Roundheads and Royalists at Battle

We were blasted with loud cannon and musket fire at last Saturdays re-enactment by The English Civil War Society. Quite a spectacular display by around a thousand people and twenty horses. There was also an encampment of families well informed and willing to talk to us about life in 17th Century Britain.

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We had a much quieter day on Sunday with friends in the wonderful Quantock Hills in Somerset enjoying a picnic in the sun and a walk to the highest point at Will's Neck.

 We picked and ate Bilberries and could see for miles across the Bristol estuary to the Welsh mountains, amazing! must go again.

Dancing Daisies

Daisies large or small I love their milk white petals and their sunny centres. They thrive in a hot spot in any garden and I have had a good show this year in mine.

They look wonderful on this pretty Cicely Mary Baker plate I have for sale in my Etsy shop.

I love the way the nature mixes its own colours in the garden just as an artist would mix them on a canvas.

My garden is full of self seeded gems.

Lychnis Magenta and white (Rose campion) 

Corn flowers and Linaria purpurea

Marsh Iris

Water Iris

I enjoy regular walks with my family along an old section of canal which is under restoration.
It has been an ongoing project for the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust for many years and their patron who has a house near by is H.R.H. The Duchess of Cornwall.
We get to it by following a footpath over 3 fields so it is quit an isolated spot and a perfect place of wild life.

Culverts along the canal are being rebuilt and small sections of the canal are starting to be dug out so filling with water. We came across a shallow section yesterday full of tadpoles already with legs and just starting to look like frogs or toads.
Further along  we found water snails sliding along the clay bottom and the whole length was edged with water loving wild flowers the most striking being the yellow water Iris.
You can get more information on the project by going to their web site at http://www.wbct.org.uk/
The same marsh Iris are seen on this pretty plate for sale on my etsy site.

Cicely Mary Baker's Iris Fairy plate with blue Anchusa in the background

We are starting to gather the fruits of our labour at the allotment now with our first Sunday lunch yesterday with all our own vegetables. We picked Peas, Broad Beans, Swiss Chard, Carrots and Beetroot. We hope to be digging potatoes in about two weeks time.

Our Runner beans and sticks are in and no, we are not trying to grow milk cartons I have cut out the bottom and top of empty plastic milk cartons, stuck them 2" into the ground to water the white courgettes more directly. Hubby has made frames from roof battening and covered them with netting to protect our sprouts, Broccoli and white sprouting from the birds.

We have planted out tomatoes called 'Outdoor Girl', Pumpkins, Squash, Aubergines and the Swede seeds I put in on 5th May are now 3" high and I am thinning them out gradually. Just sown some more Peas as the first batch have been so successful. I dig up a garlic today which were planted in October, looks like they will be ready soon.
You can really taste the difference when you grow your own.

Enjoying an English Strawberry

At the end of September last year, my friend Cindy surprised me with a bucket full of baby strawberry plants, runners from the ones in her garden. 

I had not planned to have a strawberry patch on our allotment but as I can never refuse a plant I allocated an area, dug in some horse manure and planted them. 

Now I am delighted to be picking a couple of handfuls every other day. They are very sweet even when just turning pinky red, the variety is Cambridge Vigour and I would recommend it as a good one to grow, said to be good even if you are in a frost pocket. Delicious on your morning cereal or with cream for tea.

My husband made a wooden frame and covered it with net to stop the birds as they love them too. We also laid some straw around the plants to prevent the fruit from rotting. 

some I picked this evening for our tea

Back to my indoor sowing, I found this beautiful fabric at the weekend and it inspired some more bunting flags with a strawberry flavour.

Alliums and Aquilegias

Allium albopilosum

After some long awaited heavy rain here in the last few days our garden and allotment are recovering well. March and April have been very dry here in Wiltshire and we have had the hottest April for 350 years.
Our Alliums and Aquilegias, which generally do not mind dry spells, are now giving a good show.
Aquilegias (border perennials) are delightful cottage garden flowers that easily seed around the garden once you have purchased your first plant so giving a better show each year.
They come in many shapes and colours these are some I have in my garden.

This is a dwarft Allium called moly, the flowers here are just coming out.
When in full bloom they measure 9 inches accross, quite spectacular.

In between busy days at the allotment and the usual house hold chores I have made some white wooden bird and heart bunting.

Cannot end this blog without mentioning the wedding. What a fantastic day, my children were glued to the TV having never seen a large Royal event before and my huddy and I enjoyed it so much we where late for our local celebrations.

Lots of food and drink enjoyed by all thanks to Candy and Isabel for organising a great party.
Local school children enjoyed a party the day before and the weather was perfect.

Best wishes to William and Catherine may you have many happy years together.

Blossom Trees and Honey Bees

Our ornamental cherry has flowered at its best again this year just a pity that the petals fall after only a few days. But while in bloom the bees love it and the air is full of their buzzing sound.
We have had an abundance of Mining Bees in the garden of which their are over 100 species in Britain.We have seen their holes in the lawn where the female digs the burrow sometimes 2 feet deep. She makes a cell at the end of the tunnel, fills it with a supply of honey and pollen then lays her eggs back up the tunnel each with a ball of honey and pollen for food. When she reaches the surface her work is done and she dies.

This is our Slo and Crab apple trees growing together in the garden to give this beautiful show and provide more food for the bees.

Down at our allotment this pink and purple Pulmonaria with its pretty spotted leaves is supplying pollen for this small Bumble Bee Bombus who also nests below ground.
I have been busy tending to my many seedlings ready to plant out into the allotment. Planning to plant out Yellow Courgettes, Squash and Pumpkins this week along with some Dahlia tubers.

Our Strawberry's are in full bloom now and safely covered from the black birds and Pheasants who stroll along nearby.
Only hope we get some rain soon but not until after tomorrow as we do not what rain to spoil William and Kate's special day, it's party, party, party tomorrow!!!

Medieval Day

A beautiful spring day, a picnic with the family, a little bit of history and tea with friends made the perfect day last Sunday.
Harlech Knights Re-enactment Group visited Lacock Abbey for the day with their medieval nuns, knights and craftspeople.



medieval nun



knight



lady spinning wool



medieval style tapastry

After informative talks about medieval weapons and how they were used in battle the knights performed an unrehearsed battle to the pretend death in front of the crowd. Even wearing chain mail and helmets they must have endured a few prize bruises but good fun to watch and we all cheered them on. Fight, Fight, Fight... 

On our way home we stopped off at the allotment as the first early potatoes were showing themselves and needed rowing up. Plus the girls wanted their first glims of the slow worms soaking up the heat under a piece of tarpaulin on the compost heap.

They had babies too but they were camera shy.

The day was complete after a cold glass of beer and a nice cup of tea with friends in the village who had been relaying an old patio in their garden.

no these were not those friends just others blocking the path on the way home.