Elinor, our younger daughter is self-isolating until Christmas Eve after being contacted by ‘Test and Trace’. We think she may have been near someone, who has since contracted Covid-19, while she was at the hairdresser’s in Norwich on Thursday 10th December. She is physically well at the moment. Richard and I have no need to self-isolate as yet, because Elinor has no symptoms, but are being very cautious and have limited our journeys to necessary shopping. Elinor is so unfortunate! She had not left our house and garden, except for one walk round the lanes when she didn’t see a soul, for five whole weeks and the one time she went further afield the result was self-isolation for ten days! She suffers from chronic anxiety, so goodness knows whether she’ll have the courage to leave the house ever again! She is very unhappy and depressed and desperately needs a hug which we can’t give her. We completely understand that we must limit our contacts with other people until this pandemic is under control but the damage all this isolation and lock-down is doing to so many people, physically, mentally and financially is unimaginably great. My elder daughter Alice, who has Bi-polar 2 disorder is also having a very hard time stuck in Sheffield, unable to see her friends or visit us. Her husband is unwell at present and is needing a lot of care.
The only thing that has been keeping me going through this year is music. I’ve not been able to concentrate for long enough to get much enjoyment from reading and I can’t seem to string more than a few words together, either speaking or writing. My memory is dire and my arthritis is troubling me a lot. Music has been a balm to my soul, though it often causes me to cry.
I have selected a few pieces of music to share with you that have made me laugh, made me smile and even caused a tear or two.
This first video was shown me by Elinor some time ago and many of you may have seen it already. I hope you enjoy it.
I have always loved listening to music that tells a story or is so descriptive that if I close my eyes I can be transported away from the here-and-now to another world. This next piece of music is best listened-to with your eyes shut so that you aren’t distracted by anything.
I have long been an admirer of Bill Bailey. He is an accomplished actor, musician, comedian and extremely knowledgeable on many subjects. He has also just won the latest Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball prize with his partner, Oti. A very versatile man!
I think most of my British readers will recognise this next piece either from the original Dick Barton radio series or from the Mitchell and Webb ‘Sir Digby Chicken Caesar’ sketches. It’s called ‘The Devil’s Gallop’. It came on the radio the other week while I, along with a few other impatient drivers, was following a tractor and a couple of heavily-laden lorries on the A143 on the way to Diss. It made me laugh.
Just before ‘The Devil’s Gallop’ was played on the radio I had been entertained with a similarly blistering, breakneck piece of music. How many key-changes can you hear in this one?!
I have been listening to the St Martin’s-in-the-Field Thursday recordings of Great Sacred Music for some time now. There are three or four pieces of music, usually including a hymn, and a narration in-between each piece by Rev. Dr Sam Wells. I have found these performances so soothing and comforting!
I recently bought some new Christmas music recorded by the Choral Scholars of the University College Dublin. The first track is a wonderful rendition of In Dulci Jubilo written by Matthew Culloton. You may find that if you keep listening after this track all the others on the album will be played for you!
The whole collection of songs on ‘Be All Merry’ are fabulous but I thought this next recording of theirs spoke to me so clearly about how I am feeling this Christmastide. I hope you agree with me.
I hope you have enjoyed my selection and that you also, can find some solace and happiness in listening to music.
I wish you all as Merry a Christmas as it is possible to have in this troubled world of ours and that we can all meet again in the New Year with hope in our hearts, God willing.
I find listening to music such a comfort! It soothes and calms me, it invigorates and excites me, I couldn’t be without it!
I have spent hours this week driving myself, my mother and my daughter to appointments in Norwich. I am tired and recovering from a head-cold and a migraine and would like to write a post but haven’t the energy or the time.
Here are some pieces of music inspired by the month, the season and or the weather. Some are long pieces and some are short; some are classical pieces and some are not. I hope you enjoy listening to them.
Nova Scotia January – Waltz from Cape Breton played by Helicon.
Winter from The Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
The Skater’s Waltz by Émile Waldteufel
The Snow is Dancing No. 4 from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy
Winterlust, Polka schnell by Josef Strauss
Der Schneemann by Erich Korngold
Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Prokofiev
Snowbound by Genesis
January by Kristina Train
White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
And to finish, an excerpt from the first Pink Panther film from 1963 set mainly in the ski resort of Cortina D’Amprezzo.
I may not have been writing posts for some months but I have been trying to keep up with my blogging friends. One of these friends is Charlotte Hoather, an operatic star in the making. Some of you may know her.
I have been following her career for a few years now and am constantly amazed at her dedication, courage, energy, generosity, humility and most important of all, her tremendous talent.
I include here, a recent post of hers in which she describes how she deals with the pressures of the life she leads. How many of us could cope so well?
If you would like to find out why she decided to embark on an operatic career, the difficulties she has encountered and overcome on the way and why she blogs, please look at the following post. Please do click on the videos she has included. Watch her perform and listen to her wonderful voice.
Those of you who have been reading my posts for a while will recognise the title of this one. Every year my church of St Felix and St Michael at Rumburgh holds a special Plough Blessing service on the first Sunday after Epiphany. Epiphany is on the 6th of January and celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. The first Sunday after Epiphany is Plough Sunday and the following day is Plough Monday when traditionally, work on the land is recommenced after the Christmas break. These days there is no real break for Christmas and farm workers do not suffer from the terrible poverty they did in former times though they are still not very highly-paid. Here is a link to the ‘Old Glory’ site of our local Molly Men. Please take time to look at all their pages if you can.
The decorated plough in the nave of the church
The decorated plough
I enjoy this short service each year. In it, we look forward to spring, summer and harvest and pray that not only will there be enough warmth and rain to grow the crops but that we will not take anything for granted and will thank God for his care of us. We don’t just pray for ourselves but for all farmers throughout the world. Each component of the plough is blessed – the beam, the mouldboard, the slade, the sidecap, the share and the coulters.
I love the words from the prayer of gratitude.
From God comes every good and perfect gift:
The rich soil, the smell of the fresh-turned earth.
The keenness of a winter’s frost and our breath steaming.
The hum of the tractor, the gleam of a cutting edge.
The beauty of a clean-cut furrow, the sweep of a well-ploughed field.
The hymn at the end of the service is ‘We Plough the Fields, and Scatter…’
During Harvest-tide we get a little tired of singing this hymn as all the churches in our benefice have their own harvest service and the hymn is very popular, especially with the farming families. However, singing it at this time of year, so gloomy and cold as it is, gives hope and cheer so we all sing with gusto!
The plough and some of the costumes of the Molly Men.
The plough is left in the church over-night and is ready to be processed down the lane to the pub the next evening on Plough Monday. There are no street lights here and the nights are black at this time of the year. Flaming torches are carried to light the way. This year they won’t be accompanied by the church bells which will be silent out of respect to one of the ringers who died suddenly a few days ago.
Here is a film made in 2010 of the procession of Old Glory with the plough from the church to the Rumburgh ‘Buck’ pub.
The weather in May was changeable; cold, wet and windy for a few days then a couple of days of warmth and sunshine then back to cool and damp. The beginning of June wasn’t much different.
These first photos were taken towards the end of May in our garden or within a short walk of home.
Pond Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus peltatus) has two sorts of leaves; the submerged leaves are thread-like but the floating leaves have rounded lobes. I found this plant in the pond at the front of the house. It is a relative of the buttercup and appeared here for the first time this year.
Alderfly (Sialis lutaria) In this country we have just three species of alderfly and they are virtually indistinguishable from each other. One (this one I believe) favours still or slow-moving water and the other two prefer running water.
Adult alderflies are weak-flying insects and never move far away from water. The two or three weeks they spend as an adult are almost entirely taken up with looking for a mate. Most don’t bother feeding but some may nibble a little pollen or algae if they are in need of sustenance.
Mining bee
Mining bee
I think this Mining bee is a Communal mining bee (Andrena scotica). The females share a tunnel entrance but have separate nests underground. They prefer slightly open ground and so are often found near paths. I discovered this one while I was weeding and I think I had probably disturbed her nest. She was making a lot of noise; I am sure she was very cross!
I was being helped in my task by a friendly Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
ooOOoo
Richard had noticed some orchids on the grass verge of a lane near us so we set off to walk to where they were growing. I took a couple of photos on the way.
Lots of Red Campion (Silene dioica)
A Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris). I had to zoom as far as my camera was capable to enable me to get this rather grainy shot.
Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula)
Early Purple Orchid
Early Purple Orchid
We walked past a field full of Jacob sheep on the way back home
They are more like goats than sheep and the lambs are very endearing and inquisitive.
ooOOoo
At the very end of May we visited one of our local seaside resorts, Southwold, on a very cool and windy day.
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!
The sea was rough…
…but this couple were happy to be there watching the waves together. Note how well wrapped up they were!
I like this weather vane on top of the Southwold Sailor’s Reading Room
These flowers caught my eye
Thrift (Armeria maritima)
ooOOoo
Within a day or so of our trip to Southwold the sun came out again and I was able to find insects to photograph.
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
Male and female Azure damselflies
Male Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly (Libellula quadrimaculata)
My field guide says these dragonflies are rather dull but I don’t find them so.
Male Oedemera nobilis. A beetle that feeds on pollen; only the males have the swollen hind-legs.
ooOOoo
Just a few photos I took towards the middle of June.
And finally a slideshow of a field of Common Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) I saw from the road at Ilketshall St. John this summer. I wished I could get closer to it! I think you may also appreciate this link. It is a wonderful description of where I live and also has praise in it for our Rector who will be retiring next August.
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My music today is from the Beatles. Many of you will know why I have chosen this today (though I am a couple of days late as usual!). I was a student living in Liverpool at the time and heard the news of John’s death as I made my toast for breakfast on the 9th of December. Thirty-six years ago! I was surprised later to hear he had been shot on the 8th of December but I had forgotten the time difference. Listen to the superbly melodic bass playing!
This, as promised in my previous post, is the first of my ‘highlight’ posts in which I will let you know some of the things we managed to do this year and will provide photos and links when and where necessary.
Just after Easter we went to the wedding of my dear friend Wendy and her husband John’s daughter Jennifer to her fiancé David. The wedding took place in the lovely church of St David in the village of Groes Faen in south Wales. We were delighted to be included in their family celebration, just as we had been when Jen’s older sister Vicky (my God-daughter) was married a few years ago. The reception was at the Pencoed House Estate, a beautiful manor house in lovely grounds. I was fortunate to be seated next to Wendy’s mother-in-law, Rene; she and her late husband Don had been so kind to me and Alice when my first marriage broke up. I was so sorry to hear that she died just a few weeks ago. I had been unable to take any photos at the wedding so was very pleased to receive a thank-you card from Jen and David which had photos from their wedding on it. I have scanned it and chosen one of the photos but it hasn’t come out very well.
ooOOoo
This next gallery of photos is just a reminder of what we have to look forward to in the spring!
Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood
I love bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) so I took a little detour on my way home from my mother’s house at the beginning of May so that I could see the flowers just outside the village of Withersdale Street.
ooOOoo
I have mentioned Pakenham Watermill before in my blog. It is where we go to buy the best wholemeal flour which I use to make bread.
Pakenham Watermill
The rear of the building. We visited on a perfect morning in May.
The mill with mill-pond
There are lots of House martin (Delichon urbica) nests under the eaves
Bird sculpture in the garden
The mill pond
ooOOoo
At about this time I visited Minsmere RSPB Reserve as I wanted to buy something from their shop. While I was there I thought I would quickly walk through the woods to see what I could see.
Bluebells again!
Bluebells
Blue bluebells and white bluebells!
Common vetch (Vicia sativa)
Common stork’s-bill (Erodium cicutarium)
I don’t remember ever having seen this flower before despite it being ‘common’. The seed-heads can be seen next to the flowers and their shape gives the plant it’s name.
Changing forget-me-not (Myosotis discolor)
The flowers are tiny and very difficult to photograph. When they first open they are yellow but soon change to blue. The plant especially likes to grow on sandy soil.
Shepherd’s-cress (Teesdalia nudicaulis)
This is another plant I don’t remember having noticed before, but that is not surprising because it is very low growing and not especially exciting to look at. You can see a wood-ant (10 mm long) towards the bottom right of the photo which gives you some idea of the size of the flowers which are about 2 mm across – two of the four petals of the flower are longer than the other two. The seeds are heart-shaped and a few can be seen at the top of the photo. The leaves in the basal rosette are lobed and can also be seen at the top-centre. Their shape reminds me of pasta servers.
Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) creating red patches on the rising ground. Gorse (Ulex europaeus) can be seen flowering in the bushes on the sky-line.
Wavy bitter-cress (Cardamine flexuosa) – so-called because it’s stem is wavy rather than straight!
Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)
Rhododendron has naturalised and become invasive in many places. It is unwelcome as it reduces biodiversity and is very difficult to eradicate because it produces new shoots from its roots. This link speaks more about the plant.
Bugloss (Anchusa arvensis)
This plant is very hairy and has interesting wavy-edged leaves. The flowers are a lovely intense blue colour.
ooOOoo
Elinor wasn’t able to join her art and design group on their trip to London in April so a few weeks later Richard and I took her there ourselves. We visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and Elinor chose to study the exhibits in the cast works gallery and the sculpture galleries.
Trajan’s column – lower
Trajan’s column – upper
Someone took a plaster-cast of the whole of Trajan’s column! The column is 30 m / 98 ft tall (with the pedestal it is 35 m / 115 ft tall). Its diameter is 37 m / 12.1 ft. This cast is now invaluable to scholars because the original column has become very weathered and the figures cannot easily be studied.
I love this medieval carving from Germany! The details of the knight’s journey are exquisitely worked. There are trees, people and small creatures, buildings, a dragon and a princess to be rescued! It was difficult to get a decent photo because of the reflections off the glass case. I also forgot to make a note of the artist and couldn’t find the piece when I went on the museum’s website.
‘A Bishop Saint’ by Sir Alfred Gilbert 1899. This bishop’s gentle expression appealed to me very much.
‘The Virgin with the Laughing Child’ probably by Antonio Rossellino ca. 1465. I could look at this statuette for ever! It is so intimate and loving! Look at the way the mother is holding her little boy on her knee with his leg between her forefinger and middle finger, her other hand on his tummy and his hand on hers.
After leaving the museum we decided to walk to Hyde Park and relax there for a short time before catching our train home.
The Royal Albert Hall – a beautiful building and an excellent concert hall
Opposite the Royal Albert Hall is the Albert Memorial
ooOOoo
That’s it for the time being! I will leave you with my music choice, ‘This Is How It Feels’ by Inspiral Carpets, remembering Craig Gill (drums) who died on Tuesday 22 November 2016
This year has been….unsatisfactory. Nothing terrible has happened. We are in fairly good health, we are comfortable and very fortunate. But….almost everything we have tried to do this year has not been straightforward. There have been delays, cancellations and anxieties. I think the last update I wrote on our affairs (this is after all a diary blog) – apart from our holidays, a couple of outings and a few posts of things I’ve seen – was in the spring. I seem to have had less time than ever before for getting things done.
We visited Lowestoft on Tuesday this week so that Elinor could attend a podiatry appointment. The weather was cloudy and damp but fairly warm for the time of year. This is Lowestoft South Beach
Richard’s first year of retirement was meant to be a year in which we improved our lot. Retirement after over 40 years of continuous employment was always going to be a bit of a challenge but he decided he was going to see how the first six months went before making any decisions about what he would do with his time. He has found that he doesn’t miss the work at all though he does miss the social aspect of going out to work. Living in the country, some miles from the nearest town means that we don’t see people very often and we have to work hard to get any kind of social life – or go without. He has come to no decision as to whether he takes up a hobby, does voluntary work or any other activity; he has been too busy with the house and driving Elinor about. He has been a church warden for many years and is a member of our church’s PCC (Parochial Church Council). He has recently joined our local Parish Council too so he has employment enough!
Gulls on the breakwater
His retirement began with the death and funeral of his mother, which was not a good start. He has missed her very much; her support of him, her good sense, her understanding. Our holiday in the Peak District this year was taken at the anniversary of her passing and those of you who have kindly followed this blog for over a year will remember that we heard of her death last year as we arrived in the Peaks all prepared to go and visit her.
Looking towards Lowestoft docks
Richard has enjoyed working in our large garden and making a few improvements to it and to our house. We started the year by getting all our windows and doors replaced. We have a new summerhouse and a new potting shed. Our next project was to gut the family bathroom upstairs and the downstairs shower room and get new suites for both rooms and then redecorate. We asked around for suitable plumbers and a couple were recommended. We selected one and he came to see us and plans were made. It was decided that we would also have a water-softener fitted which was done as soon as the downstairs shower room was finished. And this is where things really went wrong. We hadn’t been happy with the speed at which the work was done. Days went by when no-one turned up. There were delays and more delays. We said that the upstairs bathroom would have to wait until we returned from Germany as we didn’t want anything left half done while we were away. The plumber failed to return. He has made no contact with us and has not responded to any of our messages. We had already paid him, at his request, for the work done to the shower room and for the water softener (we ought to have smelt a rat here!) but there are still a few things that need to be finished off properly in the shower room, ‘snagging’ it is called, which now will never be done except by us, in our non-professional way. We have a garage full of bathroom fittings and tiles and also some of the plumber’s and his men’s tools and equipment which they haven’t collected. We must find ourselves another plumber but we cannot face the upheaval until some time in the new year. I hope the work is done at a time when it isn’t too cold!
Off-season seaside resorts are a little sad and quiet
We have just had our gas boiler replaced. We use propane gas as we aren’t on mains gas here in the country. It is very expensive but the alternatives, oil or electricity, are not ideal either, both being very expensive too and as we have a gas fire and a gas hob, a gas boiler is the best option for us. We found a gas fitter who was able to get the work done during the second half of October. It was to take three days. In the end it took quite a bit longer as inevitably, problems were found. The fitter wanted it all done by the end of October as he was going to Las Vegas to celebrate his son’s 21st birthday and he did manage to get his part of the work done by then. He arranged for an electrician to come and wire the boiler up but the electrician couldn’t come immediately and when he eventually came he had difficulty with the system. He got it done, so he thought, and we thanked him and sent him on his way but when the boiler switched on the water heated but the pump wouldn’t work. We called the electrician back and he tried again. It still didn’t work. We contacted the fitter when he returned from Las Vegas and he eventually got it going. It took two and a half weeks to fit the boiler and the weather had been quite chilly! Fortunately we have an electric immersion heater which meant we still had hot water, a gas fire in the living room and a portable gas fire which we put in the hall at the foot of the stairs. Elinor got the electric fan heater in her room and the fitter left us another electric fan heater in case of emergency. We wore lots of layers!
At the same time as the gas fitter started work Richard began experiencing severe pain in his leg and back. He saw the doctor who gave him lots of tablets and lots of advice. He was in agony but manfully struggled on until he found that his leg was becoming numb and it was unable to take any of his weight. He fell over a couple of times and hurt himself. We phoned 111 and the medics there passed Richard on to the out-of-hours doctor. I took Richard to Beccles hospital to see the doctor that evening. Richard has a partially slipped disc in his back and a trapped sciatic nerve – not full sciatica as he could still feel his foot! He has still managed to fall over a few times since then – falling down the stairs while I was out with my mother for the day; falling over in the garden while I was out again – but at last the feeling is beginning to return to his leg and the pain has subsided. The hope is he will gradually be able to do more things and the feeling will come back completely. He has been told it will take four to six weeks. At first, he could hardly walk even with a stick and was unable to drive at all. He can now drive very short distances but the damage is in the leg he uses for the clutch pedal and he doesn’t trust himself to be able to do an emergency stop, to drive in heavy traffic, to drive far. I am doing all the driving at present.
The sea front with Richard and his walking stick
Elinor’s college course since September this year only asks for her to be at college for two and a half days a week. Richard is at home most of the time now he is retired. I must admit I miss my alone time and my routines have had to be changed to accommodate these other domestic changes. One good thing is that Richard and I now (usually) share the duty of driving Elinor to college and I found a little more time to work in the garden this summer! I still visit my mother a lot and take her shopping and to her many hospital, doctor’s and optician’s appointments. She is gradually losing her sight and as each month passes I notice she has less energy and is less interested in doing things. I take her to church once a fortnight; the intervening week I go with Richard to our church. I miss going to church in my benefice every week; I miss the people, the churches, the services and the preaching. But, my mother needs me and I can’t let her down. I like my mother’s church and I am so pleased to be able to help her do what she needs and loves to do. There used to be members of her church who collected her and brought her home but not any more. The people who used to do it have either died or moved away and as her church is some miles from where she lives there is no-one now who could easily collect her.
The sandy beach
Elinor did really well at the end of the course she took last academic year. She re-took her GCSE Maths and managed to get a ‘C’ grade which is what she was hoping for. She never has to go to a Maths class ever again! She also got a distinction in her Art and Design course and everyone was very pleased with her. She applied for and got a place on the two year Graphic Art course she had wanted to go on the year before. Despite this achievement she is unhappy that yet again she is the oldest one on her course and cannot find anyone interested in being friends with her. She is lonely. She has been extremely anxious and has struggled to attend college during the past few weeks and has found that working at home has been difficult too. She is frightened of making mistakes and that her work might not be of high enough quality. So she prevaricates and then avoids doing anything and then panics when she realises she is behindhand. It is impossible to convince a chronically anxious person that their fears are unfounded so life at home has been distressing for us all. There is no escape from the constant pressure of it. It is our elephant in the room; except it isn’t an elephant as they are too nice. It is a troll, a gremlin, a monster, a sickness that is almost palpable and it is ever-present.
A Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) eating the tiny crabapples on our species crabapple tree. The Fieldfares have just arrived for the winter from where they spend the summer in Scandinavia
There is however, a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We have tried over the years, many different ways to deal with Elinor’s mental health issue. In our ignorance at first, we attempted the stern attitude. Well, that failed spectacularly. We then saw many different therapists who tried countless different methods of finding out why Elinor is as she is and then attempting to help her by getting her to talk about things, them talking to her about things, giving her Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and oh, all sorts of therapies. Last winter we even resorted to drugs at the insistence of her GP (family doctor). The side effects were awful and it took until the summer for her to stop getting flashbacks and nightmares.
The Fieldfare again. They are beautiful and fairly shy birds.
A couple of months ago my hairdresser told me that she was seeing an acupuncturist because of depression and anxiety. The affect on her health and happiness had been astounding and she was feeling better than she had for years. She had had regular appointments at first but at the time of talking to me about it she was only going back now and again for ‘top-ups’. This got me wondering if it would be something that Elinor could try. I carefully spoke to Elinor about it but she refused to contemplate the thought of someone sticking needles in her. I tried again two weeks ago when Elinor was tearful and desperate for some kind of relief. She said she might be willing to think about it. She thought, and ten days ago she thought we might do some research into it. She then agreed that it was something she would be willing to try… but those needles..! On Thursday last week while Elinor was in college for her half day I went to see my hairdresser to ask for the name of her acupuncturist. By a happy chance this lady was having her hair done at that moment and agreed to talk to me. I have made an appointment for Elinor to see her next week. We will see what happens.
A small Common toad (Bufo bufo) hitching a ride in the wheelbarrow
Alice, my elder daughter who lives in Sheffield, has directed her first play. It was a great success and Alice enjoyed the experience but found it exhausting. We thought she would need a rest from her drama group for a while but she tells us she ‘accidentally’ auditioned for their next play and got cast! Can anyone explain how one can accidentally audition for a play?
A Scabious flower from the garden photographed in October
She had become unhappy living in the house she shared with a few other young people – they were fine but the landlady was awful – so she gave a month’s notice and found another house with a room to let and moved in at the beginning of this month. She has bi-polar disorder and if she gets over-tired or anxious her health deteriorates. The play and then moving house caused her to be very tired and quite anxious so she did feel under-the-weather for a while. She applied for another six-month temporary job at a higher grade in the university library department where she works, got an interview last week and has been successful! She hopes to start the job at the beginning of next month. Yet again it is only a part-time job and is only for six months but the money is better than what she gets at present and one must never look a gift-horse in the mouth – as they say.
Dog-rose hips (Rosa canina)
There we are. A resumé of most of the events of the past year with many gripes and groans included. What I intend doing is to post a few photographic highlights of the past six months (yes, there were a few highlights!) during the next few weeks. I hope to intersperse these with some current affairs on the approach to Christmas. Whether I manage any of it, who can tell!
Hawthorn berries (Crataegus monogyna)
I leave you with my music selection which is the Four Sea Interludes from Britten’s opera ‘Peter Grimes’. Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft and lived for many years a few miles further south along the coast at Aldeburgh. I love the music from Peter Grimes and these interludes give a taster of the opera as a whole but without the singing! The four interludes are entitled ‘Dawn’, ‘Sunday Morning’, ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Storm’ and the playing time is about 17 minutes.
When we moved to Somerset for 18 months twelve years ago I was very homesick and I listened to this music a lot while we were there to remind me of the coast I love. Looking through the comments on the different recordings on Youtube I find I am not the only person to find this music, especially ‘Dawn’, so evocative of the Suffolk coast and the North Sea.
This is another collection of things I’ve seen in my garden or near my home during the past month. The weather until a few days ago has been wonderful! Warm, sometimes very hot, mainly dry and sunny; it has been a lovely late summer.
Flower on Richard’s Fish-hook Cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni)
This cactus nearly flowered for the first time two years ago but the warm, sunny weather didn’t last long enough and the buds shrivelled. Last year was too dull and cool so no buds formed at all. This year however, one of the three buds opened and stayed open for three days.
Sweet pepper ‘Sweet Banana’
Richard is growing sweet peppers this year and this is a photo of them when they were just starting to turn red. Unfortunately, the camera focused on the leaf not the pepper.
Zinnia flower
Zinnia flower-bud
Richard bought a tray of Zinnia flowers from the garden centre. They took their time to get established but eventually they got going and have been so bright and cheerful for the past month.
Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenteria) has been everywhere I’ve looked this summer but this poor shot is the only photo of it I’ve taken.
For centuries, the leaves of Fleabane were hung in bunches from ceilings or dried and burnt as a fumigant to repel fleas. Richard Mabey in his ‘Flora Britannica’ says the plant is a relative of the species which supplies the insecticide ‘pyrethrum’.
Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) seed-heads
Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)
This is a woodland butterfly and its markings make it difficult to spot in dappled shade.
A Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) on Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)
Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) with a Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus) on the lowest flowerhead
The crabapples on our species crabapple tree look like cherries. Woodpigeons are very fond of them.
We don’t have many apples this year. This one looks very good – a cooking apple.
We have what looks like a good crop of pears but sadly many of the fruits are rotting on the tree.
Common Hawthorn berries, known as Haws. (Crataegus monogyna)
The Hawthorns are full of fruit; some people say this means we are to have a hard winter. I think it means we had good pollination in the spring.
A female Brown Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna grandis)
I took this photo in a hurry as Brown Hawkers are such restless dragonflies and only perch for a few seconds. I love their amber wings!
Another poor photo, this time of a Hornet (Vespa crabro)
We have had a Hornets’ nest under the tiles of the garage roof this summer. They are busy insects and carry on flying until well after sunset, unlike wasps who retire early. We have also got a wasps’ nest under the house roof tiles near our bedroom window. I could hear them chewing and munching away through the night when they were first constructing the nest in the early summer.
This is a mole hill that appeared in the rather dry border next to the conservatory. The hill got bigger the following day and many spring bulbs were uprooted.
We haven’t had much rain during the past month and the moles are searching for worms. The worms congregate where there is moisture i.e. in flower-beds (if they are watered) or next to paths or buildings where water runs off into the soil.
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset with mist
And shortly afterwards on the same evening…..
Moonrise
Moonrise
We were pleased to welcome a new visitor to our garden; a Leveret, a young Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)
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We first noticed it when it was very close to our kitchen window so you see part of the window frame in my photos! It then moved a little further away and was easier to photograph.
The best time of day to see hares is early morning or at dusk, as during the day they rest in grass, scrubland or in a ploughed furrow. They crouch low against the ground with their ears laid flat and are well camouflaged. If they are disturbed they are capable of running very fast – 35 mph/56kph – and run with their black-topped tail held downwards. They have large staring eyes, large black-tipped ears and powerful hind legs; they are shy and alert creatures. They typically live in open country, preferring not to live in direct contact with grazing animals and they are unlikely to be found in hayfields. They eat a wide selection of grasses and plants of open country as well as crops of cereal, clover, alfalfa, beets and potatoes. In winter a hare will dig for green plants under the snow and will eat buds and bark from bushes and trees, including fruit trees. They have suffered in areas of intensive farming and where herbicides are regularly used. Pesticides contaminate their food and may kill leverets.
In March and April hares can be seen leaping and chasing about which gives rise to the saying ‘mad, March Hares’. They often stand up on their hind legs and box each other; this may be two males vying for social dominance or, as is now thought more likely, a female (Jill) rebuffing a male (Jack). Leverets are born in the open with a full coat of fur and with their eyes open. They are born in litters of about three and the mother moves them immediately to another safe place which makes it more difficult for predators to find them. Each leveret is placed in a ‘form’ – a depression made in long grass – on its own where it lies low waiting for visits from its mother. This behaviour is very like that of deer.
While watering my green beans the other day I noticed some tiny white eggshells lying on the ground and wondered where they could have come from. Richard looked into the branches of the Laburnum tree above us and saw a tiny nest that I hadn’t been able to see – (I am quite a lot shorter than he is). It was a windy day and the pieces of shell must have been dislodged by the breeze. A week later I found the nest on the ground and here is my photograph of it.
I do not know what bird built this nest.
As you can see from the photo it is only 11 cm long and about 6 cm wide. It is made of tiny twigs, grasses, leaves and moss all woven together and is lined with sheep’s wool and white feathers.
And finally, here is my music selection for this post.
After a busy day last Friday and a hot, sunny day too, we thought it might be nice to go to the coast for a little while. We knew that it would be extremely crowded for most of the day so we left it until after we had eaten our evening meal and set off just before 8.00 pm.
We decided that we’d visit Walberswick as we hadn’t been there for some time and parked the car in the car-park there at about 8.30 pm.
Walberswick. With its creeks, mudflats, sand-dunes and varied flora it is a favourite place of mine to visit.
The mass of mauve flowers you can see in the photo above are Sea Lavender.
Common Sea-lavender (Limonium vulgare)
I couldn’t get a clear picture of these flowers – mainly because I couldn’t get down low enough! Sea-lavender (no relation of true Lavender) is related to the cultivated Statices – everlasting flowers. Many people pick these flowers illegally to make dried flower arrangements. Strangely, the drier the ground in which it grows, the taller it gets. This plant grows in great masses on the North Norfolk coast and I would love to see it there again.
There wasn’t much Thrift or Sea Pink (Armeria maritima) left – mainly seedheads. Thrift is a relative of Common Sea-lavender.
There was a lot of rather scrappy Hare’s-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense)…
…and a small amount of Sea Campion (Silene uniflora)
I cropped the photo I took.
The calyx (the area behind the petals) is swollen, like Bladder Campion is and is similarly patterned with red veins. The petals are larger and thicker than other types of Campion and usually overlap each other.
Sea Sandwort (Honckenya peploides). I like the way this plant grows. It reminds me of children’s building toys.
In Richard Mabey’s ‘Flora Britannica’ he says ‘… (Sea Sandwort) is one of the earliest colonisers of sand-dunes and shingle, and remarkable for its sprawling concertinas of geometrically stacked leaves’. It is able to keep growing upwards so if ever it is inundated with sand or mud it can survive. As with many seashore plants it is succulent and edible.
More Sea Sandwort, this time with a Harvestman or Harvest Spider. Can you see it? They are not true spiders but are related to them. They have one-piece bodies and no silk-glands so can’t spin webs.
Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) in flower and Gorse bushes (Ulex europaeus)
The dunes and my shadow!
Richard and Elinor beat me to the sea. The cool northerly breeze was so refreshing.
Seagulls were making their way out to wherever it is they go for the night…
…except these two Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus) who seemed to be doing some synchronised beach-combing.
One last look at the sea…
We made our way back to the dunes where I found a couple more plants to photograph.
Sea-holly (Eryngium maritimum)
A most beautiful plant!
A cute little bug hoping I leave him alone!
Vetch and Hare’s-foot Clover
Perennial Glasswort (Sarcocornia perennis)
Another name for Glasswort is Samphire and like Common Glasswort (an annual plant which is also called Samphire) it can be eaten lightly boiled or pickled in spiced vinegar.
For many hundreds of years Glasswort was used in the manufacture of glass. The succulent stems were gathered at low tide, dried and burned in heaps. The crude ash which is high in soda was then fused with sand to make a poor quality glass. Saltworts were also used for this purpose.
View inland with the R. Blyth on the right
We had enjoyed our hour on the beach and went home cool and relaxed.
We arrived back home last Wednesday after spending eight days in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). It was probably the hottest day of the year so far and we spent it travelling by train up from Triberg, Germany to Ebbsfleet in Kent (England) where we had left our car. We set off from the hotel at 6.30 am European time and got home just after 7.00 pm British time (one hour behind Europe). The car thermometer said it was 32C (89.5F) when we set off from Kent and it peaked at 34C (93F) near the tunnel at the Dartford Crossing (under the Thames). As we drove home up through Essex and Suffolk we watched large black clouds to the west edging ever nearer and we hoped we’d be able to get home before the storm got to us. We did. It was still 32C as we unpacked the car, opened all the windows and doors in the house and wandered round the garden for a while looking at the long grass and the drooping plants. While I put the kettle on and made a cup of tea Richard telephoned the Chinese restaurant in Halesworth and ordered a take-away meal. He was just about to set off when the storm broke. It was the most violent one I’ve seen for many years with continuous thunder and bolts of lightening coming down vertically and travelling horizontally across the sky. The rain was very heavy indeed. Elinor and I sat on the stairs together as she gets quite frightened during thunderstorms and Richard went off to collect our evening meal. The storm gradually abated and the sky cleared but still Richard hadn’t come back and I began to worry about him. I found his phone which he had left behind so I couldn’t get in touch to find out where he was. I was considering getting in the car and going to look for him when I was relieved to see him driving up to the house. He had had a hair-raising journey and when he had got to Halesworth he found that the Chinese restaurant had a power-cut and couldn’t give us a meal. They had tried to phone him on his mobile to let him know, but of course he had left it at home. The town’s Thoroughfare was flooded with a foot of water and people were out trying to sweep the water away from the shop doors. Water was coming up through the drains and the town river was in full spate. Richard didn’t lose his head and knew he had a mission to accomplish so went to the other Chinese restaurant at the top of the town which hadn’t lost it’s power and ordered our meal from them instead.
When the rain stopped I went outside to enjoy the fresh, cooler air and took some photographs of the strange clouds.
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The following day I resumed my dutiful-daughter job and took Mum out to do her shopping. We had bought double her usual amount of shopping just before we’d gone away and we had made sure she had enough of her medication to last as well. While we were on our holiday she had been taken to church by my brother on the Sunday and he had cooked lunch for her at his house, so she had plenty to tell me.
When I got home again I got on with the washing and started to tidy the garden. Richard and I called in to see our next-door-neighbours who had been kind enough to water the plants in the greenhouse and to put our rubbish bins out for collection while we were away. We are very fortunate to have such thoughtful and generous neighbours.
The next day I continued with house and garden work.
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis ssp.arvensis) found behind the greenhouse
Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris) found growing on the bank of the big pond.
I think this may be a male Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) though it could be a male Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum)
A Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) in flower near the big pond
A rather old and tired Ringlet butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus)
Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium) in flower in the area between our garden and the field at the back of the house.
I believe this may be a female Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
Our Variegated Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa variegatum) in flower
Sweet Chestnut flowers
I walked down the lane with Elinor to post birthday cards to my niece Natalie (my brother’s daughter) who had her 31st birthday on the 23rd of July and cards to Alice my elder daughter who had her 31st birthday on the 24th of July. Natalie is exactly 23 hours older than Alice.
This is a teneral, or newly emerged dragonfly as you can see by the pale colouring and very shiny wings. I don’t know which dragonfly it is, unfortunately. It is perched on a Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) growing in the ditch at the side of the lane.
The new pond at the side of the lane which was dug during the winter.
Richard spoke to the man who lives on the opposite side of the lane to the pond and who was responsible for digging it. Apparently, many years ago there was a pond there which was wide enough and deep enough to enable the horses to be led to drink while still attached to their carts. It was filled in when horses were no longer needed on the farm but it has now been re-instated and I am very pleased. The pond is already full of interesting plants and insects which have found their way there on their own.
Our lane. I am standing next to the pond (on my left) and looking back in the direction from which we had come.
Looking over the hedge into the garden of Church Farm I noticed this piece of wall covered in ivy. I wonder if it is part of the old church of St Nicholas demolished many hundreds of years ago.
Lots of unripe Lords and Ladies berries (Arum maculatum)
A field full of Field or Broad Beans.
Another pond at the side of the lane. This one has become rather overgrown. It has fish in it and I once saw a couple sitting at the side of the road with rods trying to catch fish.
View across the fields towards All Saints church which can just be seen to the right of centre on the horizon. It is slightly obscured by a thistle flower!
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Wild flowers at the side of the lane.
Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Meadowsweet has a beautiful almond-blossom-like fragrance.
A poor photo of a male Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus)
These were all the things I saw at the side of the lane on a short 20 minute walk to post cards.
Here now is my musical choice – the Petite Symphonie in B flat for nine wind instruments by Charles Gounod, composed in 1888. It lasts about 20 minutes and is of four movements. I love the lyricism of French 19th century music and I like this recording of the piece very much. It is a piece of music I used to play and it brings back such good memories to me when I hear it.
Moments from a Norfolk Country Cottage. The furred & feathered & the worn and weathered. A Druid Herbalist with a Passion for Cats, Vintage, Dogs, Interiors, Nature, Hens, Organic Veggie Food, Plants & Trees & a Kinship with The Earth.
A Suffolk Lane 