Rainbows, Radishes and Toby Too

A couple of evenings ago I was treated to the sight of this wonderful rainbow.

It stretches right along the old disused railway track

which borders the barley field.

It was magical.

Within moments it had disappeared.

The old Bramley apple tree is beginning to unfurl its beautiful pink blossom,

and

our little woodland

is full of Queen Anne's Lace, or Cow Parsley.

This froth of tiny white flowers grows to a height of five or six feet and completely swallows up cats, hens, 

and grandchildren.

Scattered on the woodland floor are these - Arum maculatum -  

Lords and Ladies and Cuckoo-Pint

are just two of the common names for them.

In autumn they form a cluster of bright red berries which are poisonous.  

Our grandchildren must learn to avoid them, for there are 

far too many to eradicate.

The bluebells are blooming.

Don't you just love that colour?

Our long hours of work out in the vegetable garden are giving us some reward for our efforts.

These radishes are crisp, hot and peppery.

Lettuces are crisp and flavoursome...

...and the first strawberries are ripening.

*   *   *   *   *

Imagine my surprise, when a few nights ago I was browsing the pages of some dog rescue charities and found this mug shot.

He is an unclaimed stray,

less than two years old,  and was saved from death row

simply because a kennel had become available at the charity.

How could I resist the appeal in those eyes?

Especially as he, quite coincidentally,

comes with the name 'Toby'...

can you believe it?

I have been to visit him a couple of times and taken him for a good long walk.

He is a real sweetie. 

He is not my old Toby, but he is a dog who needs the love that I can give him.

He is coming to live with us on Friday.

His name is Toby Too.

I haven't forgotten my darling old boy, he is irreplaceable.

However, this boy needs a home

and I need a dog.

x

Perception

I spotted these outside a shop door... patio furniture for children?

No,  a chair big enough for a giant to sit upon!

I took a peek inside and found a man carefully making these...all disappointingly standard sized!

*   *   *


Thank you for all your wonderful support and helpful messages.
My heart has a dog-sized hole in it, but I am getting there.

The rescue centres are full of strays and abandoned dogs.
Dogs who need time, love and patience.
I know how rewarding they can be...
that's how I found my Toby.
x

Today I Made a Difficult Decision

Regular readers know how much I loved my dear and reliable companion of many years, Toby.    

He has been in failing health for a while now and this morning I had to take the decision

to have him put to sleep.

1999-2013

I won't disable comments, but please forgive me if I don't reply.

It is all too raw and too painful.

x

Dandelion Bouquet

Beautiful dandelion bouquet from Harry.

I recently had one of those days where, like it or not, you become another year older!

I had a wonderful day, which I will be telling you about soon, but the loveliest moment was when 

Harry came bursting through the door with a bunch of freshly picked

dandelions.

These joyful offerings came straight from the garden

and were given with love.

Mapping in May

My May Day wanderings took Toby and I along our favourite riverbank.   

It was tranquil, beautiful, restorative.    

Toby was happy to amble and give his nose a really good workout, so I fell to thinking about the countless people who must have wondered along the riverbank through the centuries.

This 1610 map shows that very river,
below you can see what it looks like today.

Some villages have disappeared, and the placement of  other villages on the map is definitely not accurate, but who cares?

I love maps, especially of places I am familiar with.

I read them with almost

the same excitement as I read a good book.

How quaint the old spellings of place names. 

The big red blobs (as splodged on by the cartographer) show the churches which existed at that time.

Many are still standing and are much loved.

However, others, including the one in our village,

have long-since disappeared.

The Merry Month of May must work some magic, for the trees are only just coming into leaf.  I know she won't disappoint.

We roamed the fields and river sides, 

When we were young and gay

We chased the bees and plucked the  flowers

In the merry, merry month of May

                                                        Stephen Foster

We had company, for part of our walk.

She was exceptionally friendly and came out of her way to walk alongside us.

No walk would be complete without a visit to Arnold.

He was happy to feel the warm May sunshine on his back.

Aaah!  Bliss.

Time to go home to begin the mowing and the weeding,

the growing season has begun.

Cup or Mug?

I am pernickety when it comes to choosing a drinking vessel.    

I have spring cleaned the pantry and found some of the cups and mugs which have been tried and rejected over the years.

This is but a small selection...

Shape, size and colour are all important.

I  favour fine bone china for when I drink tea.

I don't like fancy, frilly edges, square shapes or, horror of horrors, cups with dark coloured interiors.

I like pretty cups or mugs,  not too big, with the correct amount of curve to the bowl.

Coffee demands something different.

I prefer a cup, not too large, as I would rather have two small coffees

than one large one...

I like my coffee hot!

This is my all-time favourite coffee cup.

I bought it years ago, in a sale.

It is thick china, very plain and quite small.

It has the most satisfying shape to it,

and, somehow, it just enhances my coffee drinking experience.

Do you have a favourite mug or cup?

- Lynne, this is for you...

...my favourite tea vessels.   They are very fine bone china, the transfer design
is wearing off them, but the shape is satisfying
and the size is perfect (for me).
They used to be beautiful but about one third of the design is missing.
They have held countless gallons of tea.

Knocking on Fairy Doors

Spring-like weather has finally arrived, and our little woodland is bursting in to life.

Last weekend George and I worked like crazy to feed all the fallen branches, sticks and twigs into a large shredder.

Ear defenders, face visor, hard hat
were required, along with long-sleeved tops and protective gloves.
It can be dangerous work!

Many hours of labour produced several mini-mountains...

These  mini-mountains of chipped bark (44 heaped wheelbarrow loads) have now been scattered on the vegetable garden pathways in a satisfyingly deep layer.

My dear old Toby supervised the procedure, from the comfort of his bed.    Age is catching up with him.

Now that the rubbish has been cleared away again,  I have been able to enjoy the sight of all the spring flowers, including sweet violets (with their oh so beautiful perfume),   masses of lesser celandines which form gold-spangled pathways,  and plenty of bluebells are beginning to show - just as the primroses are beginning to fade.  Everywhere is beautiful.   The woodland is full of birdsong and full of growth and life.



Best of all, the lily of the valley has returned - just one clump out of the three which had taken last year -  they  are heavily perfumed and utterly beautiful.         I love them for their beauty, of course, but most of all I love them because they were my mother's favourite flower.

In the last few days the cow parsley has shot up to waist height, no flowers as yet, but it won't be long until the woodland is a froth of white, for a few weeks.

It is such an exciting time.

I found this fairy door slightly ajar,  I knocked, but there was no reply...