Could this be Spring?

[Kath Mulligan]

I don't know about anyone else but I am now daring to hope that Spring has arrived. Yes, ok, it is still on the chilly side (in fact, bloomin' freezing at night) but for the last week or so the days have been sunny and still, with almost cloudless blue skies.

Still no sign of my crocuses but when we were at the Chestnut Centre on Sunday, there were spectacular drifts of snowdrops like white carpets under the trees that were a joy to see. Wild primroses were beginning to flower under the hedgerows and there were even a few hellebores in full bloom too.

I am really hoping that this quiet spell of weather will last over Memorial Weekend too, although the long-range forecast is suggesting that Atlantic weather fronts may be moving in by then, giving more unsettled conditions. That would be a shame, but it won't spoil our fun whatever it does. Can't believe that in just 9 days time I shall be on that train!

Kath

[Liz]

Yes Kath - spring certainly seems to be on the way at last.

I have spent the last few days in the garden - so much to do as we are open for the National Gardens Scheme again in June. Its a lot of hard work but well worth the pleasure the scheme gives to visitors and of course there's the money raised for charity.
We seem to be at least 3 weeks behind with spring this year, I was looking in my gardening diary and this time last year we had a pond full of well developed frog spawn and my earliest flowering cherry tree Prunus Korsar was well in bloom.

No doubt everything will suddenly come out in a rush but at the moment apart from snowdrops and hellebores my garden is a blank canvas.

[jane jackson]

We saw lots of camellias today and the daffodils are beginning to flower but not in great numbers yet so they should still be out, perhaps even at their best for Memorial Weekend. Went to Lamorna Pottery for a coffee and a scone and jam this morning ~ thought of you Kath but no lemon meringue pie! I was househunting again with my friend.

[Kath Mulligan]

The lemon meringue pie is only on the menu at weekends apparently, Jane, as I found to my cost when I first took the girls there on a weekday having promised them this delicious treat! Hence the reason we all three of us had it last June at our lunch together. I may, of course, just be tempted to indulge again a week on Sunday!

Have called at a local pub restaurant this afternoon, The Fallow Deer and reserved a table for the girls, Mum and me on Saturday lunchtime. They are fully booked for Sunday but we thought Saturday may be quieter for Mum anyway. She has had her two new digital hearing aids fitted today so is suddenly well and truly back in the land of the hearing. She was finding it all a bit overwhelming when we were driving home, which is only to be expected after being so hard of hearing for so long, but hopefully she will have got used to them by the time we go out for the meal. I had a slight reprimand from her on our way home in the car. Usually she really struggles to hear me above the engine and road noise, but this afternoon I was told not to shout at her!!! So that's me put in my place!

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Sounds like everyone's Mum Kath. They never stop telling you off or what to do.......I miss it.........never thought I'd say tha!

[adesmith]

I think that we have definitely turned a corner and that spring is not that far away. It was a lovely drive to work this morning with some hazy sunshine. Just where the M4 goes up hill between Newport and Cardiff, you get a view of the Severn Estuary/Bristol Channel and across that the hills of Somerset. It was really beautiful this morning and made me think of summer days. Crocus are starting to flower in my garden (they are all in pots) but the daffodils and Tete a Tetes are still a little bit slow. The garden does look battered though and there are some plants that I dont know if they have survived. Time will tell.

Liz, that sounds fun opening your garden! There are quite a few gardens open around the Caerleon and Usk under that scheme area but we have never been along. We always said that we would go to the gardens at Cefn Tilla, Lord Raglans house but every year we were busy when it was open. Sadly he died in January and I dont know what is going to happen to Cefn Tilla. Keep us informed with your preparations, it sounds really interesting.

I could just eat some Lemon Meringue Pie and I wouldnt mind your kind of house hunting Jane! I think that when we ae in Cornwall in the summer, we will have to time one of our Lamorna visits for the weekend and have a taste!

[Annette]

Yesterday was lovely and sunny here but today we seem to have gone back to winter, very cold and windy. Usually we have plenty of daffodils out by now but so far its just snowdrops and the odd primrose. We really could do with the grass to start growing now, the horses and the sheep are being to be a bit bored with their hay. The hens are laying well though with the extra daylight.We are off to North Cornwall in a fortnight, hopefully it will be a bit warmer by then. This seems to have been a long winter with lots of north and easterly cold winds.

[jane jackson]

Yesterday was glorious here too but today is rather cloudy and still with that easterly drift. My hands got quite cold on Sennen beach with no sunshine to give any warmth.

[Kath Mulligan]

After a glorious start yesterday, the day clouded over and finished up very grey and murky, although it stayed dry. Today it is bright rather than very sunny and there is a coolish breeze as I found to my cost when I took my car to the manual car wash and got soaked when the wind suddenly gusted around and blew icy cold water all over me! The outside now looks a bit more respectable, am going off to do the inside in a few minutes when I have finished my lunch.

Jane, it may have been cold without your gloves on Sennen beach but, as you may imagine, I am still feeling very envious. Still, not long to go now. I have started making a pile of things that I am taking with me, have cleared plenty of space on my camera and re-charged it (and made sure to put the charger on the pile since I forgot that last June!). Bought a couple of small bottles of my favourite water and a pack of small orange juice cartons this morning to have on the journey down. I shall make some sandwiches too - I don't intend to pay the ridiculous prices they charge on the trains.

Kath

[Janet Swan]

Could you just pop down to Hertfordshire, dear Kath, and get me organised too?!!!

Janet

[adesmith]

I shall make some sandwiches too - I don't intend to pay the ridiculous prices they charge on the trains.

Kath, you must pack a sausage roll as well! Whenever I go on trips I always have a sausage roll and maybe some chocolate biscuits!

[gloria townsin]

Could you just pop down to Hertfordshire, dear Kath, and get me organised too?!!!

Janet

Then come a bit further south Herts. way and organise me, two dogs and paraphanalia - Please!!

[jane jackson]

Gloria, are you going to be able to stay at Bryher in reasonable comfort? Do hope your kitchen is all up and running. Kath you sound very organised ~ don't break your phone charger this time! I think you're better off with the sandwiches ~ sausage rolls are so messy on a train ~ sorry Adrian!

[Kath Mulligan]

I shall definitely be much more careful with my phone charger this time, Jane! Tend to agree with you about the sausage roll too, I generally end up with bits of flaky pastry absolutely everywhere so may give that a miss. Chocolate biscuits too - sorry Adrian, but the trains do tend to be a bit on the warm side so shall probably settle for a packet of shortbread fingers instead and a Granny Smith apple.

Janet and Gloria, it takes me long enough to get myself organised, so I'm afraid I shall not be volunteering to come and help you both out - very sorry! The reason I have started to put things together already is because the last two or three times I have been to Cornwall, either M/W or with the girls, I always seem to have forgotten something quite vital, so am trying to be a bit more organised this year - although knowing me, I am bound to forget at least one thing!

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Jane the builder has been told we will definitely be there next Wed. We originally planned to be there today!! The second delivery of kitchen cabinets arrived today.........the small bit of flat roof that was attempted a couple of weeks ago when they discovered on trying to fit it that the angle had been cut completed wrong - can you believe it?? has been done today.........well I hope it has! Eddie has the doors to take down at the end of the week so I will know what the state of play is by the weekend, however, whatever the state of the place is we are staying there............heaven help us. As I've said before I wouldn't mind for myself it's the dogs that make it more difficult but they would rather be with us so we shall just get on with it. I know it will be far from perfect but I now feel I want to be there and get on with sorting things out, it's all gone on far too long. the original 8 to 10 weeks is way past it's sell by date and we are into week 16 I think, well if not this week it will be next and there's no way they will finish this week or next I wouldn't think.

Oh well Kath it was worth a try........I'll just keep sorting things out. I will start listing all my 'must haves' as long as I've got everything for the AGM and weekend in general it will be fine.

[adesmith]

Well I am not going to go on a picnic with you lot!!! *chuckle* You should have seen the epic lunch that Rachel packed up for me for London the other day! I am afraid that I dont do things by half when it comes to food. I am also well equipped with an insulated lunch bag with ice blocks! I take sandwiches and milk for my coffee to school so its a bit of a necessity.

Gloria, I really hope that things come together at Bryher and that you can start to get things organised.

You are probably thinking how I am on here on a school day! Well its Rachel's operation. We were worried that it might not go ahead because we have had colds but Rachel seems to have got over it quicker than me. I am guessing that by now they have given her the go ahead. I have Leave of Absence from school and we were up at 5am to get her to hospital for 6.45am. I waited with her but she told me to go home so that I could take Rupert to Cherubs (something he has been wanting me to do but I never can usually). It was sad leaving Rachel and even more sad leaving Rupert! He was really clingy. Anyway I have to ring up at lunchtime to find out how things are going and when I go back and pick her up. I feel guilty now that I have a few hours at home on a lovely sunny day so I am going to do some marking!

[Kath Mulligan]

Give Rachel our best wishes, Adrian, I didn't know today was her op. date or I would have sent her a good luck message earlier. Hope everything goes well and that she is soon back to normal again.

Sorry you think we are pathetic wimps at picnics! I'm only restrained when I am travelling on public transport, if we go out in the car for a family picnic we have the full works - pork pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, crisps, salads - the lot! I shall have over an hour to kill at Sheffield station next Thursday so will probably grab some breakfast at the station cafe, so I shan't actually need that much to eat at lunchtime. I just usually get very thirsty with the heat on the train.

Gloria, I shall be keeping everything crossed for you that Eddie doesn't discover any more problems when he goes down this week (ie wrong kitchen units unpacked etc). What a crying shame that you haven't been able to go down this week as planned, especially with this lovely weather.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Hi Adrian........lots of love and best wishes to Rachel and hope she will be home and feeling fine later today. Children quickly pick up when their routine changes and though he might usually love to be taken to 'Cherubs' (fantastic name!) by his Daddy he knows his Mummy is in hospital. But when later today you are all back together he will be the happiest little boy. Then you have the weekend together to recuperate.

Re messy picnic food.......I love it but am a real messy person when faced with flaky pastry and such like.......usually I stick to food that cannot 'go wrong' if you know what I mean when I picnic eat. Unless it's just me on my ownsome in which case I just get on with a good clear up once the eateries are finished.

As Bryher is like opening a mystery box every time Eddie opens the front door.........it doesn't matter how many times we tell Justin we are going to be there in a day or two, remembering as far as he was concerned we were going to turn up yesterday with all our goods........who knows what Eddie will find tomorrow. I don't know if I'm past caring or if I will have a canary fit when I get there next week.........but next week it has to be and that is it!! Had a session with B&Q about the extra kitchen units, said they would deliver yesterday between 1pm and 8pm.......this after I told them they couldn't deliver after 4.30pm, as that's when the builders go home, in a conversation the previous week. The very nice chap gave me the customer help number to ring saying they would sort it out, the woman in CS didn't want to know......."nothing I can do about it!" Brilliant, anyway, good fortune smiled and they were delivered in early afternoon, in a huge lorry - again!! having had a transit booked out for the delivery. But of course what the office doesn't understand is that to go from Exeter to The Lizard is no mean feat and they cannot send out one little van with our items when they have other deliveries along the way. The driver was nervous about going down the road but he must have managed it o.k. as Justin didn't get back to say otherwise. Didn't mean to ramble about Bryher here - sorry.

[jane jackson]

Best wishes to Rachel from me too Adrian. Re the picnics perhaps it's because we're female we think of all the mess and prefer not to have that problem! I always try to think in advance about the washing up when cooking and not cause more than I need to. When I first met Bryan he would cook (still does cook the evening meal because he enjoys doing it) and use loads of different dishes then leave me with all the washing up. I still always do the washing up and putting away but I've managed to get him to not use quite so many unnecessary items.

Will keep my fingers crossed for you Gloria. I'm sure it'll be lovely just to be there and the dogs will be happy anywhere with you.

[adesmith]

Okay, I will let you all off then and maybe I will come out on a picnic with you all after all!!! Wouldnt it be lovely if we could all have one big picnic in Oliverland? Well most of you will be there next weekend and I hope that you all have a great time. Do you know if you are allowed picnics in Trengwainton Jane? We were thinking last time that it would be really nice to sit on the terrace, amongst the agapanthus and eat a picnic looking out over Mounts Bay. I know that not all places like you to picnic in the grounds.

Rachel is fine and I passed on all your good wishes to her. We are hoping to bring her home at 7pm. Really dont know why they have kept her in so long. When she had her hernia she was home by lunchtime! We visited her between 3 and 5pm and they told us to go back at 7pm. They did say 'hopefully' when they talked about her going home! Its been quite frustrating because the hospital havent been very good at communicating things to us. I was worried about sitting around at home when I could have been in school - not much that I could do about it though because we just didnt know when I would be needed. Oh well, she will hopefully be home soon and I think we will all need an early night after another early start. Rupert was fine at Cherubs by the way and gave me a big cuddle when he came out.

Never really got into Lambing Live, I think because its been such a hectic week. Caught snippets though and I hope that you all enjoy the last show tonight. Is the racehorse program on tonight? Might see if I can catch it as I am looking forward to the Cheltenham Festival next week.

[gloria townsin]

Chris Norris who ran Green Street Farm in Chorleywood, was a regular at Cheltenham - he used to go every day of the Festival. I've never been but I bet it's a fun week.

You will be able to heave a sigh of relief once you all get home from the hospital and snuggle down for the evening.

[adesmith]

Rachel is home - thank goodness! A little sore and numb but she is fine. We finally managed to liberate her just after 7pm. We are all absolutely shattered so I am off to bed. Got a full day at school tomorrow.

In the old days I used to go to the Festival at least one of the days (of course Gold Cup Day was the best) but obviously its term time so I cant go at present. I do miss it terribly as there is such a wonderful atmosphere. You have never heard anything like the roar of the crowd as the horses come up the Cheltenham hill in the Gold Cup. Everyone is cheering whichever horse is winning and whichever horse they backed - I think it is just such a love of racing, the horses and the drama of Cheltenham. I dont normally gamble that much but I put £10 in my William Hill account every year and bet on the feature race for each of the days of the Festival. I wont make my fortune at £2 a go but its a bit of fun.

[jane jackson]

Glad to hear Rachel is home again. I don't know if you can take picnics to Trengwainton I'm afraid. I'll ask next time I'm there. I've never seen anyone but there again we normally go as soon as the garden opens in the morning so not really been around at picnic time. As they have the cafe perhaps they don't encourage it.

[Kath Mulligan]

We've often taken picnics to National Trust gardens in the past without any problem even though they have cafes and/or teashops. Can't see why there should be any problems provided you take your rubbish home with you, or put it in a litter bin - which I am quite sure you and Rachel would do anyway.

Glad to hear that Rachel is back home safe and sound.

Kath

[colleen]

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[colleen]

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[gloria townsin]

My friend in Spain flew here yesterday....at least I hope she did.....her daughter gave her the trip as a Mother's Day gift. I hope Murcia airport was o.k. for them to take off.

Another friend is leaving next Wed on her journey back to her home in Spain........amazing weather!!

[Sybille Weber]

Glad to hear Rachel is home from hospital. My best wishes to her. I hope she will soon be fully recovered.

I was in hospital for two days at the beginning of the week, and, hooray, it was found that the suspected stone turned out to be something else and that there is the chance that the other smaller one may go off on its own - so, if it does, no stone operation necessary! Won't get round the other still outstanding operation though, but at the moment I'm not too well with several other little health complaints, so I can't have that operation just yet. I'm still at home this week, but my colleague is only too pleased that I'm available at all as she was already in a panic because she is not familiar with many of the things I usually do, and she rang me all the time.

Not sure about spring over here. We had more than an inch of snow last weekend, but on Sunday there seemed to be a touch of spring in the air when the sun came out, and crocuses peeked out from under the snow. After that it was glorious sunshine and blue skies for most of the week, but we had severe frost at night, -15 in some places, and just around freezing point during the day. The snow gradually melted in the sun but is still very persistent in places that the sunrays don't reach. Despite the freezing temperatures we heard our robin sing early in the morning when it was still dark, and our resident pair of magpies has started to build their nest. Overcast today, but +8 ! The patches of snow in the garden are also getting smaller and smaller. So that looks promising! (Hope our weathermen are wrong. They have forecast another cold front for the weekend.)

Yes, Colleen, isn't it funny about the weather, people expecting to escape to spring and ending up in winter instead. Our neighbours returned from Majorca last week, just before the heavy snowfall there, but it still hadn't been very springlike.

[Kath Mulligan]

Sybille I am so pleased that you have been spared the stones operation, at least for now, hope the smaller one may go naturally.

Even though our lovely blue skies and sunshine had given way to a damp and drizzly grey morning today, I was still wakened by our resident blackbird singing just outside my window, and I have been watching lots of busy activity out in the garden this morning as the blue tits whizz here and there, so obviously nest building is on the cards. There have been several interested viewings of our nest box, but so far, none seem to be taking up residence. I had hoped that the family that sheltered in there during the worst of the winter weather would raise their brood in it, but I haven't seen them around yet. Just hope they did manage to survive the icy conditions.

Kath

[jane jackson]

Glad your hospital visit went well Sybille. Hope Spring continues to come with more flowers bringing some colour. The daffodils are really getting under way here now and our hyacinths smell lovely. It hasn't been so sunny here today but has stayed dry and no frost on the car today ~ yesterday took me ages to clear it as we wanted to walk early. Hope the good weather lasts for next weekend as well as this.

[gloria townsin]

It's so good that one of your health worries seems to have sorted itself out Sybille, I can but hope that you will soon be well enough to have the operation you need. It would be wonderful for you to put it all behind you for a while and enjoy some good health.

Had lots of rain here today, quite heavy at times then stopped as though a tap had been turned off, then on again. Surely we can't go from snow and ice to April showers so quickly.

[Linda]

Sybille, Glad your visit to the hospital was better than expected..thats such a relief for you. Wishes now for the others to be sorted out..... hugs for you