things I enjoy...part 2...

I think I am quite a simple creature really - don't know if everyone who knows me would agree, I think I drive them nuts some of the time...

But in terms of things that make me smile and feel life can be good, little things do it for me. I don't need flashy things - although if anyone is offering diamonds or luxury holidays I might revise that comment...!! On the whole, a lovely walk, early mornings, close family time and reassuring affection is enough. And flowers...

For the last six months I have tried to have fresh flowers in the house all the time. I have spent very little money, some have been gifts, some have been late supermarket bargains, but the pleasure I get from these little sploshes of colour around the place is immeasurable. So this post is a reflection on flowers that have brought a smile to my face in the last few weeks...

This beautiful red rose is flowering in my teeny front garden at the moment - disappointingly lacking in fragrance but makes up for it in these gorgous blowsy blooms.

Sweet williams from the bargain bin that have lasted well over a week - they remind me of the cottage garden of a favourite great aunt and uncle from my childhood, where after an afternoon playing outside we were allowed to have crisp sandwiches... (I know, sounds revolting, but as a kid I thought it was fab, particularly as they weren't ever on the agenda at home!!)

Pretty chrysanthemums, more special because they were given to me by visiting middle son and girlfriend last weekend.

My 'bits that broke off/were too short to go elsewhere' vase! I like to have just a flower or two on my kitchen window sill - either odd short stems like these or a single stem in a bottle. Apart from anything else, I am completely rubbish at throwing flowers away while there is a hint of life in them, so ths is where the trimmed down ones often end up for a few more days!

Delicate lisianthus (badly photographed in poor light!!) given to me by a very lovely friend who had sensed I was a bit down in the dumps and turned up with dinner, these and a half bottle of Moet!!!

Hoping you have lovely things in your lives too :-)

Sx

things I enjoy...part 1...

I have been trying to adopt a philosophy of, where possible, ensuring that life is full of things I enjoy - things I like to do or to look at, people I enjoy being with... and to make the effort to appreciate those things. And although, of course, there are always other bits of 'life' that just have to be 'got on with', I am trying to say no if I mean no and not just go along with things because I feel guilty if I don't. I don't know if that makes any sense... but I think I know a lot of women (me included!) who spend a lot of their time trying to juggle things and keep everyone happy and forget about themselves along the way. Maybe I've just got a lot more selfish. It does feel a bit that way sometimes and that, inevitably, brings another whole wave of guilt! But I don't think it is unreasonable to live at least some of life for ourselves and to aim to be happier and more fulfilled people?

Anyway, in that vein, this weekend (despite the decidedly dodgy bank holiday weather!) yesterday a friend and I went for a long walk. We set off to Blickling, a little village near Aylsham and home to a very grand stately home. It is maintained by the National Trust now but claims to have been the birthplace of Ann Boleyn and to be haunted by her headless ghost! I don't know about that, but it is a truly impressive building set in a massive estate with lots of footpaths in the surrounding countryside. 

I'm usually pretty well prepared on the maps front, particularly when I am walking somewhere I've not been before, but I realised all the Explorer maps (with their great detail of footpaths, landmarks and field boundaries) have not moved house with me so armed just with the smaller scale Landranger map and a photo of the bigger  scale map on my phone (I know, bad idea, but printer out of ink - what is a girl to do but improvise...!) off we went...

The footpath took us along parts of Weavers Way away from and then back towards the Blickling estate. Past the top end of the large lake (now used as a fishing lake)...

and on through the woods past the Mausoleum built by Lady Caroline Suffield, who inherited Blickling after the death of her father, John Hobart 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire. Very odd to come across a pyramid in this very English landscape!

I should point out that at this point it was absolutely freezing! Cold, windy and not a hint of sunshine and even with gloves on (4th June, for goodness sake!!!) I could barely feel my hands! Undeterred, onwards...

There are some beautiful trees at Blickling, some of them ancient I'm sure...

The sun began to break through as we walked through a canopy of trees and turned the early summer foliage the brightest lime green...

Out of the trees, we headed into the surrounding countryside...

Very pretty, especially as a bit of blue sky was properly putting in an appearance by this stage...

Our route took us along narrow country lanes, lined with hedgerows full of pretty blossom...

and alongside a twisting river...

So far, so good, even with our slightly inferior map selection! And then the track we were following took us into a meadow full of buttercups...

...and other wild flowers...

...but no obvious footpath anywhere to be seen! We retraced our steps, did an extra loop to where we thought a more obvious path began, came full circle, had a bit of a wade through knee length wet grass and on the fourth time going through this gate...

...decided that Norfolk footpaths are very badly waymarked and that we would have to head to the road and follow that, when I glanced to my left and saw...

We must have walked past this four times!!! It was a bit hidden but even so...bit less chatting maybe?! 

No wet grass here, just a well boarded path through woodland back to the Blickling estate...

First stop the pub!

Unfortunately all the faffing about en route meant we'd missed the boat for food (which looked delicious!) so had to settle for a girlie lunch...!

...before heading back along the lakeside ...

There were one or two trees that looks as though they have been struck by lightning and I love the fact that there are new trees springing up at their feet...

All in all, a Good Day - outdoors enjoying the countryside, good company, a lot of chat and laughter and a bit of sunshine thrown in for at least some of the time!

Sx

Photo hunting May 2012...belatedly!

I did actually manage to take all the photos for the May list from Kathy (Postcards from the PP) in the month of May but didn't find time to actually post them! So a few days late here they are...

Good things...

There is a small bakery just down the road from me. I don't eat a huge amount of bread but occasionally I treat myself to something from there and the day I nipped in for this it had just come out of the oven. It was so warm I had to keep switching it from one hand to the other as I walked home, even wrapped in its paper bag! I cannot tell you how good the smell was - so much so that I just had to eat a piece as soon as I got back!!! Yum!

Small packages...

This little parcel was for my Mum's birthday and contained a sweet pair of vintage jade earrings I found in a 'treasure' shop; it loosely calls itself 'antiques and collectables'! Not much in the way of true antiques there but all sorts of discarded unwanted stuff - much of it a bit grotty but some of it lovely. Always good for a mooch...!

Fragrance...

I've walked past this amazing wisteria a lot in the last few weeks and the fragrance, especially in the evening has been quite intoxicating. Beautiful.

Station...

Norwich train station - of course... Couldn't come up with anything more imaginative than this I'm afraid.

Nose...

I've never been very good at the whole wine appreciation malarky - well, I do appreciate it (!) but I couldn't be very specific about the grape, or the 'hints of...' I just know some I like better than others (complete heathen of course!). However, I'm pretty sure this red did have a good nose...! It went down very nicely... 

Front page...

Unless you had your head firmly in the proverbial sand it would be just a bit difficult to ignore certain events this year! This is our local freebie paper's take on things..!

Nine...

I have so many knitting needles! When I was taking these photos for an earlier post I realised I had 9mm and old-style imperial No 9s together here. You've got to love knitting on 9mm... speedy!!

Beverage...

Tom's 'Giddy Giraffe' smoothie - can't quite remember what was in it, definitely mint and lime, and I think passion fruit...whatever, it was delish!

Currency...

It struck me that a lot of the time my main form of currency these days is plastic - I have a purse full of plastic cards of one sort or another and often no cash at all!!

Historic...

Part of the old city wall - lots of historic buildings and structures locally are built with flint stones. I love the texture and ruggedness of them. And I also love that these tiny plants can somehow find a tiny hold and take root there.

Yellow...

I took so many pictures of yellow things last month but out walking one day this made me stop and smile. There is a lot of municipal planting in Norwich and the theme this year, at least in terms of spring bulbs, was very much with the pink, white and dark purple varieties (can't decide if this is a close call to the patriotic red, white and blue?). So this one rogue yellow tulip rather 'stood out from the crowd'! Whoops.

Do you see what I see? 

Blue sky! And sunshine! We have had such a lot of grey, dull days that when we had a succession of days with gorgeous clear blue skies it seemed worth recording! Of course, now normal weather service seems to have been resumed with almost continuous rain today - but this was lovely while it was here!

So that's my lot for May, thanks as always to Kathy for the inspiration - I'm off to look at some other hunters finds and to see what's on the list for June!!

Til next time...

Sx