there we went to a certain house with a chain-saw in it. This is very much a part of Purple Coo, which will mean little to anyone from outside reading it. We were met by a handsome Happy Snappy. His wife was in the Studio with a Wizzard. It was sooo exciting to meet the people who made our site (Purple Coo) two years or so ago. In the studio where so many of the pictures that I had seen on their web site and one that resides here, at home. They are even more breath-taking in real life. When you see all Westerwitch's pictures you simply can not be surprised that she got such a great response from the judges a day or two later. Their latest idea of putting pictures on glass is brilliant when you see it with back lighting.

Happy Snapper treated us to a terrific supper and I never heard a smoke alarm, though he assured us it had gone off, while we were in the studio. Actually I thought it was only WW who set it off. It was good too to meet the Wizard, a very interesting person, who takes a quiet seat on the Coo, but who is of great value as part of the team.

And our beloved Head Mistress? I think she was much as I had imagined, having seen the odd photo. But it means so much more when you have seen/hugged the real flesh and bones!! One thing is for sure - she is dedicated to the site and will do everything in her power to keep it going in a way that suits us all. This is no easy task and takes a great deal of her time. She is lucky to have such superb back-up from HS.

Something is missing here - what is it? I know - it is two four-legged friends. They are lovely and I fell in love with them on sight. It was with sadness that we drove away at the end of the evening, to our B & B and the start of our holiday proper.

Sadly, although I had my camera, no pictures were taken, so none to show on here. There will be plenty on the further episodes of the holiday which should follow tomorrow.

September Garden

2009-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

When I went out with my camera, I thought there was nothing to look at. In fact I came in with quite a lot of pictures.

First there were my lilies - a little dilapidated but still there and highly scented.

The two-coloured Spireae was a present from Hampshire. The day lily came from nowhere and it is a double. One of those mysteries.

This was the only rose that looked reasonable though there were a lot that were battered.

This old rose has been moved once and now is the only one that is struggling on. It is in front of the 'elephant', a clipped holly.

The hanging baskets, by the back door, have been colourful but have now gone mad. The one by the stable door is very different.

This is a productive little apple - a miniature, not quite as tall as me. It is delicious.

There is a story to this little tree. Some years ago we went to North Cypres and visited Bel Paese, where Laurence Durrel lived for a while before the War. I had read his book - Bitter Lemons - and so asked a drinking place man whether his was the one with the Tree of Idleness under which Laurance and his Cypriat friends had drunk. He reached up and took a couple of seed pods from the tree above his head and offered them to me. 'This is the tree' said he. I took them home and sowed the seeds in a pot and put them in a frame and forgot about them. Two years later I saw that one had germinated. This is the very tree which I treasure. My Tree of Idleness.

August Garden

2009-08-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here we have an over-enthusiastic garden

Having entered, you look across to these Hostas and the shrub.

Turn around and you will see these two Potentillas. They are just an example of the many, mostly self-seeded, Potentillas that there are around the garden.

What an over-enthusiastic mass of growth. The rose, Isfhan, that is growing up the thing left of centre, is pretty well over for this year, having been the best ever.

This Astilbe is marvellous this wet year. Better than I have ever seen it

The Herbaceous border is being very enthusiastic!

A study in pink

And another in white.

The productive vegetable garden.

Me in Seven words

2009-07-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

So we have all been tagged! Describe yourself in seven words. Well, hee goes:

Competetive - I had 3 brothers, OK they were all younger than me, but you had to make sure you got your share. But it was not just that. I need to win/do better than anyone else, I do not often succeed but I have to try, so anything that could possibly be competetive has to be done to the very best of my ability.

Lazy - if I do not absolutely have to do something then I probably won't.

Yellow - the opposite of brave.

Young-at-heart - very important to be as young as possible. This has only applied over the last few years and hopefully it will get more and more important as the years draw on.

Huge-sense-of-duty - implanted in me by my school and my Mother and augmented by my religion. If there is something that I can do then I should do it. This results in a difficulty in using the word "No". I am just beginning to learn that sometimes one should say no.

Lack-of-self-worth. Have never known that I had any value. Early on not wanted by my mother. Then having had no contact with children, I did not know how to get on with them. Still don't really.

Bossy! - if I see what needs to be done or how it should be done then I will tell people. Sometimes they are so stupid! Have to be told! Oh dear - not very nice, am I?!!!

Ordinations of Deacons and Priests

2009-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today was far from a normal Sunday.

I got up at 6.45, had breakfast and did all my early morning chores - watering plants and feeding birds etc.

I left home at 8.30 and got to my lift site by 8.45. The other two had forgotten their tickets, so did not arrive for a wee while. Luckily plenty of time had been written into the timetable. 5 of us piled into the car - I, being the smallest, sat in the middle of the back. Not too bad!!

We were dropped off at Newcastle Cathedral and 'socialised' for a while, as we were early. Before 9.40, we made our way into the Cathedral and found our seats - we had tickets, with block, row and seat numbers. I was very fortunate in that I was in Row 4 behind the Ordinands, but was seat 5 so well in. I could see well when we were sitting, but nothing when standing.

Promptly at 10.00, the Processional Anthem started - "I was glad when they said unto me,....." to music by Parry. The Bishop and lots of Cathedral dignitaries, priests associated with the Ordinands and the Ordinands themselves processed and ended in their seats. As is usual today, all happened in front of the reredos, so we were in touch with what was going on.

After the Ordinands were introduced, we had an Old Testament reading, a hymn and the Gospel, read in the midst of much acclamation etc. The Sermon was by The Reverend Dr Simon Jones, Chaplain of Merton College, Oxford. He had lead the Ordinands in their retreat, prior to today. It was an excellent sermon that connected us to the Ordinands, and was very listen-to-able.

After a hymn we moved into the Liturgy of Ordination. A period given to preparing the ordinands for what was to follow, then we had a form of Intercessions, like in the Holy Communion Service but biased towards the ordinations. Then the Ordinations themselves took place. The Bishop laid his hands on each of the 3 Deacons to ordain them, then we came to the Priests. I was very moved by this. All the robed clergy moved around the Bishop. Each Ordinand came up in turn and knelt before the Bishop. All the clergy who were near enough, put a hand on the head of the ordinand and all the rest put a hand on the man/woman in front, so there was a channel of support from all the robed priests. Then the Bishop himself laid on his hands and said "Send down the Holy Spirit on your servnt N for the office and work of a Priest in your Church.". They were all given a Bible as a sign of authority to speak God's word to his people.

Then we all welcomed them.

The Peace was more special than usual in a Eucharist. Our Deacon made a point of coming along the rows that she could get to for the Peace. The taking of Communion was well organised. The stewards knew where their people were to go and made sure that it moved smoothly. I was lucky in that I received the bread from the Bishop. There were places at the back of the Cathedral and even at the High Altar (for those who were sitting nearer to it including the choir. ) During that time the Choir sang an Anthem - "Set me as a seal upon thine heart...." and we sang a hymn.

After the Blessing by the Bishop, we sang "Angel voices ever singing.. " with the organ reaching full volune and us all singing as loudly as we could, while they processed out and so it was all over.

July 2nd Garden

2009-07-02T13:09:00.001-07:00

This Kolkwitzia has given us huge pleasure for years, and it tones well with the Prunus behind it and the Berberus purpurea in front and the Senecio greyiae in front. The variegated Holly to the right, has been dealt with very harshly this year. It had got too tall and the higher part was badly affected by wind, so we cut the top out of it. It will take a while, but in the end we will have a nicely shaped shrub/tree, that can be kept clipped to a good shape.

Here we have Penelope, which I planted early in my time here, so probably about 26 years old. The red one in front is a bit younger. To the left are 2 Rosa rugosa, Rosarie de l'hay and, I think, Fru Dagmar Hastrup which is not really visible in this photo. They have a fabulous scent.

This was planted this Spring. It should be very good, when it has bulked up

This is a white climbing rose that has been here for at least 60 years. Some years it gets cut back quite hard to make it renew itself. Being an old variety, it only flowers the once, but it does go on for quite a long time.

Delphinium, fennel and a yellow flower, name unknown in back herbaceous border.

I have no idea what this rose is. It was here when G arrived, but is not all that old. One year I cut it very hard back and it came back much stronger. The yellow one is much weaker but I love it.

Isfahan has flowered better this year than ever before. It has a lovely scent.

David Austin's Old English rose, Graham Thomas in early bloom. The Geraniums below are over but need cutting back. No Lavender yet.

A pale blue Delphinium, just coming out

A view of the Herbaceous Border from an upstairs window

Here is the vegetable garden

A More-than Village Show

2009-06-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

It is in the New Year that the work really starts on the next Show. The first advert goes in the Newcastle Journal to 'kind of' book the date. It does not stop other people using the same date but it might help. The marquee is booked formally - they were told immediately after the last Show. The same number of tables and chairs are also booked.

The Insurance Brokers have to be contacted, though as they want to see the schedule, it cannot be finalised until shortly before the Show. Insurance is what is causing some country shows to fold. It can be a real battle to keep the premium to a reasonable level. A risk assessment has to be done. Bouncy castles have to have their own insurance. Horse riders/owners have to sign an assurance that they have their own comprehensive insurance.

Loos have to booked and there has to be a disabled toilet included. (The men have a canvas-enclosed hole in the ground for most of their requirements - that is how it was in 1945 and that is how it still is in 2009)

The schedule is a nightmare. A small group gets together to go through the horse classes. Another group sorts out the Industrial (home crafts) and Children's classes. Then there are all the other bits and pieces - Lawn Mower racing, Dog Agility, Fox Hounds, Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, the Dog Show and the Terrier Racing, and quoits. All have to be in the Schedule.
We have the use of a long field which is called the Show Field, - with parking for horse vehicles on the Village Green and some trailers and most of the cars in another field. The Show Field seems quite big when you drive past it, but it rapidly shrinks when you have to fit 3 rings, a long marquee, Dog ring, Wrestling ring, room for stalls and childrens attractions etc etc into the space. All this has to be worked out before the event. A young lass of 17 took on the task of getting the stall holders, this year and very well she did it. Her Grandfather was one of the 3 soldiers from the hamlet who fought in WW2 and who were the reason for the very first show - to raise money to greet them home. Another person does the publicity - a thankless task which I did for many years. Someone else gets the sponsorship - another horrid job! And so it goes on. G organises a gentleman who provides slides, mini roundabouts etc.

About 4 weeks before the Show, posters are put up and schedules are put in shops etc. I alone do a round of about 50 miles, putting posters in pubs, the Country Store, on village notice boards in Libraries, shops etc. And schedules in three local post offices. One of these gets rid of about 200, so has to be kept topped up.

The three days before the Show are very busy, though the Secretary had been kept hard at it (in amongst working on her parent's farm and that of her husband) taking in the horse/pony entries for a week or two. The Treasurer and his assistant (G and Withy) have also had their work to do. Withy has all the floats and prizes on a spread sheet, with all the different values of notes and coins, so a fortnight or so before the show, G goes off to the Bank to collect a very heavy bag. A number of old biscuit tins are brought down from the attic. Withy sorts all the floats into the respective tins and finally we settle down with small envelopes, copies of the schedule, a pen and the money. G writes the number and name of the class and 1st 2nd or 3rd on and I put in the money. Horses and dogs only get rosettes but all the Industrial and Children's classes have prizes, as do the Wrestling, Hounds, Lawnmowers, etc. We do about 200.

On Wednesday or Thursday morning the marquee arrives plus the Secretaries tent. The marquee is very long and is divided into 3 - the Industrial section, the WI Refreshment tent and the Bar. On Wednesday evening, a band of helpers arrives to drive in stakes and the layout begins to take shape. On Thursday, the ropes go on, the cable is let into the ground for the speaker system and the lights etc fitted in the marquee. The tables are sorted and the chairs put in place. Table cloths are put on the Refreshment tables.

On Friday, at various times, china, drinks, boilers etc etc arrive in the Refreshment tent. The industrial tent is prepared for all the produce etc that will arrive next day. The bar is set up. The buns, sliced ham and pork have to be collected. All over the place, people are cooking for the WI Refreshments or getting it out of the freezer, having cooked it earlier. Sometime in amongst all this, the jumps arrived and were set up. Signs were put up around the neighbourhood. The gazebos, that belong to the Show are got ready to go up. This year it was very windy, so they were not put up until the morning of the Show, which meant stall-holders had to wait a bit.

At last the day arrives. My alarm goes off at 6.15 and I fall out of bed and get dressed with my eyes closed. (My early rising days are long gone!) I have myself to feed, the birds to feed and lots of plants to water before I make my way down to the Show Field. This year, I went down at 8.00 and there was only one horse box on the Green, but they soon started to pour in. In the tent, I was surprised to find several people already hard at work - young and old. The tasks are: Halve buns and butter them, butter cut loaves, butter cheese and fruit scones. Put fillings in the buns and the bread - ham, pork and stuffing, egg, cheese, and salad. The first hungry/thirsty people started to pop their heads in about 9.00 though 9.30 is our official time. We are always ready to give them something because horsey people get up very early to polish the ponies and then arrive here early to polish again!! They fail to feed themselves. They have to be early as the Show/Turnout classes start at 9.00. We finished all that part of the preparations remarkably early this year, not sure why. I popped out to enter my marmalade and photos in the next door bit of the tent, waited in a queue and when I got back the tables had been cleared and wiped down and were ready and waiting for the hungry hords.

Some time was then spent getting the stuff laid out in a sensible manner - removing luscious chocolate cake from amongst quiches and sausage rolls! I was very busy for what seemed a very long time, cutting up quiches and cakes. After that, it was a matter of standing by, helping people to things if they didn't want to help themselves, removing empty dishes and filling up the gaps. I skived off a number of times to see what was going on outside and once to deal with a photographer from a local paper. Once the Industrial Tent re-opened after the judging, I had to go and see whether the judges were good or not. The marmalade judge certainly knew what she was doing - I got 1st. The photo person was not so discerning. I only got one 3rd out of 3 classes. I have to admit that the standard of photos goes up every year - there were some impressive pictures.

This account is written from the point of view of a member of the WI who spends most of the day in the tent. I used to run the Dog Show (which was founded by G, before I came up here.) In those days, although I was tied to the horsebox, taking entries, and then running the actual event, I was able to see what was going on. Now there is much more going on, but I see very little of it.

Once the Show is over there is a great clearing up and the field is empty of all but the tents by the time the dance happens in the evening. Any left-over buns and cheese scones go to the bar for people to help themselves, un-cut cakes are mostly sold, the quiches have all gone. This year, my old legs gave me orders to stay at home in the evening, so I just went to bed to the thump thump of the band coming up the length of the Green.

To give some idea of the scale of the Show, the best year to date was 2005, when we made a profit of £3,236, and we gave £3,200 to local charities. £1,500 went to the Northumbria Air Ambulance and 8 smaller charities received the remainder. It looks as if we will be able togive the odd thousand away this year, but we won't know exactly for some time. One thing is for certain - despite the showers earlier and the fairly heavy rain later - many people had a great time, which makes it worth all the hard work.

PS. The photos do not give a good idea of the Show. I have taken much better ones in previous years, but I was not out and about so much this year. Also one or two better ones show people, so can not be included.

June 1st in the Garden

2009-06-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

I have not tried to take a picture of every plant in flower, just some high lights.

Here is one of my white lilacs.

Just a few of these lovely flowers, but it is not meant to flower until June, so it is in good time.

A very beautiful double geranium. It does not produce seed, as is usual with double flowers.

The rhubarb has gone mad

A self-sown Potentilla - this does not give a true picture of the intensity of the yellow.

A tree paeony.

Work in the garden

2009-05-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

I have been busy in the garden since I got home. What follows is definite actions - not general weeding.

On Saturday I transplanted some of the first sowing of lettuces to make another row. I also thinned the beetroot.

On Sunday, we spotted the work of a badger in a prostrate conifer. It had dug a hole out sideways, it could not go down because of the rock being only a few inches below the surface. It had damaged the plant a fair amount but not done itself much good. It has not been back. You can see the fawny under-belly hair.

That day, we scattered Elizabethd's French seeds.

Monday was just weeding, hoeing in the veg garden etc. Tuesday, I went with G to the RVI for a check-up by his dermatologist consultant. He was discharged. Wednesday as Monday.

On Thursday, the Tree of Idleness (ref Bitter Lemons http://www.suite101.com/blog/ciaomondo/bitter_lemons_inside_cyprus by Lawrence Durrell) was moved to the front of the house for the summer. I should explain that LD used to drink under the Tree of Idleness. When we visited the place, we found the drinking hole and the owner gave me a handful of seed from the tree. I sowed it and forgot about it for two years, after which one germinated and it is growing nicely in a large pot. It gives me much pleasure.

My two Azaleas were sunk in the ground in front of the greenhouse (as usual) My two original Cymbidiums and the 4 remaining 'babies' from Madeira, now quite old but yet to flower, were moved from the greenhouse to the cold frame. I potted on two Abutilon cuttings (Nabob) that had rooted. I have an orange Abutilon that needed potting on too - it was already quite big and flowering well. It looks happy in its larger pot. Then I tackled the two hanging baskets, a job I do not enjoy, though the result usually gives me much pleasure. I think the colours may clash this year - I wait with baited breath. If they are reasonable, I will post a picture as they mature.

Next day, Friday, Petunias were put in a couple of containers by the front door. Lobelia, Crystal Palace (a very deep blue variety) were planted to line two narrow and short accesses to the two lawns. Mini hard work that - the soil was not exactly receptive - but they look fine now. Yesterday, I planted a Weigela florida 'Monet' in a bed where there was once a cherry. The area where the cherry grew is very difficult and I have tried a number of things. Hoping for better luck with the Weigela.

Maybe that does not sound much, but in amongst it I have hoed the vegetable garden and done quite a lot of work on the ornamental garden, where it is like the Forth Bridge. When you finish the first round, as I did before we went away, you have to start again. I have finished going round the smaller lawn today and tomorrow start on the larger one.

Shortly I will be able to plant the runner beans, which germinated well and are growing fast, and the courgettes should develop proper leaves soon, so will then plant them. They germinated well too. The broad beans will need supporting. Another sowing of lettuces is due and the weeds continue to grow despite the lack of rain for the last few days. Soon, there will be pruning of spring-flowering shrubs ...........I lurve gardening...........

A Few More Odds and Ends

2009-05-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

We stayed in a Guest House, Bryngwr in Trefin. The couple who run it are a lovely pair. She does the cooking and mostly is behind the scenes. He is up front. Serves the drinks before dinner and the dinner itself. Who ever is there shows the new arrivals around and explains the system. There are only 6 rooms, 3 up and 3 down. Dogs are welcomed but there are strict rules, for the sake of other guests. (There are 2 house dogs - both black labradors, but they are only seen in the garden) We were lucky in that they were a friendly bunch and we gathered before dinner for a drink and when turfed out of the dining room after dinner because they wanted to clear up, we moved to the lounge and continued our chatter. Repeat guests said that it was much better than usual.

The first day I had my gathering and G did a little walk to himself and a picnic lunch in our room. The second day we went to St David's as told in a previous blog.

Next day we had a look at Fishguard. This was the least rewarding day. It started on a high with a visit to The Last Invasion Tapestry. I bet you thought that was 1066 and the Bayeux Tapestry told the story. Well, you would be wrong! The last invasion was by the French during the Napoleonic wars in 1797. On 22nd February a French force of 1400 men, landed on the Pencaer peninsula just north of Goodwick. The story of their defeat by a much smaller force is too long for me to tell but it can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Invasion_of_Britain

Enjoy it, it is worth reading - or better still, if you can go to Fishguard, study the Community tapestry - a remarkable feat - copying the idea of the Bayeux tapestry, but done by the community. "The internationally famous Last Invasion Tapestry was commissioned as a permanent legacy of the Bicentenary Commemorations in 1997 and depicts the story of the Last Invasion of mainland Britain. It was designed in a similar format to the Bayeux Tapestry and embroidered by seventy-seven local people." This is a simplistic version of the enormous labour of love that produced this fabulous piece.

After a walk up to the new and very modern Information Centre (which did not appeal to us) and then down a steep path towards the sea and a return up a road as we seemed never to be going to reach it, we had lunch in an apparently disappointing cafe which produced the most remarkable tomato soup - full of fresh tomatoes. We then tried to achieve the coastal path but all we managed was a walk through a housing estate, till we gave up and went back to the car and to Trefin. The day was undoubtedly saved by the tapestry.

Thursday was a magical day. The sun shone from a cloudless sky and there was only a light breeze. I set off alone for the Coastal Path and walked north towards Abercastell. I love my own company and it was a joy to go at my own pace, take pictures and just gaze at the view. I did meet one couple who were very chatty and interesting. At about mid-day, I was a familiar figure approaching - G had taken the car to Abercastell and was walking to meet me. We back-tracked a little so that he could see the bluebells and sheets of thrift that have already been seen in a previous blog. Then we went down to the tiny harbour and had our picnic lunch sitting on a rock and absorbing the peace and beauty. I left him to follow later in the car and set off back to Trefin. It was very hot and in the sunk roadway there was no wind at all and it was a long steady climb up for at least 3/4 mile. Shortly after I reached the top, there was a sign to a prehistoric tomb. Absolutely fatal for Withy. Can't resist such things. And it was only .27 of a mile. (.54 both ways - added to what I had to do anyway) I had to go. No question. And there in a field, amongst a flock of sheep were some stones arranged as you would expect, except that I would not expect to find them just solo in a field!

When I got back I found a bewildered G, who had not passed me and yet I was not there! He was soon pacified and retired to his bed for a snooze. I took the Purple Coo Book Club read and went to the far side of the garden and sat in the sun and read, and listened to the silence and was very happy (and burnt my cheeks!) A magic day to end our short holiday

The next day we travelled up through Wales (4 hours) and slowly up the M6 from Manchester to about Blackpool and then the road cleared and we had a lovely drive up through the Lake District and along the Military Road to home.

Flowers on the Coastal Path

2009-05-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is a short blog re flowers on the coastal path. It was the very best time to visit for the wild flowers.

We expect bluebells to grow under trees. Here, they are growing in profusion on a windswept cliff top. They are the proper English type

There are plenty of these pretty blue flowers

There is much Thrift everywhere

Pembrokeshire Coastal Path

2009-05-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken on the Coastal Path

Below is a ruined mill, about which a poem was written, when it closed, that is widely known. Can anyone find it for me?

This ruin is old mine buildings

An excellent example of a natural arch

Flowers on the cliffs and more pictures will come in the next blog.

Trip to the South, stage 2

2009-05-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we wended our way up to the second Severn Bridge and across into Wales. Then all the way to the far West of Pembrokeshire and a Guest House in Trefin. I had picked this place on the Net, but could not have chosen better. We were greeted by the most welcoming host, who gave us a thorough tour and explained the "rules" - only the way things are done there.

When I looked out of our bedroom window, this is what I saw:

I have to admit that that first day, it was cloudy and very windy and the grass had not been cut! This was taken at the end of our stay.

Monday was a rest day for G but exciting for me. Sadly, a message was taken for me early on to say that Celtic Heart would not be able to join us as her mother had been poorly in the night, so could not be left alone, to care for CH's father. However, I set off to Newport, near Fishguard, getting there a few minutes late. There, by the entrance to the car park, were two girls - tall, good-looking and very clearly two Purple Cooers. I waved like mad as I drove in and so the three of us met up - ChrisH and Preselli Mags. We walked up to a caffe called The Canteen - a very strange name for a very nice place. We talked and talked and laughed and analysed our Purple Friends and drank coffee and had soup and all too soon, the others had to make tracks back into their real lives. I returned to base where G had had a pleasant day, recharging his batteries and walking. Not a picture was taken. I had my camera but did not use it. Sorry folks!

On Tuesday, I achieved a long-held dream. A visit to St. David's Cathedral. This time pictures can do the talking -

Cathedral and Bishop's Palace.

The sloping nave

Fan Vaulting in the tower

A good place to make a home.

Just a few from the Bishop's Palace.

This is going up as it is, I will edit it more tomorrow.

Trip to the South Part 1

2009-05-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Had a horrid drive to the south. First of all, we came to the Military Road, not far from home, and it was clear that there had been an accident on the A69, because there was a great queue of traffic coming up from Hexham, with many heavy lorries. Someone kindly let us in and we joined the continuous string across to Carlisle. Luckily, it movcd at a reasonable pace so we were only about 10 minutes late joining the M6.
As we reached the Lake District, the rain started and poor G could hardly see where he was or where to go - falling rain and spray from lorries horrendous. It stopped not long after the Lakes and we stopped for lunch at Charnoch Richard. Then I took over and had 'weight of traffic' hold-ups most of the rest of the way. There was only one accident to blame. It took us about 8 hours to do a 6 hour journey.
We finally arrived in Ilchester and the Ilchester Arms. I had found it on the internet and luckily it was a lovely small hotel with good food and a cheerful, helpful staff of young people. Our room was very small but the beds were comfortable.
On Saturday morning we went to Sherborne. The School is partly in the old Abbey buildings, alongside the Abbey itself. This is a fabulous building with stunning fan vaulting. Sadly I do not have any pictures. For some mad reason unknown to me, I didn't take any. The town is attractive too.
We returned to the hotel with time for a short rest before changing into "smart casual" and warm with it! Then we managed to find our way through the Somerset lanes to Thorney Lakes and Caravan Park. We drove through the park and set off down a track through the fields. After a while we saw a sign that said "Wedding Car Park" so we knew we were in the right place.
It was fabulous. A wild life reserve with a fishing lake, with stringent controls. On a level area of grass by the lake, was a marquee. We found some 70 or so people, many of whom were my relations. The bride, (my youngest brother's middle daughter) was beautiful and her new husband a very happy man. Although not too warm, and with heavy showers, it was a very happy occasion.
I was wearing my mother's pearls and a diamond bow brooch, to bring Ma to the wedding. This gave the bride much pleasure. She was wearing her other Grandmother's pearls. When the group photo was taken, there was a race with the rain and there was a double rainbow. The bride was convinced that both Grandmothers were there in the rainbows. I am tempted to agree!
The barbequed pork was delicious. The speeches were not too long! As the driver I did not have much to drink, so kept a clear head. My youngest great neice possited on my shoulder, but I had a lovely time with her, she was 8 weeks old. The next, and last, two of that generation left to get married were there, discussing when each would have their weddings. They both got engaged recently A really happy evening. Sadly, G had had enough too long before it was dark to wait, so we left before the fire balloons were let fly. I gather that they were magic.
Of course we got lost on the way back through the lanes, but we made it safely and slept the sleep of the just.
I am afraid that all the pictures are explicitly of people, so I cannot post any. Result - a boring blog!
Hopefully the rest will be better, with pics.

Garden Update

2009-05-08T01:56:00.000-07:00

Things move fast in May -

This is the Amelanchia that was just coming out on May 1st

Do you remember the Broom that I had to take out last year? Some will. I was begged to leave it! This is how it looks today -

And here is the Clematis armannii that also was just coming out on May 1st -

A Baptism, continuing Flower Festival, Food and Craft Fayre and a Baroque Concert

2009-05-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning saw Kirkharle Church nearly full with about 50 people for a Baptism with Eucharist. Surrounded by all the beautiful flower arrangements and with the joy of a Baptism, it was a service to be remembered. It is rather sad that the wee fellow will not remember any of it but surely his parents will treasure the memory - and the Godparents too, I shouldn't be surprised.

An hour or two later, I was on duty in the Church and it was a rewarding job because most of the visitors really appreciated the flowers and the interesting Church. The weather was cold but mostly dry, though there were showers about, with hail in them. A reasonable number of people kept the craftsmen/women and food providers busy in Kirkharle Courtyard.

Monday was expected to be the really busy day though, being a Bank Holiday. And what happened? We woke to heavy overcast and a bitter wind and damp in the air, with occasionally more determined wet. All the same, a surprising number of people turned out to visit the Fayre, but not the huge numbers that they have come to expect.

In the afternoon there a was a concert in the Church, by Plura Videte Baroque. Again the Church was full with people standing at the back. The ensemble consisted of two girls playing violins, one playing the Viola, and two men, one on the 'cello and one on the harpsichord. They had played for several years as part of the University of York Baroque Ensemble. They are now a Chamber Ensemble and are passionate about creating exciting, historically informed performances of both chamber and solo works. We heard both, including a solo harpsichord piece which was astonishing when you know that the player had recently broken the 3rd finger of his right hand in 2 places. It was splinted with the middle finger.

After the concert, a friend and I warmed up in the Coffee House with a cup of tea, a freshly baked current scone, butter and strawberry jam. As we left, at 4.30ish, there were still a lot of cars in the parks, despite the worsening weather. We are a tough lot in Northumberland.

Capability Brown and Kirkharle

2009-05-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

In 1716, Capability (Launcelot) Brown was born in the hamlet of Kirkharle. (He was known as Capability Brown because of his habit of commenting on gardens as having "great capabilities")He was baptized in St. Wilfrid's Church and at first attended the local school, but then moved on and walked to school in Cambo. When he left school, at 16, he worked for Sir William Loraine, 2nd baronet, of Kirkharle. If you visit http://www.capability-brown.org.uk/ you will find a developing site that is writing his story. This gives some of his history after he left Kirkharle and lists gardens that he designed or was associated with.
He became, arguably the most famous landscape gardener in English History, and was described as 'the Shakespeare of Gardening' by the German prince, Hermann Puckler-Muskau, in the early 19th century.
A few years ago, the current owner of Little Harle found a plan in the draw of a desk that had belonged to his grandfather. This plan shows a design for a lake and landscape for Kirkharle Hall. There is much mystery here. The date of the plan is uncertain. It could have been the very first one that he did, before he left for Kiddington Hall in Oxfordshire. Or it could have been done in 1770 when he stayed with Lady Loraine at Kirkharle. The next mystery is exactly how the buildings were. There was a Peele Tower there originally and the plan shows buildings incorporating it, in what appear today to be the wrong place.
The plan currently is to create much of the lake, shown on the plan. It is not possible to do the whole plan because the A696 was cut through the land, not so very long after the plan was drawn. Much of the funding is in place to dig the lake, put in walks and plant many trees. More is still needed but a start can be made and the digging will begin in a few weeks, weather permitting. In Capability Brown's day, it would have been dug by a large labour force wielding spades etc. Now mechanical diggers will be used.
The 'Offices' of the house, whose East Wing is all that remains, were built round a yard and are now converted into units for craft shops, a café and a Day Conference facility - Kirkharle Courtyard. Yesterday, an exhibition dedicated to Capability Brown was opened by Marion Foster of the BBC. This consists of a number of plaques around the area, telling of his life and also the plan that is to be developed. Down at St Wilfrid's Church there is a Flower Festival. The theme is Water, which played such an important part in his designs. (Think Chatsworth, Stowe and many others). This ancient church is transformed by the most lovely floral creations. My pictures only give a slight idea of the beauty and only three of many arrangements.

Three constrasting pictures. The first is done by a friend of mine, using Rhododendrons from Wallington Gardens. The second really recreates the theme of the display, Water. It looks like water falling over a shallow fall. It was a joint effort by two people I know. The third is so delicate and has a strong pedestal beside it, which emphasises the delicasy of these arrangements.

May has arrived.

2009-05-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

Let's not waste time, on with the flowers:

Some will be named, some won't. You can offer names, or ask - as you will.

I am afraid this water plant/flower is a bit eaten by some hungry insect.

I love both these plants and their fluffy seed heads

This is the original Osmanthus delavayii. It is beginning to go over now, but still shines in the dusk. The baby is in the bed behind.

Kerria japonica fl pl (double flowered) makes you think the sun is our, even when it isn't.

This pink thing is great at this time of year, but tries to take over.

Clematis armannii is a favourite of mine. It has Ernest Markham growing amongst it for later on.

What is this bright marsh plant?

These Bergenia lighten their corner for now and their leaves being there all winter is a bonus.

Aubretia out now, geranium to follow, lavender at the back and David Austin roses to flower above them. There is a self-sown 'hedge' of potentilla behind the lavender

More aubretia with box balls that are beginning to get more solid. Sad about the anti-rabbit wire.

This anemone fills my heart with joy.

Amelanchia and cut-leafed golden elder behind cotoneaster

Another sort of amelanchia - only takeable from a window on the back stairs that does not open at this time of year, so taken through glass.

2009-04-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Mountaineer who was the first to respond to Milla's Moans.
I have not done a Meme before. Is this because I don't read many blogs? It is a time thing you know.

What is your current obsession?
Trying to get the garden weeded throughout, before the weed seeds start to germinate. As the rain has come, I know I have lost the battle.

What are you reading?
The Great Western Beach, which is the Purple Book Club's current read. An absorbing book but as I only read before going to sleep at night, it is taking a long time.

First spring thing?
I suppose the first glimpse of white from the first snowdrop - but everyone says that. The Robin, who sings all winter, off and on, is also promising spring.

What's for dinner?
We've already eaten it. The very first asparagus from the local Pick-your-own. Absolutely delicious al dente and with melted butter. That was followed by lightly grilled lemon sole fillets, with a dash of lemon juice, buttery mashed potatoes and steamed Broccoli. A feast. No pudding because we never do.

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
A Beaver waistcoat. Whenever I am at home, it is on my back, unless the weather is very warm. It is necessary to keep me warm, to provide 2 pockets for tissues (I have a nose problem) and also to hold my small secateurs, without which I cannot enter the garden.

Planning to travel to next:
The Pembrokeshire coast, just North of St David's. We have travelled to several far off countries in the last few years, including Egypt, Russia, China and India. Now we want to explore our own country and Ireland. This trip is because a niece is getting married in Somerset and SouthWest Wales is not that far away. Our next proper trip will be to the far North of Scotland and possibly Shetland and the Orkney Islands. When the exchange rate is better we intend to go to the SW of Ireland. I desperately want to go to New Zealand but not sure that I will be able to persuade my other half to travel that far.

Last thing(s) you bought:
Yesterday we visited Sam Turner - a company that was originally a moderate sized Agricultural Merchant. Many, many years ago I remember buying binder twine there. It wasn't brightly-coloured artificial fibre in those days. It is now the empire of a Blogger that I happen to know. I bought a garden sprayer, a tree tie and some flexible plant tie. A strange little group. My companion bought a pair of trousers amongst other things - for her son, you understand. There is no end to the range of things we could have bought. The problem was resisting the temptation.

Flowers of the moment.
The lilac is about to come out. I think it is the scent really, though I love a tree in full flower. The Paeony will be out before too long too. What a blowsy lady she is.
Favourite ever film
It is hard to pick one from 70 years of viewing. I think Gone With the Wind probably wins the accolade, though it was a very long sit.

Earliest memory?
A tit pecking the tree under which I was lying in my pram and frightened.

Favourite childhood toy?
My little rocking horse - Black Beauty

What television star or stars would you like to eliminate?
The one on the screen at this moment. It happens to be Graham Norton but it could be a number of others.

Care to share some wisdom?
Never make assumptions. I have done it so often, only to find I was wrong - and I still do it.
When you are young, follow your star with courage - and it often does takes courage to launch into the unknown.

Here are the Rules - because there are always rules:
Respond and rework. Answer questions on your own blog. Replace one question. Add one question. Tag some people. It should be 8 but I can't believe there are 8 people left in the world who've not had this tag. Perhaps there may be one?
Blossom
Faith
Crystal
Seashell
Bradan
ChrisH
Patsy
@tm

April 1st Flowers

2009-04-04T13:11:00.001-07:00

April flowers, or most of them - Aubretia, most of you will have them out solidly. Not here yet.

Anemone - all that are left from a great many

Miniture daffodils, can't remember which, with Pulmonaria.

Newly planted Osmanthus delaveyii

Betula ermanii pendula with lots of catkins on teh way

This bowl of pansies by the Conservatory door gives me great pleasure as I go in and out.

Sadly, the Ribes flowers have been battered by a hard frost

There a couple of patches of violets. I put a single flower on the picture forum

This Salix is one of those oddities that I buy occasionally - a small, weeping willow grafted onto a larger variety. I wait to see what will happen in a year or two. It has to be cut hard back after the pussies are over.

Believe it or not, this Forsythia is the one that you see covered solidly in flowers in so many gardens.

These celandines are the precursers of a mass of yellow. They are a dreadful weed here. They spread like a plague and throttle anything that is not man enough to get above them. Some people think they are special, as they cannot grow them!

The Bergenia is a cheat, as it did not come out fully for a day or two.

Four of my Helibores. Zoë will be able to tell us what they all are, I hope

The Hyacinths, with the pansies make a beautiful patch to the side of the font door.

and Viburnum bodnantense New Dawn flowers are a last trumpet call after 8 months of flowering!

Life between the Wars

2009-03-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Life at Sockburn Hall, (on the River Tees, in County Durham) between the wars was somewhat different to many houses. The lady of the house had multiple sclerosis and was in a wheelchair. Her husband was in shipping and his office was in London, so he commuted to London, going down on Monday morning and returning to Darlington Station on Friday evening.

Also this account is as remembered by a child who was only 9 when WW2 broke out.

Inside the house the head of the staff was the Butler, who's headquarters was the Butler's Pantry. Here lived the glass and the silver and the washing and cleaning of these were his responsibility. He would answer the front door bell and the telephone - a contraption attached to the wall with a bell and the bit you spoke into, while the hearing bit was taken off and held to the ear. I think that you turned a handle to call up the local exchange to make a call. This exchange was in Neasham, the nearest village. Also on the wall was the precursor of the soda stream. It fizzed up water in a special bottle which I seem to remember was wrapped in raffia-like material. Making the soda water was also his job. He was, of course, in charge of the cellar and all the alcoholic drink. The dining table was also his to care for. Did he polish it too? I do not know. (This table, or part of it, is now in my dining room.) When a meal was ready he would ring the gong. This was not a straightforward job of hitting the thing. No, you had to hit round and round the gong with gradually increasing strength.

Also at the top of the pecking order was the Lady's Maid. In many houses there was a Housekeeper and a Lady's Maid but at Sockburn, I do not remember a Housekeeper. The Lady's Maid outlived my Grandmother, so I knew her very well. She had the Sewing Room as her centre. (It was in this room that I was bitten by a Scottie, I remember. I expect that I blew in its face so it bit me on the nose! I have disliked Scotties ever since!) She was at the continual beck and call of my Grandmother and there was a special bell which was used to call her. Most of the time that I remember my Grandmother she needed a lot of help, so going to the loo, picking up things or getting things that were out of reach, getting in and out of her wheel chair were among the reasons why the bell was rung. She did the mending and took care of the sheets etc. I expect that she washed the articles of my grandmother's clothing that were too good to go to the laundry.

The Cook ruled the kitchen. I remember spending quite a lot of time with her. There was a scullery-maid who had to do all the washing up - pots and pans, plates etc. This would have been done using kettle water and washing soda. This was very nasty stuff that did ones hands no good at all. There were no rubber gloves in those days. Also no non-stick pans, so the whole thing was a nightmare.

I do not remember what the rest of the indoor staff consisted of. There will have been a Parlour Maid and probably a "Tweeny" who did the dirty jobs. There may have been a second man servant but I have no recollection of one. From a list of tasks, found by the present owners in a maid's bedroom, it would seem that there was not. The Tweeny had to get up about 5.00 and clean the shoes and then light the fires, which would have been done by a man-servant if there had been one. Did she bring in the coal and the logs? I do not know. I am afraid that my memories of this level of servant is non-existent.

Outside, there were three departments. I imagine that the chauffeur was the most important. He looked after the car and drove it always. It was always sparkling clean. The car that I remember was a Humber but more I cannot tell you. He was also responsible for my Grandmothers outside chair. This was electric, even in those days. There was space, by her feet for a child to stand on it - what a joy! One that I remember to this day. Also the jealousy if there was another child there who was allowed a ride!

There was a Groom and presumably a stable boy. My Grandfather hunted, as did my Mother. I should think that he would have 2 horses a day. Whether Ma did, I don't know. If the meet was nearby, they would hack to it and probably home again. If it was further away, the groom would take the horses. If Grandfather had a second horse, the groom would ride it quietly, judging where he would be when he needed it. This must have required a very good knowledge of the country and the ways of the fox. My brother has Ma's hunting diaries which would tell us much of what went on. The Sockburn hunting I only know about by what I have heard. I remember my parents hunting quite well in the 1930's though. I do know that my mother would exercise her horse during the hunting season. It was one of the activities she really enjoyed. She hunted riding side-saddle but may well have exercised riding astride.

The head gardener had a very big job. I do just remember the one in the 30's, but not how much help he had. In the summer there was a great deal of grass to cut. There was the very large area to the south of the house, running right down to the edge of the field - much further than the current lawn area. Ma talked of the pony who pulled the mower, wearing leather boots to stop it damaging the lawn. There were also two grass tennis courts and all sorts of other bits and pieces of grass. There were many rose beds, which had to be pruned, dead-headed and weeded. Hedges to trim. A large herbaceous border to care for. A great sweep of gravel to rake. Not to mention a large walled vegetable garden. The approach to the house was down an avenue and that grass had to be cut too. Then there were various paths to keep weeded. It is not surprising that when the war came and younger men were called up and the tennis courts were ploughed up for potatoes, that the deterioration started.

Life then must have been quite quiet during the week. My Mother would keep herself occupied with her various hobbies and her riding, when she was home for the holidays. After she left school and had spent a year in Paris, she helped with Girl Guides in Hurworth. More I cannot say. At the weekend, it would be all go! In the winter there was hunting, shooting and dinner parties. In the summer tennis parties, fishing and no doubt dinner parties too. In those days, there were plenty of trout in the river. (I believe they are back again now)

So that is a rather bitty and vague account of life between the wars at Sockburn. There will be inaccuracies, I am sure, and much that I have left but I hope it will be of interest to some.

Sockburn Garden

2009-03-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

For any one who did not read the previous blog, I would advise that you do so now. It will put this blog in contest.

The 18th Century house, Sockburn Hall, is built just above the Tees. Its East side is parallel with the river. The Billiard Room runs much of the length, and the side of the drawing room. There is a reasonable width between the house and the beginning of the slope down to the river. The next level had a track made for my Grandmother's wheel chair. After that the slope is fairly steep down to the water.

To the South, there was/is a large lawn/grass area sloping down to the field beyond. There was a path that took the wheel chair fairly near the house and then the lawn I think, though there may have been rose beds. My Mother remembered a pony pulling the lawn mower here, with special boots on its hooves to prevent it from damaging the lawn. The Drawing Room and the Library look out that way.
Round on the West side, we have the sweep of the drive - a gravelled area, now grass covered mostly. It is out on this side that the "lost garden" was to be found.

Standing at the front door (picture in the last blog), you looked down the lime avenue. The volunteers, saving the gardens, have cleaned up the avenue, It was blocked by both the suckers from the base of the elms and all the "weeds" - brambles nettles etc - that were growing everywhere in the old garden.

As you came down the drive to the front door there was a lawn area on your right, with a lovely herbaceous border (full of magnificent delphiniums) and a yew hedge behind. There is a little of the hedge left. Much of it had died but there are some large yews that were originally part of the hedge.

Behind that was the beautiful rose garden and water feature. There is nothing left of the rose garden apart from the odd picture. The volunteer workers have found most of the water feature. This consisted of a series of small round ponds (really small), with a narrow stream joining them and ending in a larger pond, with a raised stone structure in the middle, which was the drain. There was a pump in the bottom pond which raised the water to the top. As the household water was extremely hard, I think there may have been some sort of catchment for rain water, but I have no recollection of this and they have found no sign. the current recovery stops at the top at a mini bridge. There has been a seedling tree above this, which I think may have distracted them from the signs of the top bowl. I could see a slight depression with two stones proud of the ground. I am absolutely certain that this was the top bowl, which I remember. Having pointed it out, I look forward to hearing that they have unearthed it.

Beyond the rose garden and the water feature, there were two tennis courts. It is still possible to see where the path went along the top (at a higher level) in front of the summer house. It was broad and allowed for tea to be taken if the weather was good enough. And guess what! In my memory it was sunny and warm! As I stood in that semi desert, I heard the sound of tennis balls, and voices calling. I came nearer to the past in that sad place, than anywhere else.

There was a gate, the posts are still there, which ends the path past the summer house. You can see it, with the gates in place, in the old picture above.

Sadly, I could go no further. The property stops there and the owner of the farm, where Wordsworth met his wife, owns the wall garden. It is in a field in front of the farm that there is a stone that is said to cover the grave of the Sockburn worm - but that is a different story!

Sockburn Hall

2009-03-28T14:58:00.002-07:00

Today I went back to the house where my mother lived from about 12 years old to 22 when she was married and my Grandparents lived until 1952. My grandfather died in 1947 and my Grandmother moved in 1952. I used to stay there when my parents went off fishing before the War, so remember it mostly as an under 9, but the house downstairs till I was 22. The garden was going backwards fast from the beginning of the war. The double tennis courts were ploughed up to plant potatoes and the rest was too much for the elderly gardener who was left after the 'call up'.

The first purchasers in 1952 were known as the Forty Thieves and they sold off the timber. Then it was bought by a man who really did want to live there but his wife didn't. During those years pigs were kept in the down-stairs rooms. the next purchasers were the parents of the present owners. As can happen to anyone, things moved against them. The mother died young of breast cancer and the house had been her dream. It was a house designed to be lived in by a family with quite a large domestic and outside staff and the post-war situation did not support that. The place gradually went backwards, the house as well as the garden.

Many years later, a member of the next generation came to see the place for the first time and fell in love with it. She offered her Aunt help to try to improve the situation. Once given permission, with all the enthusiasm of youth, she ran with it. She raised all sorts of funds, not to restore it but to do some preliminary work. What was the task?

Probably the most important was the Conyers Chapel - All Saints. It was "a sacred place of coronation and consecration, where Higbald was crowned Bishop of Lindisfarne in 781, followed, in 796, by Eanbald as Archbishop of York." (The Legend of the Sockburn Worm, the Dragon of the Tees by Paul Telfer.) It contains the most incredible collection of ancient decorated stones. There is also the effigy of Sir John Conyers, from the 13th Century. He "lies recumbent, his legs crossed, as though resting after his heroic duel with the 'monstrous and poisonous worm'. But while good Sir John takes his well-earned rest, the battle between Good and Evil, continues at his feet, where a winged serpent, or wyvern, and a dog, or lion, are locked in perpetual mortal combat." Sadly, I did not take a picture today. I grew up with him as a very important item in my consciousness. This building is Grade 1.

Apart from clearing the brambles, thistles and nettles from around it, there was little to do. It is now easy to approach.

The site of the old medieaval manor is in a field to the south of the current house. This is a registered site and is preserved because the field is grazed, not ploughed. It remains in the ownership of the owners of the house. All the rest of the Estate has passed into other hands.

The house itself is listed 2* It was built in the 19th Century by the Conyers, I think, though it may have been the Blackets, who followed them. It was not lived in for a number of years after my Grandparents left and by the time the current family bought it, there was already some deteriortation. Gradually since then things have gone from bad to worse and now it is uninhabitable, though the entrance hall (a large room) is still mostly usable and today, we had a picnic lunch in there with a roaring wood fire in the grate. I also went into the library. Sadly the drawing room, the dining room and the billiard room were out of bounds. There are patches of rot in the floors and in the hall a large area has collapsed into the cellar, so is fenced off. This prevents entrance to the bottom of the stairs and also the back quarters.

Coming in from the double back door, the roof has fallen in over the passage which leads straight to the hall door. I was able to see the kitchen. In Granny's day, the windows were all at a great height but the current owners altered that so that you can see out. (Not at all proper that the servants might possibly see the owners in their garden!) I also saw the Butler's pantry where he cleaned the silver and washed the glass. I was not able to see into the Servant's Hall - a fairly small room where they ate and where the parrot Joey lived or the sewing room beyond. I saw the bottom of the stairs that led to the butlers room and the lady's maid's room. Further along there was staircase that led up to the second story where the rest of the domestic staff had their rooms.

Tomorrow I shall talk about the gardens.

Three days in the life of..........

2009-03-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Up till a few days ago, there were two Bird Cherries outside our back gate, that looked like magpie's nests and came to the ground. They were dying back and we feared that we would lose them. A man from the Council came to see them and decided that if they were given a thorough hair-cut, they might get a new lease of life. The picture shows them as they are now. The one on the left is still rather a birds nest and only a couple of feet have been trimmed off the bottom, though the hight has been considerably reduced as well as the diameter. The one on the right is the faintest shaddow of its former self. They formed a solid barrier before!

Yesterday, I walked round the garden early and found this violet out. It is so tiny I did not think I would manage to take its picture, but the macro setting worked its magic. And then I found the first of the Cellandines. We are inundated with them but have to admit that they have a lovely flower. Also the very first of the Aubretia is showing colour.

I know that those who live in the South will be bored by these flowers by now - only 60 miles south of here today, all sorts of things are blooming - daffodils fully out and such like. But, hey-ho, we have to be happy with what we get and enjoy them regardless.

And so we reach today. I drove down to my old home and had lunch with my brother who lives there. Later I walked up the village to the brand new Village Hall, which was to be opened by Tanni Gray-Thompson. It is a very handsome building and very green. It is heated by a borehole - brother explained how it works but I am not a lot wiser! I can just tell you that there are 2, (or was it 3?), bore holes over 300ft deep, in which a liquid is heated. It circulates up and down and heats the water that heats the building.

The hall was opened by Tanni Gray-Thompson, who lives in the neighbourhood and knows people in the village. What a lovely person she is! I had a long chat with her, which was a great pleasure for me.

I can't show a picture of the main room in the Hall as it was full of people who are recognisable in pictures I took. I will put up this one though. It is of two old things who used to play together, with others, in the village 70 years ago! We had not met for many years, even though Mary has lived in the same house all these years. What a time we had with "Do you remember........?" Oh, so nostalgic! And now she is 79 and I am 78

The Camelia

2009-03-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Having failed abysmally to put these two pictures up in the Common Room of Purple Coo, I am putting them here.

I went to visit a lovely old lady of 94, whose grape vine I have been looking after. She has a large Camilia which she brought to Northumberland about 20 years ago. It was then in a fairly small pot and she planted it in a hole in the ground in her Conservatory. As you can see, it is now a good sized shrub. The macro picture of the 2 flowers give an excellent idea of the colour. She had rung me to say it was just about at its best and that I should go and look at it - hence the visit.

March 1st flowers

2009-03-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here are the plants that are in flower on March 1st.

This is one whose name has escaped me -

And this is Viburnam Bodnantense New Down, in flower since September

A Polyanthus

Mahonia aquifolia.

Iris sibirica, outside

The pan that I have put up before is still in flower with the Iris.

Helibore - of the 'Purple' colour

This Hebe goes on and on.

Erica carnea and snowdrops make a good combination

Garrya eliptica is still going strong, though it will soon be very 'hung-over'

Hamamelis mollis is also still going but showing signs of ageing.

These Daffodils have just crept in!

The Aconites are the last bastions of early spring and the Crocus is a harbinger of later spring.

Another garden Development

2009-02-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

Today, we took an evergreen out of one of the beds in the garden and planted two more Betula ermanii pendula. There is one Betula there already and this year, for the first time, it has a ceamy white stem. It is in the bed where the lilies grow from which I took my avatar.
There use to be an old cherry in this bed, with a stem that went round and round. Difficult to describe. And there was also an Ash which was self -own. One year when we were away, it pushed down the 2* listed wall because it had got too fat, so it was summarily removed. Things around there grew much better after that, but the cherry still inhibited things with its shade. About four years ago, it decided to turn up its toes - old age. I took the chance to change things more than somewhat. I increased the size of the bed and planted lots of shrub, the lilies and other bulbs. I had put in a conifer near the wall soon after I arrived and after the cherry went, it took off and would have achieved a good a good size, given half a chance.It is in the background of this snowy picture. Today, we took it out and there is no doubt in my mind that it should never have been there! I had bought 2 more Betula ermanii pendula afew days ago, and after removing the conifer, we planted on to the left and one very close to where the conifer was, As they develop, I plan to clear stuff round them and plant bulbs etc underneath. This is an example of a garden developing, as it should.
The top picture is rather dark I am afraid but it does show the bed without the conifer and if you look very hard you can see the two labels on the new trees, well to the left of the old one and a little to the right.
Below, you can see the 3 stakes of the 2 new and 1 old tree.
If I live long enough I will put up a picture of the patch after it has developed to how I imagine it will be!

Conversation with Dr Stuart Burgess

2009-02-07T03:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, about 13 of us gathered in Wooler, in Northumberland, to discuss Rural problems and the ecumenical Church's place in the countryside with Dr Stuart Burgess.
Stuart is the Government's Rural Advocate and Chair of the Commission for Rural Communities. He reports directly to the Prime Minister and works closely with Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He is also a practicing Methodist with a deep faith.

The group consisted of The Archdeacon of Lindesfarne, The Diocesan Rural Officer (who is also our Vicar), 3 or 4 other vicars, a man who is working in the field of farming problems and deprivation, 2 Methodists, also with interests/responsibilities in the field, and an ex head teacher who is also involved with the Church, the wife of one of the Vicars and two or three others. Stupidly I did not note down everyone.

We had a wide ranging discussion about the difficulties facing Rural Communities. Stuart is leading an Upland Farming Inquiry, which he says must be wider than just hill farms and look into social and community problems. He is looking for evidence and during the 12 week consultation period is going to a number of parts of the country that come under the heading, including Northumberland. The official launch will be on February 11th and the Report will be out in the summer.

As we are going from a 3 tier Local Authority to 2 tier in May, so losing the layer nearest to the people i.e. the District Councils, (I am not counting the Parish councils here), there are a number of worries for everyone, not least the rural communities. The CAB is having funding problems as the Districts used to support them extensively but the new County is going to have severe financial difficulties itself. (Does Iceland ring any bells?) This means that the rapidly increasing numbers of people with financial concerns and debts, may not have that source of help. This led to a long discussion on how you define poverty and the hidden poor.

We moved on to important requirements for the Rural Communities.
The Rural Economy is very important for the future sustainability of the countryside. And that is dependent on good, fast Broadband to a large extent.
Affordable Rural Housing is essential to help prevent the flow of the younger population of villages to the urban environment. With affordable housing, you keep the younger people and also the shop, Post Office and First Schools. (In Northumberland we currently have 3 tier education, so the First Schools are much smaller than in 2 tier and therefore more vulnerable.)
There is often resistance to affordable houses. Most people agree that they are needed but "that site in the next village would be so much better" It is usually the incomers from the urban areas who have this reaction. It is Stuart's view that every village should have a dozen affordable houses and some system should be in place to prevent them being sold on into the ordinary market. Something such as a Community Trust can acquire the land and build the houses. When a person moves on, only the equity share can be taken out. Not sure what that means exactly but the result is that the house is there for another needy person. A Community Trust could also build a Care Home, to serve a smallish area so that the elderly can stay in touch with the community from which they come.

We ended with a discussion about the part the Church - of whatever denomination - should play in rural life. Stuart believes that all branches of the ecumenical Church should be getting their act together, stop worrying about the things like Women Bishops and sexual orientation (C of E) and restructuring (Methodists) and concentrating on what they can do for village communities. He believes that Church land should be used wherever possible for building affordable homes. As all other public buildings will disappear, if they have not done so already, the Churches, usually Anglican, should be used properly instead of once a week (or even once a month). They should become the focal point of the Settlement. They can contain a Post Office, a Shop, an Internet Café, and even a Doctor's Surgery. None of this will interfere with its original purpose of worship, but will make proper use of a building that is frequently listed.
We should also as congregations by trying to decide what contribution we can make to slowing climate change.

I am sure we talked about plenty more, but that is the extent of my notes. Tourism was another subject that was touched on as an important contributor to the rural economy, but bringing some conflict with rural dwellers/farmers.

It was a very worth-while day, spent with a highly intelligent man who was prepared to listen to everything we had to say, as well as share his views with us. And added to that, the drive to and from Wooler was through gorgeous Northumbrian countryside made even more beautiful by the snow.

Flowers out on February 1st

2009-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

This morning I went out into a dark and gloomy garden to look for flowers that were blooming. It was necessary to do it today because there is heavy snow forcast which will put paid to some of these. The aconites above will press on under the snow, regardless and of course the somewhat late Christmas Cactus will be happy in the Conservatory.

There are a lot of snowdrops coming out, they too will survive happily under the snow, as will the Erica carnea.
The Garria elliptica catkins are lengthening well, though they never get as long as some Garria.

The Hebe is doing very well. I think it must be one of the really hardy ones, unlike the other, which was fine on New Year's Day, but has looked sadder and sadder since. Still there are these 2 flowers trying to come out.

The Helibore is trying hard and there are others that will be out soon. They too should not be bothered too much by the snow.

The Jasminum nudiflorum is a bit messy. It has not been a mass of colour - just odd ones coming out and the rest going over.

More snowdrops here, while the Mahonia

Bailii is really over but there are a few florets still out.

A bad picture of Viburnam bodnantense, sorry. It has been out since September, going off a bit if toooo cold but then coming back. It will go on till about May probably

And finally the Witch Hazel. It should not like this soil - on limestone - but lots of ericaceous compost and fequent talking to it telling it it is loved, seem to be working. It was planted last early winter, with a few flowers only. I am thrilled with it this time and the amount of growth too.

Me and House Plants

2009-01-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

I am not really very good at house plants, but I do have some successes.
Of the ones that were mentioned in the comments on the last blog:-

Cyclamen. Some survive, some I lose. When they are new, the secret is to keep them moist but not over-wet. If they dry out, they fall outwards and do not come up properly again, even if watered soon enough. If overwatered they will just gradually give up the ghost. There is much talk about not getting the top of the corm wet and watering from the bottom. I have never bothered about that, and I don't think it matters, if you tip any excess water out of whatever they are standing in if you have given them too much and the conditions in the room are correct. This house is more likely to be too cold than hot. It is frost free though. If there is a radiator, I keep the cyclamen well away from it, (this goes for most plants). As they are in bloom in winter, the sun is not a problem and they do like plenty of light. I pull out flowers that are dying, hoping to get the whole stem.
If the plant is worth it, I keep it in the greenhouse after it has flowered. This does not get as much light as it should, which in summer suits cyclamen. Watering goes on as before - only when needed but do not alow to dry out. Now comes the "don't know" bit! I have allowed them to dry/go dormant during the summer - about June to September - and also kept them going all year. I think the natural way is to let it go dorment. Either way, for me, they go leafless or nearly at some point and then start up again. The old one in the picture was certainly allowed to take its own course this year. Can't remember how long I have had it or whether it has ever had the dry-out-under-the-bench treatment. If it had it would have been repotted in nice new compost in September. I do not bring them into the Conservatory until they have several flowers out and plenty of buds. I do not try to keep them in the house proper for two reasons - I forget to water them and the conditions are not as good.

Poinsettia - Make sure that the shop wraps the plant so that not a breath of a draft can get at it. When you get it home, put it in a draft-free place. Not too much light. I haven't got one this year but if I had it would be on the kitchen table against the wall with very little natural light. There is an electric light above it which is on quite a lot - enough apparently as it then lasts from before Christmas to about Easter, though by then it has lost most of its leaves. It needs to be kept just moist, not wet. It must not dry out though. Either way it would drop all its leaves. I do not try to grow them on afterwards. The Christmas ones have been grown in specialist conditions, with the amount of light per day very carefully controlled, as this and temperature decide when it will produce its red (or yellow) bracts. Not flowers - they are the tiny things in the centre. On Gardeners' Question Time, you will find that they all turn up their noses, whoever is on, because the plant is so fussy. Huge quantities are produced, presumably because a well grown plant does look very Christmassy. Very few survive more than a few days!

Other queries were:-
Wizzard - the plant in picture 6 down is Hebe Crystal. It, or its near relations are quite common. I saw one in Suffolk that was about 8ft tall but I think this one is not as vigorous. It could be controlled by pruning, anyway. It is very good value because it flowers from about August/September to early Spring.
Tiggy - What bulbs?!!! Usually there are lots poking through by now, even up here, but this year there are hardly any. I do not have any really early snowdrops, perhaps I should get some.
Frances - We are as far north as you can get in England, almost, only Crystal and @themill are further up. Scotland is another matter, of course - run from the chain-saw! We are at 650 feet, which is quite high, and very exposed to the wind, though we do have a wind-break to the West. Very open to the East, only a stone wall which doesn't really help much. The temperature gets down to -4 or -5 on the house wall, quite a lot lower out in the open, I should think. In the past this used to happen quite often and we had lots of snow. Now not so often and much less snow. This winter has been colder though. Highest shade temperature reaches 24 or even 25.

Colour in the garden on New Year's Day

2009-01-01T08:30:00.001-08:00

Today, I went looking for colour.
First I looked in the Conservatory. This cyclamen I have had for a number of years, forget how many.

This one was given to me by the staff at the School at the end of term. They seem grateful for the small amount that I do for them

Then I went to the Greenhouse. the Azalea is the one that I took 2 years running when I started my blog. It gets ever bigger but does not flower as well as it used to.

Very much the tail end for these Fuschia. They will have to be cut hard back soon.

These Streptocarpus (is that the right name?) have been in flower since spring but are tailing off now. I shall remove the leaves that have had flowers growing from them soon. Many have gone already

Now we veture out into the gloomy day. (The sun came out later but I couldn't be bothered to go out again!) This Hebe appears in the last blog but it is looking a bit part worn after the long cold spell and snow.

You do not need flowers to give you colour. These pictures show evergreen foliage, some variegated, some gold and some stem colour. Also a different Hebe with small white flowers in the second picture.

And lastly, gold and green

Frozen Flowers to lift the Spirit

2008-12-09T03:16:00.000-08:00

In amongst all our sadness for Sam, after losing her beloved husband Richie, I am posting these pictures of brave flowers that have weathered extreme cold and snow in our Northumberland garden and are still there to cheer us.

These are Old English roses, Graham Thomas, that often go on flowering until Christmas.

This rose, growing on the house wall, was planted a very long time ago. It is a once-a-summer flowerer. What is it doing flowering now?

This orange-berried Pyracantha is keeping its food for the birds for a little while yet.

Here you can see what last night brought - freezing fog. Proper colour of the flowers is there in the middle.

And this brave fellow, Hebe Diamond, will flower most of the winter. I love it for that.

This did its flowering proper in the summer, as it should. Now it is doing it all over again in this inclement weather.

Here is one of G's roses - sooo beautiful.

Snow and Church

2008-12-04T09:54:00.001-08:00

A trip up to the Church, to see how the heating was working - it seemed great, but what will the cost be?

Here we see it sparkling clean after lots of hard work!

The view as I started down the hill again

Church gate to House gate.

Two pictures, taken in the garden:

Two lovely people who live next door:

Where is that food I thought you had?

Move over, I want it! Oh, you blurdy cheat, it is only a camera!

Fund-raising Day

2008-08-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Picture taken by Our Lovely Lady Vicar!

What a day! We started with a Benefice Eucharist - attended by 30 + people, a lot for our little church. S0me were normal church-goers, some were Methodists from the village, some were visitors from round about and there was the odd Roman Catholic too. The singing was great and Jerusalem lifted the roof! I shall not comment on the sermon because I know that our lovely lady vicar has sussed me out and will, without doubt, read this!!! (I need emoticons on the blogs!)

From the church, we moved across the Village Green to the Women's Institute Hut for a fund-raising lunch. At first we thought that we were short on numbers but late on others arrived and we were washing up the odd plate to accommodate the last 'extras'. We fed 46 and there was much left over - not sure how many baskets! At £10 a head, there was a good take there, don't you agree? The really amazing thing was that by the time the last guest departed for the Garden Fête, the tables were clear and the washing up had been done by teams of volunteers.

The earlier part of the afternoon was dry. People rolled up from up and down the Tyne Valley, having seen an advert in the local paper, The Hexham Courant. Apparently it was raining heavily there about lunch time, so it was only dedicated garden lovers who turned out. However, trade in the Gazebo was brisk and cakes, books and bric-à-brac were snapped up, as well as raffle tickets. From there they graduated to the door-in-the-wall into the garden, where G was taking their entrance money. It gave me great pleasure that there were so many oohs and ahs to make all the hard work over many years really worth while. So often one enjoys one's garden in a solitary way and to share it with so many is absolutely indescribable. From there they moved on to the Conservatory and 'Cream Teas'. These were fab - I had one later. A home-made scone, with plenty of strawberry jam and lots of whipped cream and a welcome cup of tea.

For me it was lovely to see so many stangers enjoying our garden and amongst them unexpected friends/aquaintences.

That was not all though. After the guests had mostly disappeared, the really lovely people who proved themselves and earned endless brownie points, set to, to help with the clearing up. Now the gazebo is empty and will hopefully be able to dry out tomorrow. The Conservatory is back to normal. All the plants that were left have moved on to be ready for the Kirhwhelpington Fête.

AND - the takings are in the region of £1200, which means that the WI Hut Appeal and the Kirkheaton Church Rewiring Fund are both about £600 better off.

Bereavement Councelling

2008-08-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Two or three years ago, we set up a Local Ministry Group (LMG) in our United Benefice of three parishes. This is a requirement if someone wants to become a Locally Ordained Minister.One of our members soon came forward for this and after a gruelling 2 years, she is embarking on the third and last. She has practiced as a doctor for many years, and a few years ago trained to become a Councillor, in all sorts of disciplines, including bereavement.
A group of Bereavement Councillors was set up in the Upper Coquet valley a few years ago and this is gradually extending to cover more and more of North Northumberland, right up to Berwick.
I am a member of our LMG and it was mentioned about a year ago that there would be a chance of training anyone from this Benefice, if anyone was interested. Several thought about it but they have pulled out for the time-being for various personal reasons. It seems that I am the only one left in, currently. I have been waiting since then for a chance to be trained.
On Wednesday, the existing group were having a refresher day and I was invited.
I wonder what the ordinary person thinks is meant by Bereavement Counselling. I imagined it meant listening to people releasing their feelings, after losing someone close to them. Beyond that I did not know.
After the session on Wednesday, I realise that listening is very important but there is so much more. Not just what is done to help the person, (I hate the word client), but also how to start, finish, cope yourself, etc etc. We started with a session during which they went through things they had found good - like a genuine smile - and things they had found hard. The latter part threw up all sorts of things that made me realise how difficult it could be at times. The innitial listening is the 'easy' part if you can get them to really talk about the things that matter, that is!
After coffee, we split into 3's and fortunately were able to use 3 different spaces. The leader/facilitator floated between the groups, listening to how they were getting on.
Two chairs were placed facing each other, with a third to the side for the Observer. The other two were for the talker and the listener. Having been warned not to choose anything too recent, were asked to speak about a personal bereavement and I waa asked to go first. I decided to talk about my Mother who died 15 years ago. It was surprising how real this became for me once I was launched into my account - and very emotional. I had never talked about it but do think about it sometimes and I remembered it as if it was yesterday. It did seem a little strange at first to have the Observer there, but I soon forgot about her and talked directly to the listener, who kept very still and did not interrupt until near the end (we had had the 2 minute warning!) when she asked a question. At the end the Observer made her comments and we talked about it a bit. Then we played musical chairs and I was in the observers place. The trained councellor was the listener, so I was able to watch and observe her as she listened to a very traumatic story. I had to try to distance myself from that because my job was to comment on the Listener. This was good practice, because whilst taking it all in etc, one must keep oneslf one step removed when doing the real thing. Musical chairs again and I became the Listener. I got 'good marks' for body language and attention and non-interruption and the question I asked at the end!
We gathered again in the main room and shared a few things that had come out of the excersise, before eating the pooled lunch and chatting about holidays in France and India and other things to relieve our minds after quite a gruelling morning.
After lunch we revisited the problems, available facilities etc and lots of new things came up in the discussion. By this time, I had enough confidence to ask a few questions myself and even make a comment which hit a nail on the head!
By the time we broke up and headed for home, I was shattered! However the drive through the glorious Northumbrian countryside, in the only bit of sun of the day (week?) rested my mind and I was fine by the time all the young rang me to wish me a happy birthday.
Now it is decision time. I know that I would like to train further and take up this very worth while job. But I have questions to answer for myself. Will the time that I will have to be out be unfair on G? How much stress will this put on me, especially if I get a hard case? Will I be able to cope? And most important of all - these will be real human beings I will be trying to help and am I capable of doing a good job? It would be so easy to make matters worse, with the wrong comment or approach. I must talk to the trained Councellor, but she cannot make the decision.
Also I do not know when I will be able to get further training, and time, tide and old age wait for no man!
I will keep you posted!

The Food Flying Squad

2008-08-11T03:27:00.000-07:00

Most of you will know what the Women's Royal Voluntary Service is.

Just before the war, Lady Reading was asked to mobilise the women of the country into a voluntary force. Many were called up or went to nurse, but there were a great many who had to stay at home to look after families etc. They flocked to her banner and were taught to do all sorts of things, one being driving ambulances, which they did in London during the blitze to great effect. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WRVS to find out more.

After the war (I think) the Food Flying Squad was founded, to do exactly what it said - get food quickly to where it was needed in an Emergency. I joined in 1956 and what fun we had! We had a fleet of lorries and I had to get an HGV licence (of a sort). Driving these things involved double de-clutching which is something all you babies have probably never heard of! We had a stores lorrie, 2 food lorries and a water tanker, as far as I can remember. We carried evil stove things - can't remember what they were called - which had to be lit and kept going to boil water. Also we built the original form of a barbeque - a sort of box built of whatever you could find that was fire-proof, with a grid over. We could produce sausages etc and also stew which was cooked on the stove thingie.

I was made Transport Officer and so had to learn the basics of engines, putting in anti freeze, changing wheels etc. We also had a tent and I remember shinning up the tent pole to get a toggle over the top if it, to the astonishment of the rest of the group who were all much older than me! Thankfully, we never had to go to a real emergency, but I remember feeding the police at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. They were married in York and the reception was at Hovingham so there was an awful lot of road to patrol. We got to see the cars go by - whoosh and they were gone! We were based near Hovingham and as our home was Croft-on-Tees, we had quite a drive and had to get up onto the hills. We did not try to go up Sutton Bank (1 in 5 slope, I seem to remember) so we had to go down to Ampleforth. Sorry about the geography - only a few of you will follow it I fear.

The WRVS Emergency Service does much the same as we did but does not have a fleet of lorries! You will have heard of them in this country, attending things like the Tube bombing, the Lockerby air crash, floods and many other things.

6 random things

2008-08-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Have only just discovered this tag!

I was 5ft 2 1/2 ins when I was younger - now about 5ft 1in I should think

Was the eldest, with 3 brothers, 7, 15 and 17 years younger than me. (Oh and a half sister 6 years older)

Have lived in North Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland all my life - bar 4 years in Singapore

Absolutely love my garden and am never happier than when I am working in it.

Have been a County (Northumberland and North Yorkshire) and District (Richmondshire) Councillor

Was an active member of the WRVS for about 20 odd years, starting with the Food Flying Squad and ending with District Organiser for Hexham area , via North Yorkshire Hospitals Organiser and NY County Organiser.

The Farne Islands.

2008-06-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

It was a fabulous day on Monday. The one break in a rainy period. The gale had dropped, the sun was shining, the sky was full of dramatic clouds. The sea was reducing, allowing landings on the Islands.

So, G, daughter(C) and boy-friend (M) and I, drove up the road to Seahouses. We found The Old Ship for a bar meal. It is fascinating, with masses of tiny rooms with 2, 3 or 4 tables and claims to have the smallest bar in England. The sandwiches were fab - I had crab, caught off Seahouses, so split fresh. I never go up the coast without having crab, it is so good.

The harbour wall was a great place to lean and chat while waiting for the departure of our boat to the Farne Islands. We looked up the coast to Bambrough Castle

On our way to the Farnes, we were privileged to see a flight of gannets, on passage up the coast, on their way to the Bass Rock, where they breed.

After a while we reached the first island and the Stacks - vertical rocks covered in Guillemots. The young were already jumping off and they will all soon have left for the winter. The one in the picture was very low down but some of the nests were very high and a terrible drop for the youngsters. They are the first to leave. We sailed up and down, close to the rocks, so that everyone could have a good view of the masses of birds.

We sailed on to the outermost island, with the Longstone Light. This was where the Darling family lived and we saw the window from which Grace saw the Forfarshire's lights as she hit the rocks. She persuaded her Father to row with her, in the dark and the storm, to rescue any survivors. They saved 9 men, but there was a large loss of life. Grace was about 25 at the time and she died 2 years later of tuberculosis and is buried in Bambrough Churchyard. On this island we saw Grey Atlantic Seals - large animals which looked to me more like sea-lions! Many of them were sunbathing on the rocks, but gradually they were washed off as the tide came in.

After that we went back, via the place where the Forfarshire sank, to the Inner Farne. This, like most of the Islands, belongs to the National Trust, so you have to pay if you are not a member. It is beautifully cared for. The Trust keeps someone on the island for about 9 months of the year, observing the birds. There is a track made of slats and wire netting which visitors must not leave. Even there you have to take care because Tern chicks can be found on it. As they are well camouflaged, they are easy to step on.

The top of the Island is covered in holes, made by puffins. These are such fun little birds and it is impossible to describe their comical behaviour. They are also very colourful.

We followed the track to the old lighthouse where I found this. She clattered her beak at me to warn me off.

Further on we came to the Shags

After this back to the boat and so back to Seahouses

and the drive home. (This is Cheviot from the sea)

Sensations

2008-03-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

I have been asked about sounds. Sensations rather? Colourful, noisy. Smells of spices. The noise is paramount. Vehicles often have 'hoot your horn' on the back. Why? Because you may be going to overtake on either side and the driver may not be aware you are there anyway. So you hoot. There are lots of hooters - some are musical, some are short and sharp. If you have both, you put your hand on the musical one and keep it there as you overtake. In the busy parts of the towns, the cacophany is all you hear. If you are on the balcony of your room in the Amarvilas Hotel you may hear the sound of the mezoin calling to prayer. Or the sound of the fair that is going on a little way away. And as you listen, you can see the Taj looming through the murk. There are other countries that are more colourful but there is lots of colour in India, mostly to be found in the ladies' saris.

Transport in India

2008-02-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

These comments on transport in India are based on my experiences in Rajasthan and may well bear no relationship to other parts of this sub-continent.

Trains. The very word brings to mind strange carriages, with barred windows, and people thick on the roof and hanging onto doors. We did no see anything like that. We did see trains with barred windows but no sign of people on the outside. These were "people" trains according to our Guide! They seemed to travel fast and we were led to believe that they were reliable. However - one couple decided that, rather than sit in the coach for a number of hours, they would take an express train from Agra to Delhi, with their luggage accompanying us. Seats were booked and off they went to the station about the same time as we left in the coach. They were taken by a representative of the Agents. A train came in with barred windows and looking much like one would have imagined. However, they were told it was not theirs. A little while later another identical train arrived. They were hurried to the end AC carriage and told to get in as this was were their seats were. It was packed to the gunnel's, including people on the upper level - the luggage rack in our speak but it was said to have air conditioning. Two sleeping Indians were evicted from their seats, but that did nothing to remove the feet hanging down in front from the rack above! Or the stink! As you will guess, they removed themselves from the train pdq! As a result they had to pay for a taxi to take them to Delhi which turned out to be a much better option. Goodness knows what the whole incident cost them. Their account of it was even funnier than my version, as you will no doubt guess.

We also saw a number of goods trains and tanker trains. These, like the people trains, were incredibly long and were doubtless a good means of transferring goods. There was no electricity in sight, so the diesel engines must have been adding to global warming.

Road Transport.

Buses. Here we really did see people hanging on to every available hand-hold as well as packed in tight, within. They are reasonably cheap and frequent, but I don't know how much they covered longer distances. We saw a lot of them on the main roads, without the hangers-on. Thi is not a good picture, unfortunately

Coaches. These are at least 20 years behind those in the West. They have cart springs and as they are narrow, there is not a lot of room. The luggage space above the seats is very limited and the seats themselves are rather narrow. This is our coach.

Cars. Car ownership has exploded in the last few years in the cities. Many of them are made by Tata, but there are a few American makes. The most common is the Indian version of the Morris Oxford. A great lack of pictures I am afraid - these are jeeps. Love the monkeys!

On the whole cars appear to be well cared for. The rule of the road is basically "do not keep to the rules". Left hand drive does apply but you overtake on either side, hooting like a maniac so's the guy driving knows you are there. On roundabouts, whoever gets there first goes, though I believe it is meant to be give way to the right, as here. The lorries are numerous and usually in your way, as are bullock and camel carts and cows, who wander down the middle of the road in their own good time. Pedestrians seem to be all over the place too. In other words, on no account drive yourself! They are building duel carriageways as main link roads but so far lane discipline is non existent. Oh yes - don't ever use your indicator!

Motor bikes are legion. Helmets are compulsory in some states but are only worn by some people.

Bicycles are even more legion.

Bullock carts and camel carts are the main form of transport of goods in the countryside but are to be found in towns and cities too, bringing in stuff from outside. On the whole, out in the country, they do keep to the left but are not so good in the towns. Often the camels and water buffalo are decorated with fascinating designs and colours. You see the occasional horse too and it will probably be covered in all sorts of decorative materials. Elephants are only used for ceremonies like weddings and for carrying the tourist up to the Meherangarh Fort above Jaipur.

Lorries and Tractors.

I have already mentioned lorries but there are a large number of tractors hauling stuff too. Both are likely to be very highly decorated and you often see stalls selling stuff to do it with. They take great pride in making them as beautiful as possible. Sometimes you wonder how they can see out of the windscreen and side windows! Unfortunately this is the best picture I can find - the tractor is hidden and neither are decorated I like the goats though!

Last but not least - auto and cycle rickshaws. Tuktuk is a name not used so much in India, though of course most tourists call them that. It ubiquitous and a very good way of getting around in the town. You agree a price before-hand and climb in. They are designed for 2 or 3 but we must have seen 6 or 7 at least crammed in on numerous occasions. The cycle rickshaw is not so common but there are plenty of them. Both sorts are driven/propelled by the poorest people, so using them is definitely a good thing to do and as they are cheap, a good tip should be payed too. There are also tongas drawn by scrawny and often lame horses. We had a ride in one. Two face forward and two back and the poor old horse is made to trot/canter, expecially as in our case where the group had several and the owners are very competetive!

This also applied to our ride in cycle rickshaws. G hated every minute of it as he hung on by his eyelashes! I was too busy trying to take pictures and keep my 'spare' hand inside and hang on all at the same time to be frightened.

The brown bit in this picture is the cycle rider, not a bit of a horse!

Delhi Street Scenes

2008-02-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

While in Delhi, we went for a ride on a bicycle rickshaw. These are a few of the pictures I took:

This is typicla of the electricity wiring in Delhi streets. In fact it is a rather better example than some.

Sorry that the lay-out is so bad. I still haven't got the mastery of it!

Indian Summary Part 2

2008-02-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

I omitted the Jain Temple in Part 1. We visited it on the way between Udaipur and Jodhpur.

The complex is said to be the most beautiful in India and is at Ranakpur. It is the most incredible place. Quite large. I have many pictures and will do an item on it by itself at some point.

From Jodhpur to Jaipur – the rose pink city. It has a terrific amber-coloured fortress on the hill above the town. We were originally going up on elephants, but our guide wisely decided to use jeeps. The elly’s were definitely exploited and I don’t think any of us would have liked to use them, quite apart from the queues etc. The fortress had very rich royal apartments. It was quite a marathon to tour it, so our guide, sensibly transferred the afternoon’s schedule to the next day, when we visited the Palace of Winds and City Palace and then a most extraordinary Observatory built in the 17th century. They had an amazing amount of knowledge about the stars and time and all sorts. As we were tired by then and as the guide was not very easy to understand, I found I couldn’t really follow it all, but there were all sorts of extraordinary objects spread about, that told the time or date or something or other. Also it was a hot afternoon with very little shade and we hadn’t had lunch!!!!

Next day we drove to Ranthambhore. This is a game reserve and a National Park. Our hotel was a few miles outside the Reserve. It consisted of a central building and ‘tents’ scattered about. The top was a tent, with guy ropes and things, but the walls were solid, with doors and windows. Inside was a large bed-sitting room, bathroom, loo dressing space etc. Outside a private sitting space, with 2 chaise-longue on one side and on the other a table and 2 chairs, so you could choose the degree of shade. On arrival we went on a game drive when we saw lots of deer and birds and the odd croc. There was great excitement later on because the warning sound of the monkeys was heard, so the tiger or tigress was about. As a result of an unsuccessful hunt for her/him we were late out and the drive back to the gate was done at great speed, which shook us all up to a considerable degree. Then we had to wait for a man to come and unlock the gate to let us out! Next morning, at 6.00, 10 of us (minus G and another couple) set off again and it was not long before we found the tigress and her 3 cubs. She had killed in the night (which was known to all the guides) and, having called her cubs, was leading them to their breakfast. That was major magic, but before long there were at least 9 vehicles following them, which we didn’t like. After that the tension was released and we visited pieces of water in a leisurely manner – turning off the engine and just watching and listening. Lots of birds and crocodiles and extra-ordinary beauty. We got back about 10.00 and had brunch. The rest of the day was at leisure, and we made the most of it. G lay for hours on a chaise longue. I sat by the pool and read and then joined G for tea on the other side of the ‘tent’.

The good done by this rest day was entirely undone by our trip to Agra. The roads in India a not good on the whole and this one was being turned into a duel carriageway which meant short stretches on one side or the other, or going round bridges being built or on original road etc in a ‘coach with cart springs! We left about 9.30, stopped once or twice at filling stations for the ‘conveniences’ and once for lunch in a lovely restaurant with gardens all around. At about 4.00 we reached Fatehpur Sikri – the Ghost city. Some of the group desperately wanted to leave it out, but the rest of us could not bare to miss it. As we were rather late, so had to do a bit of whistle-stop tour, but got a good idea of it. Then on again, reaching Agra about 6.30 or 7.0. It was a marathon but the sight of the Taj Mahal just visible in the gloom and smog from our balconies made up for it!

Next day we visited the 1st modern wonder on the world and were not disappointed. More details at a later date so you will have to wait. Next day we saw the Agra Fort, which played an important part in the Indian Mutiny and in which the builder of the Taj was held in house arrest and looked over at his beautiful creation.

Then we started the haul home. We left about 10.30 and headed for Delhi. The road was much better and we thought we were doing very well until we reached the outskirts of Delhi. It then took us over an hour to get to the hotel. We only had 1 ½ hours before setting out for a dinner given by Cox and Kings, Cricketers Agents. Due to a confusion, we went to the wrong restaurant, so it was another 1 ½ hours before we got to the right place. There was a serious sense of humour failure, but the place was very good, the food was good, C and K gave the drink (unlike all other included meals) and the three men from C and K really listened to our comments etc. And so back to the hotel, a night’s sleep, and then off to the Airport and on our way to London.
Next I will do some detail about something yet to be decided.

Summary - Part 1

2008-02-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

Just as a start, here is a summary of the Indian holiday –

We arrived about lunch time in the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi. After a night flight, we both felt the need of a leg-stretch so we went out of the gate and into India! The road was incredibly noisy with masses of traffic. A Sheikh tuktuk driver attached himself to us and was incredibly nice about trying to persuade us that we needed a lift! We picked our way along, half on the pavement, half in the road, due to pipes being laid across from the wall to the roadside. We reached the India Arch, a war memorial. It was an introduction to the hard sell/begging that we were to get very used to. We then gave in to our friendly Sheikh and let him take us up to the Lutyans buildings from the old Raj, before going back to the hotel.

Next day we visited the Red Fort. After that, as well as other places, we went to see Ghandi’s tomb. Of course he isn’t buried there – it is the site of his cremation, in a wide open area that allowed huge numbers to be present. It has since been landscaped and has a terrific atmosphere.

Friday, we flew to Udaipur, a very beautiful place of palaces and lake. Our hotel, the Udaivilas, was as impressive as the rest! It was opened in 2001 and is all open areas, running water, plants and grass as well as very comfortable rooms, each with its own outside area. All on one level. The standard of service was incredibly high. Next day, we visited various places but mainly the City Palace, a large and beautiful place along the edge of the lake. There is a collection of crystal, including an entire bed, tables, chairs etc. A ride on the lake took us round an island with an ex-palace on it, which is now a hotel and to another island, where they were preparing for the marriage of the daughter of an American to an American man. When we went back to the landing, they were waiting for his arrival, with an elephant for him to ride and decorated horses and music. Don’t quite know where he was going to ride to – he had to go to the island in a boat, don’t think the elephant was going to swim!

That evening we had dinner in the Island Palace Hotel. That was the one failure. The food was fairly OK but they gave every impression of not wanting us there. The service was appalling (most unusual for India) and we ended up having a major falling out. The agents are omitting it from future groups.

We went next to Jodhpur – the blue city. All Brahmins painted their houses blue. There was only one of them once upon a time but they have bred somewhat since then! The town is dominated by a very large fort, standing 393 feet above it. Here we had our first chance to study a collection of Miniature paintings. We had already had a demo (followed by hard sell!) so knew what we were looking at. The picture is of an ordinary size but the work is miniature, The brushes used can have only 1 or 2 squirrel hairs, and the lines are incredibly fine. I came to love them. On the way back to the hotel, we visited our first bazaar. Teeming people, tuktuks, cows, stalls, barbers, food providers, bright colours………

The next day, we all boarded jeeps and set out into their version of a desert. It is sandy, but there is quite a lot of scrub growing. We visited several places – a school, with 2 groups, one the equivalent of Reception and Yr 1, the other a little older. There were quite a lot of children in the former, but not many in the second. The assumption was that many older children are working It was interesting to see cards with pictures and the Hindi word! Next we visited a village where they made jars etc out of a fawn clay followed again by a hard sell! Then to another place where they were weaving carpets. After the demo, another hard sell. And at some point, we saw the opium ceremony, They produce a frequently filtered solution, which we all had a sip of!

End of Part 1.

Living in Singapore

2008-01-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

So we had safely arrived in Singapore and embarked on 4 years of a totally different life for ourselves and for Hector.
No 1 had been given a house in the Naval Base that was allocated to Dockyard people. It had a living room and 3 bedrooms and stood on stilts, so that the windows caught any breeze going and bugs etc were less likely to gain access. The temperature was about 89F mostly and the humidity approaching 90 too. We had left the UK with snow on the ground, so Hector had his winter coat on - a dense woolly undercoat and a longer hairy top coat. It took him about 3 months to change this to very little undercoat and just the hairy stuff. Otherwise he adjusted to the new life remarkably quickly. He had to be kept tied up because there was only a small amount of garden and all open to the rest of the base. He lived by day under the house, attached by a long rope (with a chain nearest to him, so's he couldn't bite through it) to a rope that ran across under the floor above. This meant that he could run about quite a lot. At night he slept on our bed as ever.
We only stayed for 8 months in No 132. After that we moved out of the Base into a house that had been built for the MD of Metal Box, whose factory was just down the road. It was only a mile or two from the Causeway that linked Singapore Island to Johore Bahru in Malaya. A minor road ran past the gate and the drive led down to our house at the lower end of the compound. There was one other house which very soon became vacant, so we lived on our own here. The other 2 or 3 houses had never been built. We inherited Lim and Leong from the previous occupants. They were Amar and Cook Boy respectively. They were Chinese and had spent the war in Malaya where they were badly treated by the Japanese. They were not that keen on dogs, but were kind to Hector who soon decided to accept them. On one side of the compound, which was surrounded by a 10ft high wire fence, was jungle. On the other side was a stream and not far off a small Kampong (village) where Malays lived. Across the road were a banana plantation and rubber trees. Below the house was the main road from the Causeway to Singapore City, and beyond, a lovely view of the Straits of Jahore.
The very first day, the children and I, with Hector, were exploring the compound. Hector was off the lead but not far away. Suddenly he started a high pitched regular woofing - not his normal noise. When we went over, there was a black cobra in a monsoon drain, swaying in front of him and he was clearly being hypnotised. Luckily I had his lead in my hand and threw it at the snake, which broke the spell and it shot off. I managed to catch Hector before he tried to hunt it! Either that night or shortly after, there was a yell from the children's bathroom, where A was having a bath - "a snake, a snake!". Leong came running and fortunately was able to tell us that it was a house snake and quite safe! You would have thought all this would have frightened me off, but somehow it was just all part of the challenge of the new life.
There were four things that happened during the next 3 years that are worth recording as part of Hector's life. First of all was the arrival of the monkeys. There was a troop of them living in the bit of jungle next door. They used to come and sit on the wire fence and hurl insults at Hector, who hated them. He had his special monkey bark - quite different from his usual one or the snake one! In the early days, I did not keep him tied up and he would dash out, they would fly off into the jungle and he would chase them into the trees. I knew that if they caught him they would tear him in pieces, so I was in agony till he came back. I used to put music on very loud so that I would not hear him if he screamed! He led a charmed life and always came back. In the end I had to keep him tied up. We had a living room with very wide double doors leading on to the veranda, so he used to be tied on his long rope/chain in such a way that he could be inside or out.
After 2 years, we came home for 3 months leave. The Captain of the Dockyard, who happened to be a distant relation, had become fond of Hector and his long-suffering wife agreed to take him. They lived in a smart Admiralty house, second only to the Admiral's. It was at ground level in the Base. The doors were kept shut and the windows were quite high so Hector seemed to be secure. He fell in love with the younger daughter and hated to be parted from her. He slept on her bed and growled ferociously at her father when he tried to say goodnight to her. One day she went out in the car with her elder sister, shutting the door behind her. Hector was furious and to everyone's amazement he managed to jump out of the window. He was a wee fellow, so goodness knows how he did it. Anyway he did and disappeared. 2 or 3 weeks later, we got home to be met by a distraught Captain. What was making matters worse was that it was his responsibility to order the dog shoots, that had to take place in the Base, due to the number of feral dogs that lived in the monsoon drains. It was high time there was one. Hector had been sighted off and on running with these dogs. About a week or so after our return, there was a delighted phone call. The wife of the Padré had been driving through Sembawang, near the main gate to the base and spotted Hector among the food stalls. She stopped the car, opened the door, called Hector and he came running over and jumped in! He was well fed and wearing a new collar. We were all delighted but none more so than D G-W who could go ahead with the dog shoot. [I know it sounds horrid, but needs must and they used good marksmen]
The next event was when he got covered in ticks. He was always getting the odd one, which I would pull off but this time he really was covered with them and got tick fever which meant a visit to the vet. We had to find where he was getting them. It turned out that a small skin rug that my brother had bought in NZ and given me well before we went to Singapore was thick with them. I imagine that he had dropped some on it over a period and they had bred and it became a vicious circle. The only problem, once the fever had gone, was that No 1 got one in a certain hairy part of his anatomy - much to my hilarity!
About a year before we came home, Hector escaped and disappeared. We had no idea where he was and really gave him up for lost. A fortnight later, a very bedraggled little figure was spotted wavering his way down the drive. He was torn open most of the length of his back. We decided that he had joined the dogs around the kampong and being extremely keen on the ladies, had got into a fight with one of the males. Any way, the vet again. He would not stitch up the wound because there was a great danger of fly blow. I was given a huge syringe and some nasty yellow ointment and had to get it in under all the loose skin! He didn't like it much but I managed and it kept the flies out. It was not long before he had healed up. A most remarkable dog - no?
Three months before we went home, we shipped him off - in a proper cage this time - to go into quarrentine. By doing it like that, we only had 3 months there and here without him, which was better than 6 months here. As for him, it made no difference. We did not visit him for 2 reasons. You could not touch the dog and also we were told it was better for him. For us to appear and then disappear again would have been very hard for him.
At this point I must introduce a very short-term dog. About 1.0 oclock at night, 6 months before we left, we were woken up by Leong throwing open the door and turning on the light. We were petrified because we thought it was burglers until he spoke. It turned out that a man had got in through the high narrow window in his and Lim's room and taken his watch - and frightened him a lot. He announced after this that he would not stay unless we got a guard dog. Hector slept with us and if left loose in the house at night barked all the time. So we got a brindled short haired dog about the size of an alsation, from a family that was going home. I forget her name, but she was a sweet dog, and got on well with Hector, but she had obviously been badly treated by a male Chinese! I made Leong feed her so that she would learn that he was OK. He did so with great trepidation but put up with her because she was definitely a good guard dog! We had an Indonesian gardener who was a witch doctor. People would come down the drive to see him with a live chicken's legs sticking out of a bag! One day, she bit him. I was really quite frightened because I thought he might put a curse on me!!! I bathed the wound and put sticking plaster on it. We heard no more about it, luckily. She was passed on to someone else, when we left.
So that is the end of dogs in Singapore. One day I might possibly blog about life there for us humans! There were still many years of life for Hector, so you will hear more of him anon.

Singapore

2007-11-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

At long last, here is the next instalment.

After Hector fell out with Mr Chips, and it became apparent that I would have to take Hector to Singapore with us, there was a fairly hectic period while I found out what was required. As far as I can remember, he did not need any injections that we had not already given him. What was required was a cage for him to travel in. Mr Petty gave me a tranquiliser to keep him happy.

The last day or so was spent with C's Godmother near Heathrow and while there we found the cage. She took us (me and A aged 6, C aged 5 and Hector) to the airport. No 1 was already out there getting a home organised. We boarded and had seats near the back on the left hand side. Funny the things we remember! Hector was in the cabin with us and at the back, where our coats were hung up. (Please remember that we are talking about 1969). Off we went to our first stop at Zurich.
By the time we got there, Hector had bitten his way through the wire on the front of the cage!. Everyone got off while we refuelled, Not the P.....'s. Because Hector was now free, we had to stay on board. The only wire they could find was fuse wire. Quite useless. We darned it across the hole but we knew it was not going to keep Hector in. He had had a tranquiliser before take-off. It had had the opposite effect. (Later A proved that it could happen to a boy too!!) Anyway, the plane took off and went to, I think, Bahrain. There were soldiers in all directions with guns. No one was used to that in those days. We could not go to the transit lounge because of Hector.
On to Delhi, so far as I can remember. Same thing - couldn't land. It was pretty horrific. I had C aged 5 in the window seat, then me then Hector in his cage. I had to keep calming him whenever he tried to bite his way out, so I couldn't sleep. By the grace of God, there were 2 off duty air hostesses, on their way to Singapore to bring a school party home, sitting behind us. They took A. Dealt with his almost hyperactivity and air sickness!! So I only had to cope with C and the dog!
After Delhi we went on to Jakarta, I think. There was a change of crew and a lovely pilate came aft asking who was the lady with the dog. Having identified me, he said he would look around when we got there and make sure there were no dogs about and if all clear, we could go for a walk! He was the man who was going to have to sign a piece of paper that said that Hector had not met a dog on his way from London to Singapore (rabies) Once there, he gave us the all clear and we went down into the great heat and walked on the spiky grass. Hector said it was not his idea of a place for peeing and so didn't! I bet if he had got lose in the cabin he would have! Still, it was the first time we had been able to stretch our legs. Hadn't since leaving the UK! That was the last stop.
The next stop was Singapore. 23 hours and only the one exit. No 1 was there to meet us. Our entry was simple but it took at least an hour to get Hector passed through. No 1 had decided that we should stay in a hotel as we arrived fairly late. The Singaporeans do not much love dogs. We managed to secrete him somehow until we were in the lift! He then had to spend the night in our room, still not peeing. I really cannot remember if he peed while walking round about the airport! The next day, we smuggled him out and went to our house in the Naval Base.
There another story awaits.

"Short-term" dogs - and Hector

2007-10-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

While we had Charlie, we also had a black labrador who was a relation (despite the colour) but not in any way the same. Black Rocket was a rangy bitch. A nice enough companion but before she was very old, she developed a problem with all her mucous membranes. This involved drooling, eyes running etc. As we had a small baby, and Petty could not find a cure, we ultimately had to make the decision that she would be happier in Valhalla. For some time, I painted all over inside her mouth at least twice a day with something given to us by Petty. Not a nice job but would have been worth it if it had worked.

Rocket was followed by another yellow lab, Jasper. He was a beautiful animal but he never got control of his gut, so there were piles every morning - fortunately on a stone floor. As time went by it developed into a diarrhoea form of movement. In the end, he went to stay with Petty in the hope that he could do something about it. Finally his back end turned massively inside out, so he went to join Rocket. This all caused us much distress and made us feel that although we loved labradors, we should perhaps not try with one again. However, we were not going to give up the idea of a dog altogether.

One day, my sil rang to say that a friend had a Border Terrier with a litter of mongrels. The mum was a lovely well behaved dog and they were looking for homes for the puppies. Right, said I, I will be over. Of course I fell for the babies - they are always so adorable, aren't they?
Before long they were old enough to go to their homes so one morning I collected a small person who could almost stand on my hand. We spent the day getting to know each other and then we heard the car and No1 was home. We went out of the front door to greet him and the small object started as he meant to go on - he growled! and growled! and growled!!!!! I seem to remember that No 1 was able to laugh - he really was a ridiculous sight being so small. We called him Hector.

I think that was about 1967. Little did we know what a mixed 17 years we were letting ourselves in for!

Towards the end of 1968 No 1 was offered a job in Singapore. The available work in the North East, in ship owning/repairing was not exciting and he really needed to do something drastic. To me it really was drastic - we had 2 children and a dog. I had only lived for a short time outside the NE of England. All my friends and interests were here. My Father was getting old and my Mother had multiple sclerosis. On the other hand, I had 3 younger brothers, our son was 6 1/2 and daughter was 5 - ages that would move easily. What about Hector? My parents had 2 Sausage Dogs, (sorry, Dachshunds), Fish and Chips. Fish was a black and tan bitch but Chips was a large red dog. Hector knew them well. The parents said they would take Hector which was a golden offer and I am sure was made with some misgiving. No 1 went off to prepare the ground and find accommodation and so on. I was left to sort out our belongings and complete the sale of the Old House. Having completed all that, I moved, with the children, to my parents and Hector of course. It was not long after we got there that Chips and Hector had a whale of a fight. Thank goodness it happened before I left because it was clear that they could not keep Hector if they were going to fight - they were too old for that. So the decision was forced on us to take Hector with us.

The flight and the 4 years in Singapore were not without incident but they are for the next post.

Charlie

2007-10-12T13:46:00.001-07:00

While we were still at Withy Brook, A was born. As Charlie was a child substitute up to that moment, it could have been difficult. However, he was a dog in a million. He certainly was not adversely affected by the advent of a baby into his life. The fact that said baby was a 'screamer' affected his missus a great deal more than him!.

Life continued in a rather different way. A baby who had to be 'walked'. Charlie did not know the meaning of the word - so this was a benefit though the walks were constricted to the only road, because of the pram! An extra person entered his life - the Mother's help. I dare say she slipped him food which, being a labrador, was of immense importance. When the baby was about 10 months old, missus became pregnant again and after a while, it was found that her blood pressure was up. As far as I can remember, it was at about 6 months. After that life became very boring for a labrador. Missus was in bed. The mother's help looked after the baby during the day. Master came home about 6.0 but the baby had to be put to bed. The dog took a very minor part. Looking back, as I write this, all I remember was the terrible frustration of being bed-bound and the difficulties of a hyper-active todler. No memories of how we looked after a yellow labrador. It is part of his glory that he did not cause us any problems.

It was probably during this time that 2 things happened. The first was when I was up. An Indian carpet seller came to try to sell us carpets (!) He got no nearer than the front gate. A yellow lion stood between him and me. A huge ruff and a deep voice were enough to persuade him that I did not need one of his carpets.

The other thing was when, about 1.00 am, a knocking came at the door. We were the last house on the way up to the moor. No 1 went down to see what it was all about. He was quite frightened and took Charlie with him. Again the huge ruff and the deep bark were enough to reduce the man whose car had failed up the hill to a heap of shaking jelly!!

In the end the baby who had caused Missus to be in bed for 2 1/2 months arrived. 6 months later the family moved to Hurworth and The Old House. This was a large house in the village. It had a large garden, but there were no longer fields around. Despite this, Charlie seemed to keep well. He was, by now getting on in age. He developed a kidney problem. The vet that we used was in Darlington. Those of you who know the Herriot stories may remember that Herriot used a vet in Darlington for small dog problems. This was Petty who was a brilliant vet and looked after Charlie very well. By the time he died, I reckoned I had bought at least one wheel of Petty's Bentley!! Charlie was not allowed any meat for the last part of his life and lived on a special kidney diet, which came in a can. The butcher and his delivery boy knew about the ban on meat. Charlie had always had an absolute passion for kidneys. No 1 went to Harrow School and had fond memories of Sunday breakfast - bacon, egg, mushroom, and kidney. As a result, we often bought kidneys from the butcher. One awful day, the 'boy' gave Charlie kidney, or maybe put the kidneys where he could get at them. The result was fatal. During that night he started to leak almost continuously and could not stand up by morning. It was clear what was to happen. I took him to see Petty, knowing what he would say. I could not stay with him - isn't that awful? But I just couldn't. I went back to the car and just wept and wept. After a short time Petty came out and said that Charlie had gone peacefully to Dogs Valhalla and what could he do for me? He offered a cigarette which I took, but all he could really do was leave me till I felt I could drive home. I got there in the end! (I have tears in my eyes as I write this)

More will come in the next addition. It would not be right to go on, after Charlie's going.

Niggy and on -

2007-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

As I told you, I was at boarding school when I got Niggy. After Vl form, I had a year at home (now known as a gap year). Most of it I actually spent at home. I did a correspondence course in Physics, which I hadn't done at school' and typing and shorthand. The latter was very difficult by post because they simply did not understand the long a that I used!! Anyway, that has nothing to do with Niggy. I disappeared for a fortnight to France to practice French but otherwise spent my time with Niggy and Jenny, my pony if I was not in my room doing one of the courses, writing to friends, going to the pictures with a friend, learning to drive and passing my test at the second try or trying my hand at the garden because that was what I had decided to do. Oh, and no doubt falling out with the parents - that's what one does at that age isn't it?

The next 3 years, for Niggy, were the same as when I was at school. Mine in the holidays, the parents in the term when I was at College learning Horticulture. After I left College, she remained at home because I got a job in South Harrow, working in a Nursery. About the end of this time, I met No 1 so came home and saw more of my dog, though I was working for the parents of a friend. No 1 and I were married in August 1955 and went to live in Cullercoats as he was completing his Chief Engineers qualifacations in Gateshead. As we looked out to sea and all I had to do was walk on the beach, it was very sad that we were not allowed a dog in the flat. Consequently, we were only with Niggy at the weekends. We had already bought a house on the North side of the Cleveland Hills, and spent our weekends working on it, usually staying at my home, so Niggy came with us. It was at this time that we became very friendly with someone who was to be very important to us for the next 15 years. He had a breed of yellow labradors, and usually had several of them about. It must have been about then that his main bitch gave birth to a litter which included Charloch (Charly), Cassiopea (Cassy) and Cobnut (Cobby).
We moved into Withy Brook in the spring of 1956. Niggy moved in with us and we were soon joined by Charly. Cassy went to a family who soon returned her as they couldn't cope. They had used a rolled up newspaper to control her, so that she went beserk if she saw a paper. Our friend soon got her sorted out and she was a happy member of the family group. Cobby was a really lovely dog - darkish yellow coat and huge. His gorgeous labrador head was vast in proportion and he was loving and giving. Very sadly he met an untimely end by jumping out of friends van and straight under a car. He was always headstrong. I have a lovely bit of old movie of him jumping a fence - beautiful.
Charly was one of those dogs that you never forget. He was a child substitute for the first 6 years of his life but still loved A when he finally arrived. He gave Niggy abit of hassle as a puppy, but she didn't really mind. She liked Withy Brook and pottered about happily until she became old and ill. She ended her life at my old home which I think she had always thought of as her home. Back to Charly. He was very naughty and very happy to go hunting on his own. I had to watch him the whole time. Despite that, he would escape quite often. I remember once, he had been missing for a few hours. The gamekeeper, who lived just down the lane and was a fairly nasty character, appeared at the door, with Charly's collar in his hand. He drew it out as long as he could before he told me that he had managed to get hold of the collar, but Charly had slipped it! I was quite certain that he had shot him! [Said gamekeeper, shortly after we left, was shot by his wife who then shot herself!]
So, Niggy has gone. Charly is growing mature and we are still at Withy Brook. There is still quite a lot more to tell about him and it is bed time, so that's it for now.

Dogs I have known.

2007-09-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

When I was born, my mother's terrier ran all round the village to tell everyone that there had been an Event at the Hall! I know Ma loved that terrier but I do not know much about him and certainly do not remember him.

The first dogs that I remember are Joey and Peggy. Joey was a smooth-haired mongrel, about the same height as a small springer, belonging to my Mother. She was black and tan and I loved her dearly. She was soooo long-suffering. I was fixated on driving her and used to try to make her go in 'harness' but it really was not part of her ethos! Peggy was a white and tan springer spaniel. She belonged to my Father and was a 'shooting' dog. She always accompanied my Father when he went shooting, but how good she was, I have no idea. She lived inside and was more of a pet really, I am sure! I did not have much to do with her - she was very much Pa's.
I remember a terrible event - to me, a small child. Peggy had gone missing as happened often with Joey too. On this occasion, Joey had come home but not Peggy. In the middle of the night, the person sleeping in the room at the West end of the house, heard a sort of whining and went down to investigate. Who-ever it was found Peggy outside the gate, in a very weak state. When, next day, she was taken to the vet, she had a very large number of pellets removed from all over. After careful nursing, she recovered, and went on to enjoy many more shooting days!

In the course of time, both dogs departed this life. I do not remember either going or when. Maybe, by then I was at boarding school - I really don't remember.

Then there was Poppy-poo-pa. Where did she come from? I've no idea. She was a brown and white, smooth-haired terrier of some indefinable sort. She was memorable because she just disappeared. She had a habit (as all dogs at home did) of going hunting. That day she was reported as having been seen, about tea-time, in a tired and grubby state, but was never seen again. We thought that she had probably gone down to the river and in her exhausted state had managed to be drowned but it was all speculation.

There may have been others that I have forgotten but we come now into the time when dogs belonged to me!

A black bitch of undefineable parentage appeared in the village and was taken in by the school teacher. She was very pregnant and ultimately my parents took her in. She gave birth to 3 puppies, Gog, Magog and Niggy. Gog and Magog were large yellow, dog puppies. Niggy was a black bitch. After a great deal of wearing down of an imovable mountain, I won and was given the black bitch. The other two were found homes in the village. I expect that I named her Niggy because she was black! As I was at boarding school, it was accepted by all, including Niggy! that she was mine in the holidays and theirs in the term-time. As a very lonely child, Niggy took a very important place in my life, along with my pony, which was of much more use as someone to talk to than to ride! (A future blog perhaps) Niggy's mother was called Gippy and there was only one thought in their minds. That was to escape and to have a jolly good hunt. It should be remembered that in those pre myxy days, there were oodles of rabbits and dogs knew that they only existed to be hunted!! The trouble was that we were in an area with a lot of sheep, so dogs out on their own were in danger of being shot (which was what had happened to Peggy) As a result, one of the dogs was on a lead at all times. They were swopped over regularly. Every now and then the 'on lead' dog would manage to get off and away they went. Even if you were there, you could shout your heart out and they wouldn't take a blind bit of notice!! However, despite a great deal of heartache caused to all, they both survived. I do not remember how Gippy met her end, but I know that Niggy lived to a good age and her story follows next. [I hope to add scanned photos later]

Terracotta Army and China

2007-09-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last October, G and I set out for Beijing. As the times of the tour companies flights did not suit anyone from Northumberland, we arranged our own flight by BA. G's son-in-law got us an upgrade (he is a BA pilot) but when we arrived our luggage was still in Heathrow!!. It arrived in our hotel next day.

We did all the usual things in Beijing, including visiting Tieneman Square and the Forbidden City and the Great Wall

Then we went on to Chian, where the army is. It was as amazing as they tell you, to go into the huge aircraft hanger-like place and to see all those soldiers.

This chariot was frequently seen on the television the last few days, in bits and programs about the army. I was amazed at how well it came out. Yes, I did take it myself! Here is a picture of the soldiers. And here is a picture of Belsay Bear from Belsay First School having a look!

We went on to see lots more of China including the 3 Gorges Dam, and having a cruise down the Yangste.

We ended in Hong Kong, which I had last visited in 1970, when I spent Christmas there, while living in Singapore.

While we were in HongKong, the Daughter and son-in-law arrived and the s-i-l flew us home. As a result, Belsay Bear was invited onto the flight deck and had his photo took!