Reflecting on my week #126

We made the most of our weekend not going to Devon! Thankfully the weather helped. Wasn’t it glorious, and so good to feel some warmth from the sun. We spent a large chunk of Friday gardening, more on that later, and then a much larger chunk of Saturday enjoying the weather. Our laburnum tree is in full flower now and looks best against the bluest skies. Though we’ve learnt this weekend that it seems to set off MOH’s hayfever, oops…

blue skies, yellow laburnum

This is just a short update as I posted my weekly update so far into the week last week, but there has already been more lockdown baking. This is a habit that we should keep up, as I’m sure our home-baked treats are far better for us than anything we’d buy at work. I think that’s probably why I’ve been able to tighten my belt by a hole already - long may that continue.

lockdown baking continues with banana chocolate muffins

Like everyone else my bananas are also ripening more quickly than we’re eating. So having already made banana bread, a good few weeks ago, this time I opted for Nigella’s chocolate banana muffins. Super quick, and a good result, both of which are good for me as a lazy baker, and our tea breaks this week are sorted.

While we spent time in the garden over the weekend we often had the company of a neighbour’s cat, who got braver the more time we spent in the same space. In true feline style, being up high was preferable, and the tree camouflage almost perfect.

#NOTMYCAT

#NOTMYCAT

We have lots to do in the garden - it’s the time of year where we always have plenty to keep us busy. I was keen though to sort out the fence, which is thankfully behind the fatsia, and which the previous tenant next door had got trigger happy tackling the ivy. Unfortunately they also unearthed a very delicate fence, and quite soon after moved out leaving the ivy to die and look a real sight. New tenants have moved in, and have temporarily moved out of London for the lockdown, and so I was keen to tidy this part of the garden up.

removing the dead ivy and leaving some actual fence there
my fading camellia is still beautiful
tying in prickly plants, like this holly

It was never going to be pretty, mainly because I refuse to replace a fence panel that isn’t ours, we can’t really see and which could have been tackled more sympathetically. But with some wire mesh, patience and some plants, should in time recover. You might have seen on Instagram stories at the weekend that I’m calling this the prickly trellis, and it’s a name that works well on many levels, but mainly because the largest plants I’ll be encouraging to grow are holly and pyracantha, both of which were handily growing within tie-in-able distance.

The plus side was being able to spend time admiring the camellia, which while fading is still as beautiful - it’s having a good spring, despite flowering much later than our neighbours.

Take care, stay safe and if the weather forecast is anything to go by, stay dry.

Paisley patterns in the Library

This weekend we’re not going to Devon. It’s how life is right now, but thankfully we have been to Devon many a time, and so instead I’m sharing some photos from a previous visit. This visit was from a visit in 2016, and while MOH and my SIL and her husband went for for a walk over the Moor, I opted for what turned out to be a more sensible trip to Killerton.

The plan was to meet in the pub for lunch, which still happened, though my morning was spent much more relaxed than theirs. I explored the house, spent time reading the books in the library - yes, the actual books, sitting on the actual chairs and actually pretending it was where I lived.

NOT A BAD SETTING

NOT A BAD SETTING

In fact I probably got a little too comfortable, but in my defence it was a great book, and there was no better setting for it. But what about the paisley?

I’ve never really given them much thought, well apart from avoiding them on Liberty fabrics as I grew up, not something I’m sure I’d do now. The origins of the motif, that is instantly recognisable, can be found in the ancient civilisation of Babylon under the rule of kings such as Nebuchadnezzar. Paisley, is of course a small Scottish textile town, and had I had more time I would have read the whole story of its connection with this instantly recognisable design.

I left realising that there’s much, much more to Paisley, and you just thought I was browsing books in the Library didn’t you?

paisley in the library
a paisley border
paisley waves
crossing paisleys

I did finally manage to tear myself away, and I was hooked. There is of course plenty more to see, including a tour around the gardens, which I also love. While in the gardens, the skies grew black, I knew I was too far away from the house to make it back as it started spitting so sheltered under a large tree. The weather quickly passed and off I headed to the pub, only to sit there alone, for longer than I’d like.

They arrived eventually. They’d been caught in the rain, and got soaked through, so had headed back to get changed and then set out to meet me for lunch. The mobile signal is bad in Devon, but they’d not thought to call to change the venue to save their mileage, clearly soggy brains!

PoCoLo

Post Comment Love 24-26 April

Welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked and share some of that love.

I’ve another day off, I know, they’re coming along like buses at the moment. This time though MOH is also taking time off, so no doubt he’ll have me working in the garden (and I’ll be giving him jobs too). And if we’re lucky the barbeque will be on before the end of the day too.

We’re off, because we’re not going to Devon. We were due to be visiting family, but clearly not now. I’m hoping to share a not going to Devon post, but haven’t written that yet. Which has sort of summed up my week, I have plenty of plans but making them happen has taken more effort than it usually would.

There’s been few photos again, so I’m diving into my archives as I grandly call them. Another name is those still waiting to be edited. This one’s from our visit to Kenilworth Castle and it proves, not everything is what it seems. You might think this is the highest quality terrazzo marble, but no, it’s painted wood (or whatever).

faux stonework at kenilworth

Another reminder that everything is not always quite what it seems.

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