Well we seem to have had some lovely sunshine over the past couple of days but still bitterly cold at nights and now the wind has sprung up again straight from the east. Brrrrr.
Yesterday we had a young teenager and his Mum come visiting from the village with the purpose of allowing him to poke about in both our large wildlife, spring fed, natural pond and our smaller man made garden pond. Apparently he is being home schooled and at the moment is studying Marine Biology and will be taking an exam in this subject later this year. He has three smaller pond in his garden at home, one for fish, one for normal pond plants and a new one just for native 'water' plants. He and daughter were soon wading into the shallows of the wildlife pond and then on their hands and knees round the edges of our garden pond discussing plants, weeds, grasses and mosses. He proved to be a very intelligent, knowledgeable and confident young man. He had come armed with a few pots and took home one or two small examples of our naturally growing plants to get his new pond started. He is going to return in a few months to check on other plants that may have appeared after wintering at the bottom of the ponds. His Mum and I sat in the sun and watched all the activity, a most enjoyable couple of hours.
Good morning everyone and Happy International Women's Day - and welcome @Bilje
Grey, windy and rainy today but a parsimonious supermarket shop this morning. Yes @didyw everything has gone up so much - energy costs here rose again 1st February. At least down here it's not as cold as it is in the north.
Weeded and swept paths etc yesterday, so this damp weather is no fun for hipsters!!
The early mimosa has been and gone @coccinella down here. Just dried yellow buttons left. I have a later flowering variety and it is in full bud. So pretty!! I love the smell. That sounds like a nice day @AnnaB So much to learn from pond life. I have a bullfrog that has been calling for a mate - he's quiet this morning. Maybe had a bit of luck!!
If you are called Veronica - then today is for you! Quand vient Sainte Véronique, le soleil nous fait la nique!
Dis donc!! No sun here today! The market this morning will be a sad affair - but I need fresh farm eggs.
Here's hoping that everyone has a pleasant Friday.
Oh yes … International Women’s Day! Thank you for the mimosa @coccinella … we don’t make much of it here in the UK, but my Russian former DIL always really celebrated it 😊. We’re still friends so I’ll send her ‘sisterly greetings’ a bit later on.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm glad @Dovefromabove slept well. What about your OH? I thought he'd caught the cold.
My back still aches but it didn't stop me from sleeping, took painkillers.
2 couples of friends are coming to lunch today. I must clear my laptop and papers off the dining room table so OH can set it. Setting the table is his job. I made a Pavlova but my oven is rather over enthusiastic, I have to have it at a lower temperature for everything. Although I'd turned the heat down the Pavlova is beige and it has sunk. Never mind, the raspberries and blueberries will cover it. My French oven is the opposite, good at Pavlova but bad at pizzas.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
Well we seem to have had some lovely sunshine over the past couple of days but still bitterly cold at nights and now the wind has sprung up again straight from the east. Brrrrr.
Yesterday we had a young teenager and his Mum come visiting from the village with the purpose of allowing him to poke about in both our large wildlife, spring fed, natural pond and our smaller man made garden pond. Apparently he is being home schooled and at the moment is studying Marine Biology and will be taking an exam in this subject later this year. He has three smaller pond in his garden at home, one for fish, one for normal pond plants and a new one just for native 'water' plants. He and daughter were soon wading into the shallows of the wildlife pond and then on their hands and knees round the edges of our garden pond discussing plants, weeds, grasses and mosses. He proved to be a very intelligent, knowledgeable and confident young man. He had come armed with a few pots and took home one or two small examples of our naturally growing plants to get his new pond started. He is going to return in a few months to check on other plants that may have appeared after wintering at the bottom of the ponds.
His Mum and I sat in the sun and watched all the activity, a most enjoyable couple of hours.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you for sharing @AnnaB, a good life is made of small things like this. I hope the young man will succeed in his studies.
I still have the cold courtesy of OH, so no aquagym today. I suppose better now than when in Lisbon. Happy that Dove's cold is easing off.
A little branch of mimosa flowers to all you women this morning
Luxembourg
Grey, windy and rainy today but a parsimonious supermarket shop this morning. Yes @didyw everything has gone up so much - energy costs here rose again 1st February. At least down here it's not as cold as it is in the north.
Weeded and swept paths etc yesterday, so this damp weather is no fun for hipsters!!
The early mimosa has been and gone @coccinella down here. Just dried yellow buttons left. I have a later flowering variety and it is in full bud. So pretty!! I love the smell. That sounds like a nice day @AnnaB So much to learn from pond life. I have a bullfrog that has been calling for a mate - he's quiet this morning. Maybe had a bit of luck!!
If you are called Veronica - then today is for you!
Quand vient Sainte Véronique, le soleil nous fait la nique!
Dis donc!! No sun here today! The market this morning will be a sad affair - but I need fresh farm eggs.
Here's hoping that everyone has a pleasant Friday.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Luxembourg
I'm glad @Dovefromabove slept well. What about your OH? I thought he'd caught the cold.
My back still aches but it didn't stop me from sleeping, took painkillers.
2 couples of friends are coming to lunch today. I must clear my laptop and papers off the dining room table so OH can set it. Setting the table is his job. I made a Pavlova but my oven is rather over enthusiastic, I have to have it at a lower temperature for everything. Although I'd turned the heat down the Pavlova is beige and it has sunk. Never mind, the raspberries and blueberries will cover it. My French oven is the opposite, good at Pavlova but bad at pizzas.