English summer

Beautiful June - sunshine and showers and rainbows and swallows. Light and shade, leaves and hedgerow flowers. I am always amazed at the lushness of an english summer meadow. I think there is too much doom and gloom about here being no green or open spaces left these days. There's certainly plenty here in the northwest.
Up early as usual but it was too cloudy to see the transit of Venus - to be honest I am rather more concerned that up to now I have only seen one magpie today and that's one for sorrow. Hopefully there's time yet for one to show himself this evening.
Whilst on my walk along the canal there were two young men running with ropes and sticks, a young heifer had fallen in the water on the other side!!  They just shouted and banged the stick and somehow the cow got itself onto a shallow overflow bit and heaved itself up!  I congratulated them and he said well it was better than going in as well. Drama on the canal bank!
Only yesterday I was leaning on the gate watching the swallows swooping inbetween the cattle, a lovely swishing of birds so close to the animals and the ground but never touching. I do like cows - the grassy earth smell of them and their long balck eyelashes.
Also I have been to the antiques fair today - had to restrain myself as I have three family birthdays this week so I actually only spent ten pounds though there were lots of things that tempted me. Would you like to see what I bought?

The picture of a lion is a print by Rembrant it says?  Shall have to check this out some time, green shoes are another weakness and the basket is quite large and in very good condition - bought to hold kittens in that are due here on 19th June,
I'll keep you posted on those    >^..^<

Hello there Spring is here again and very welcome it is too. In between everything I have been watching a couple of old films "The Go-Between" and "The Hireling" both based on books by L.P.Hartley, I must say the books are far better than the films - rather flat endings to both I thought. And nowhere near as brilliant as anything H.E.Bates ever wrote.
In fact I have just read by him "The Feast of July" by Bates and then found the dvd on Amazon - I realise they are adaptations i.e. "based on" the novels but huge changes to the story are annoying - the ending of the book was far and away better than the film version. I won't spell it out here in case you read the book.
Have been out for an early walk today with Little Bess and the woods are thick with wild garlic (or ransoms), beautiful green glossy leaves and creamy fat flowers filling the air with the pungent scent. Must dig out Monty Don's recipe for nettle soup which is always to be accompanied by some ransoms. If you would like the recipe let me know and I can pop it on here,

Kindest wishes for a bright albeit still chilly springtime! Angela x

Spring ( or W E I L & F P T )

"Oh To be in England, now that spring is here!"
And at last I am going to write about books. I have had a little sojourn into the green and pleasant land that is H.E.Bates.  If you haven't read it then you must find a copy of "love for Lydia" and settle down. It is so very poignant and another one of those I think you can read again and find more and more in it.
Also I have it on DVD and have watched that also - you may wonder where I get the time - well I am blessed with insomnia!  That's the truth and how I choose to see it - always look on the positive side if possible.
The serialisation was so true to the book and the words changed hardly at all. How it should be, shouldn't try to  improve on perfection. I have two copies of the book - the one in the middle was bought last and probably because it showed the actors from the series and the DVD wasn't out then. It was 1977 and I would have been thirteen - an impressionable age for a young girl.

If you have read it let me know what you think - take care - Angela x

Hello there - I was up early as usual - today at 5.15am when it was just slowly changing from bluey purple to that greenish tinge before the dawn breaks.
The dawn chorus was so loud and beautiful too. I am sure there was a gathering of all sorts of birds, some surely I'd  never heard before and it sounded like hundreds of them.
 It was a bit chilly but I was wrapped up with a cup of strong tea leaning out of the bedroom window. A beautiful experience - I am often glad to be one of those people who only need five hours or so of sleep.
 It's a wonderful world we have.And watching the sunrise and listening to birdsong are free and happen daily - it doesn't get much better than that.

Hope you are enjoying the weather at the moment - uncommonly warm for March  - 20 degrees!!
My sister is picking me up shortly and we are having a day out to Lancaster with our mum too.
Shopping and lunch is in order methinks
Take care, Angela >^..^<
photo of DizzyMint - she's crazy about knitting !!!!!

Good morning - well it appears my blog site is here again?   I had thought of giving up as have had so much trouble being unable to access it. I have done, seen and bought so much since my last post !
Where to start?  I will gather my thoughts and put a little update on later this evening, off to work now Very busy time in floristry being Mothering Sunday this weekend
Here is a cute little teapot I picked up from my favourite antiques fair - good job it's on only fortnightly as I find it hard to resist little things that cost a few small pounds Happy days :)))
Chat to you later

Angela >^..^<

Hello - well I thought I'd just add this - sitting up in bed Saturday morning with a steaming cup of tea AND then..... "toot toot"  a steam train was coming through the cutting behind our house!  Fantastic !  and I took this photo after running downstairs  for the camera -it was a frosty morning so the steam was spectacular !   Lucky shot I think don't you?

Take care and Thank you for visiting xx

Hi there - well I have had a January full up with visits to the vet!   One daog and two cats have been - everyone okay for age then something wrong with three of them?  Poor Wolfie has been away to the small animal hospital in Liverpool for a few days but is scheduled to be home tomorrow I do hope so :)
Otherwise I have been doing the usual a lot of crochet and a lot of reading - in fact I have just finished "Cold Comfort Farm" by Stella Gibbons - very funny and very enjoyable.
What have you been reading?

Angela x