Country diary of a city lady ...

Lancashire Plain

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 23:44:35 +0100

Looking out across the Lancashire plain towards Chorley, in the distance. A slight burst of sunshine and blue sky and no hoards of kids, because they all went back to school today. It was cool on the tops, a real Autumnal day but by lunch time the grey had returned. I thought global warming meant we were going to have hot, dry summers, if only!

The Nocturne

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:02:15 +0100

There was a “welcome home” to the cyclists, who did so well in the Beijing Olympics, followed by racing around the Lowry , on a tight short circuit. There were several races, including a folding bike race and the speed that the Elite race reached was unbelievable and quite scary; especially as it was quite dark by the time they finished.

Purple mountain

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:13:56 +0100

At the start of the Snake Pass, the hills looked a rich shade of purple, from the heather in full bloom; edged at the roadside with the bright yellow of oxford ragwort. The wide swathes of purple, as far as the eye could see, covered the moorland and were edged with shades of green and backed by a blue sky. It was even better to walk along the pathways, as a gentle fragrance hung in the air and lifted with a slight breeze. Fabulous!

Le Soleil brille

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 08:28:31 +0100

Well at least it did for a couple of hours! From the summit of Rivington Pike Blackpool tower could just be spotted, in the haze, across the Lancashire plain. Not a bad place to be just 15 minutes from the city, aren’t we the lucky ones!! Come on you BBC people, stop complaining about having to move up North!!!
The landscape is gradually improving on the Leverhulme estate, once the playground of the rich and famous and now the haunt of the wanderers. Most of the overgrown rhodedendrons cut back to ground level, due to their role in the development of “sudden oak death”. New paths have been revealed and a different feel to the place, that had once been encompassed by an air of neglect.

Tatton Park Flower Show

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:54:07 +0100

Weeks of rain ceased on Monday as the preparations for the show were almost complete. By Wednesday all was ship shape and ready for the thousands of visitors. There are some wonderful show gardens but not many Gold awards. I would have given them all Gold , just for the effort of battling with the cold, wind and torrential rain over the past weeks. As well as Gold, Chris Beardshaw got best in show, for some excellent planting and the BBC cameras were busy in there all day.

The Woolfest

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:58:04 +0100

The Woolfest was held in Cockermouth again. People were queuing up to get in but I didn’t think it was as good as last year. There were no sellers of wool from the Shetlands or N.America and there didn’t seem to be as many stalls but there was a good team from Norway, with knitters in traditional costume and their own fashion show; with avant garde designs. They also showed and sheared sheep in the auction ring. The whole thing is such a good idea, I hope it goes from strength to strength - come on all you knitters give it some support!

Blossom and bluebells

Sat, 31 May 2008 20:44:38 +0100

The last day of May and warm enough to sit and enjoy nature at it’s best. The hawthorn blossom adorned the trees in abundance and filled the air with it’s slightly acrid smell. And underneath lay a carpet of bluebells - English ones! Plantlife has been working hard to inform people about the difference between the English and Spanish bluebells; the latter have a smaller, lighter colour and more open flower head and are extremely invasive; whereas the English are a darker colour, longer flower heads and a flower stalk which bends over and it may disappear, if we don’t take care. Plantlife do an excellent job bringing back from the brink and preserving our wild flower heritage. http://www.plantlife.org.uk/

Spring at Tatton Park

Sun, 25 May 2008 13:56:10 +0100

For the past few weeks Tatton has been looking magnificent. Weeks of cold and rain followed by two weeks of sunshine and everything suddenly burst into flower. The smell from the azaleas is heavenly, the rhodedendrons a mass of flowers, the handkerchief tree dripping with delicate white brachs and the wisteria wonderful. And surrounded with such beauty no-one bothers with the biennial art works, which look rather cheap, plastic and tacky!

Spring

Mon, 19 May 2008 22:55:25 +0100

Spring, at last ! A glorious sunny day to be out on the hills; even warm enough to sit in the sun and contemplate the world. Over the past two weeks everything has “greened up”, lambs are frolicking and the spring flowers are emerging; nice especially to see the wood anemone, such a tiny delicate flower. Good to see that Haggwater bridge has been rebuilt; the old one was washed away in the floods last summer and it was a bit dodgy jumping over the gap.

The boat race

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:25:44 +0100

The Universitiesof Manchester and Salford had their boat race on Saurday 10th. May. Lovely sunny weather, lots of people, nice friendly atmosphere.When it first started on the canal in the 70’s there was some apprehension, as there was so much chemical pollution in the water but glad to say it’s much cleaner these days. Although Manchester were the overall winners, Salford ladies were the first to cross the line and there was a fly past of a Lancaster bomber! A bit scary, a lumbering sounding engine and it looked so big and heavy , that it seemed as though it would plummet to the ground when it tried to turn ; might even have been one that my Dad helped to build it in the 1940’s !

Robin

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:40:44 +0100

How do robins always know when you are going to dig? As soon as the soil is turned over he appears , watching for food!
Spring is certainly on it’s way now and beginning to show it’s glory in Tatton. The azaleas are in blossom and will soon be followed by the rhodedendrons.

Discovery

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 16:08:55 +0100

Found a new garden, yesterday, called Walkden Gardens; near Sale Moor; known locally as “the secret garden”. What a delightful little place; beautifully kept and full of interest, including a Grade Two listed building -The Dovecote. It was comprised of small rooms, each with an individual theme; there was a Japanese garden, a knot garden, and even one just filled with daffodils and all edged with beach. I would imagine the wisteria arch and the herbaceous border will look really pretty in a few weeks time and I must make a note to return.

Rivington

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 20:09:21 +0000

What a fabulous day, a frosty start but the sun shining and the sky blue. Lots of things happening at Rivington, the park is undergoing restoration and what a fascinating place. Firstly all the rhodedendrons had to be cut back as they were harbouring a disease , which could cause sudden oak death. This then revealed the former structure of the gardens , the Japanese garden, the pools and the remains of the summer house - which will hopefully be renovated as a visitor centre. Although it will still be free access, it will be closed at dusk- so no more midnight strolls!

Ladybower

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:20:46 +0000

A cold, crisp day, not a cloud in the sky and a lovely day for walking but a good idea to stay on a sunny path, not a day for lingering. Ladybower was as still as a millpond, holding perfect reflections for happy photographers.

Helleborus

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:27:44 +0000

Helleborus niger and orientalis in bloom mean that Spring will soon be on it’s way. Always difficult though, to take a good photograph of them as their heads hang down !

Snow

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 15:40:17 +0000

Everywhere else might have got some but our flutter lasted only for 10 minutes and had gone within the hour. So no dramatic snow shots, where the dark skeletons of trees are outlined against the snow. The Olympic hopefuls did brave the elements; no doubt they kept warm by rowing twice as hard!

Nepal

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:58:06 +0000

Nice photo of Bill and Margorie taken at Annapurna Base camp on their trip to Nepal in October. Fabulous blue sky but maybe a bit cold for camping!!

Crochet tablecloth

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:27:12 +0000

It started life, in the 1980’s, as a king sized bedspread; made one square each lunchtime, took nearly a year to complete. But made out of cotton it was too big to even go into the washing machine and eventually it was pushed into a cupboard. It was used occasionally to decorate the table at craft fayres but then this year I decided to split it in two. Had just enough cotton to redo the edge and it’s made two great tablecloths

New Year

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 22:48:25 +0000

Sadly not quite the spectacular show here in Salford, as they had in London or Edinburgh but you can just see the tiny glow of a firework over Manchester and the sentiments are the same!!
Happy New Year
Bonne Année
Alle Guten Wünsche zum Neuen Jahr
с новым годом
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”
Ursula Le Guin

Swans

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:33:42 +0000

“Ok Folks! I know it’s Christmas and wet, cold and pretty miserable out here but there’s no need to forget our bread rations! What! no worms in the grass, better go and see what they’ve got down the road”.