genialgemsandothergabblings

 I like the quiet time , just after we have had tea ,cleared away and yesterday because it was so nice after a day of showers I went for a stroll around the garden to see what was new. I thought all my tulips had finished but then up came some late ones to give a fantastic show and they are really quite  stunning with a flirty little edge to them as you can see. The white azalea is doing well even though it has been in the same pot for a few years ! This Aquilegia is an unusal colour with the green tips  I have no idea where it came from but I do grow a lot of these from seed! So here we have big old Bebe who is so happy that I now leave the door open to the old summer house and he can have luxury snoozes! The beautiful blue poppy that I had, was dug up by the cats I think  but I managed to find another and it looks as though It will flower well in a short while judging by the emerging buds. The Lilac t...

Have even found time for some more scrapbooking of our USA trip. A wet day in the garden but despite the weather the plants have been doing well! A bank of wild primroses at Caerlaverock.  Well what a great weekend we spent up at Southerness and although I have known far far warmer May temperatures we still had a lovely time exploring a good deal.  The wonderful rock formations on the shoreline at Southerness are a geologists  dream and children would love all the rock pools. The old lighthouse is no longer in use but it is a reminder of how dangerous this part of the scottish coast was in years gone by. It is the second oldest lighthouse in Scotland. Me saying Isle of Man that way! The river at Dumfries and the Old Bridge This was a very interesting place , the old mill is now a centre dedicated to Burns Life. I found out that Robert Burns was hardworking, a loving father and a bit of a ladies man, apart from being a great...

For a few short days we were lulled into thinking Spring or even a taste of summer had arrived and just like us the cats left the cosy warm greenhouse and ventured out into the garden. I couldn't resist snapping old Bebe at his laziest and take these few shots of him revelling in the lovely sun. The work in autumn of planting up the bulbs has paid off and the whole garden burst forth in a vibrant splash of colour and kept me busy watering and tidying up and generally just enjoying all that wonderful scent and colour! We had a stop off on the way home from our Welsh trip, in Liverpool to view the new canal link down by the Pier Head and to see what else has been going on . The changes we have witnessed in the last 30 years have been staggering but for the better as there is now so much to see and do. So hope you all enjoyed the warmth as now it looks as though the snow will be back.. lets hope not for long. Happy Easter ! That's it a bit on my belly!

Rainbow after a hail shower Me on the Pier!   What a lovely weekend we had in Llandudno, and after a shaky start on Saturday the weather started to behave and out came the sun. The lovely view from our room in the hotel can be seen in the rainbow photographs and just to sit and watch the ever changing light across the bay to the Little Orme is quite a treat.   On the Sunday we went off to explore Bodnant Gardens and how stunning they were. The Magnolias were all coming into bloom and so to were fields of golden Daffodils.The Magnolia on the top of this blog was one of the most beautiful and especially so against the blue of the sky! Narcissus Hellebores at their very best A view acoss the gardens at Bodnant The Grand Hotel once the jewel in the crown at Llandudno in Edwardian times can be seen in the background.

I came back from a shopping trip  to spend my Birthday money with this lovely little planter which  I fell for bigtime! I have many planters all over the garden which are sometimes a problem as when we go on holiday I have to enlist the help of someone to water them and this can sometimes take a while in hot weather. This large pot planted up would have cost quite a lot from a garden centre but it was on offer at at half price empty and I got lots of reduced spring bulb in flower from Morrisons which are great for really good plants at good prices.In a week or two it will look really great and have early bees buzzing all over it I hope. Then I spent more money and ordered this lovely fabric from Australia , Just could  not resist it. Now what to make with it is the question....Any ideas?

Well seeing as they say we are in for a few mild spring like days, at least until the weekend I thought I would post up a few spring like photos taken in the garden. Lovely tete a tete daffodils coming into flower Some eggs dropped from the nest of the doves in the conifer tree, they have started early this year. Just wish they liked another garden as I shall worry because of the cats. A sweet group of snowdrops. Last night I made Pancakes which were pretty tasty, you shouldn't stop these things just because the kids grow up and go! Hope you manage to get out in the milder air!