Snowdrops and Sunshine

They are at their best at the moment - the snowdrops in my garden, of course. What else would I be writing about at this time of the year? And yesterday was just the day to enjoy them as we experienced a taster of a warm and sunny day. So warm and sunny, in fact, that not far away from us in Coleshill the temperature peaked at 18.7, which is quite a contrast to the previous day, when the wind was decidedly icy and there were still a few remnants of snow around the garden when I took the above photo. It seems, though, that every time the sun comes out, Mike and I are destined to spend the day at the QE, attending his various appointments. At least this time, as the appointment was in the morning, there was a little time to get out into the garden for a short while, once we had arrived back home. So I opened up the greenhouse, trimmed back some of the plants in there, watered the sweet peas and lettuce seedlings, and out in the garden, I cut down the miscanthus (I took this shot of the miscanthus seed head first) and sedum stems. If the weather stays OK, there's plenty of tidying up to do - clearing leaves away from the emerging spring bulbs etc. There were splashes of colour too, as in the front garden the crocus were fully opened in the warm sunshine. As well as the snowdrops, in the back garden the hellebores are continuing to produce their first flowers and the camellia 'Donation' is now in bloom, with lots of buds still to open.

Last week I brought back more of my parsnips from the allotment (and there's still another row to dig up). They were almost perfect, not too big and woody, with few marks, and so tasty. We'll be enjoying more of them this evening, when our son's in-laws join us for a meal. Down on the plot, I had time to inspect things and re-fill the bird feeders etc. There are fat buds on the fruit bushes now, so I'm hoping we'll have an equally fruitful year as the previous one. We are still enjoying last year's harvest although there is, by now, some spare room in the freezer, and empty spaces in the pantry, as the jam, bottled and frozen fruit is used up. My favourite has been the raspberry jam - enjoyed on toast, in Victoria sandwich cakes, on home made scones (with cream, of course) and sometimes as a sauce on ice cream. Yummy!

It was grey and cloudy when I woke this morning, but the sun has broken through occasionally as I sit tapping away at my lap-top. Across the road, the farmer is inspecting his recently ploughed field and I'm wondering what the crop will be this year. There would usually be some indication by now, but he seems to have left it quite late this year. I did think it might be potatoes, but as it's been manured but not limed, I doubt it. In the meantime, my 'Lady Crystal' potatoes, sitting in their egg boxes in the conservatory, are sending out good, strong shoots.

Realising that 'outdoor time' was almost upon me, I spent quite some time last week, updating my family history - a job I'd been putting off for too long. Procrastination is the thief of time. And so it is! I had all winter to do this job, and having left it for so long it was all the more difficult as I tried to work my way through various documents, certificates, photos and e-mails and letters. Still, I've made a start.

The 70th Birthday Party

We listened to the weather forecasts and, eventually, watched the snow begin to fall. Then we began to receive the phone calls. Quite a few of our guests were due to travel from some distance away, so we were not surprised to receive their apologies for not being able to attend Mike's party. Like us, they were very disappointed, but it was quite understandable, under the the circumstances. During Saturday, we called down at the church hall to inspect the progress, and to add the finishing touches, such as the pots of primroses and cyclamen for the tables. The previous evening my granddaughter and myself had covered the pots with two layers of contrasting and brightly coloured tissue paper, tied on with coloured string.

Eventually, everything was ready, and we were back down at the hall to welcome those guests who had actually made it. Apart from those who had sent their apologies, some had set out and had to turn back, and others had experienced rather difficult journeys. Still, Mike had sent out over 80 invitations, and 65 people turned up, and very pleased we were to see them. After the meeting and greeting, we settled down to enjoy the excellent food that our caterers (and old friends of ours) had prepared. Well done Pauline, Phil and John of Parties2Please. I was so relieved that Mike had persuaded me not to do all the catering myself. They'd worked so hard during the day, setting up all the tables, bar etc, and the food couldn't have been better (with lots of compliments). When everyone was sitting down, our grandchildren took around raffle tickets, to be drawn later - the prizes being the decorated pot plants. That went down well too. Then the Green Man's Morris entertained us, and managed to encourage quite a few of the party goers to join in 'Bean Setting' (after a bit of instruction), which was very entertaining. Lovely to see our two sons, the grandchildren, my brother-in-law and Mike joining in. The cake (made by another friend) was cut, after our grandson assisted Mike to blow out the candle.

Despite hours of planning the music, no one actually got up to dance but perhaps I was expecting too much for a 70th party. In any case, quite a few of the guests left fairly early, as they were worried about getting home. Eventually it was just the extended family group and our caterers left, all helping with the clearing up, and eventually (when the taxis eventually came for those staying at nearby hotels etc) we arrived home about 1am. A very successful (despite the weather) night and, most importantly, enjoyed very much by Mike.

The following morning I had two sittings for a full English breakfast, and a full house for a while. After opening all his cards and presents, Mike and I settled down with the Sunday papers, and did a bit of snoozing and recovering, in between answering the phone - more apologies and plenty of thanks.

To all the friends and family who attended - thanks so much for making it such a memorable evening.

And, after all that, it isn't actually his birthday until next Sunday! We just held it early to fit in with family arrangements. So, there'll be another (quieter) celebration then.

Clent

Just returned from a day walking in the Clent Hills. The ground was like iron (apart from one or two muddy and slippery slopes), the sky clear and blue, and the air crisp and decidedly cold. It's not often there's complete silence, as we all enjoy chattering to each other, but there were one or two long and steep hills that proved a little too much for holding long conversations. What wonderful views from the tops though. It was good to be out with the walkers again. Unfortunately I've not made it every week due to various things, including visits to the QE with Mike.

Last year, after my snowdrops had finished flowering, I'd dug up a couple of large clumps and split them into sections, to hand out to some of the walkers. I was pleased to hear that they were now flowering well in their new homes. I must take some 2012 photos of my own snowdrops at the bottom of the garden. I should have done it when I returned home, when it was still sunny and bright, as the weather forecast sounds a bit grim, and they could soon be covered in frost, or snow.

On our way back to the car park, we passed St Kenelm's Church at Romsley, where I managed to get these two photos of carvings, one over the doorway, and the other (is it of St Kenelm?) high up on the exterior wall of the church. St Kenelm was, according to the story, an Anglo Saxon boy king and martyr, who was murdered by a close relative at the age of seven, but it appears that he actually died in his twenties.