Hello friends.
I hope you enjoyed a lovely week.
Last Sunday afternoon, hubby and I spent a lovely afternoon with our son and daughter-in-law at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. Before I begin, I want to point out that I am not usually a sports fan of any kind, but sometimes I can surprise even myself.
Hubby and our son have always had an interest in watching cricket, and our son worked at these grounds when at University. As retirement is coming up shortly for my other half, I had flippantly suggested he take himself off to the cricket grounds some days. That resulted in our son booking tickets for the 2024 Vitality Blast, a set of matches completed in a day, unlike Test cricket. They are generally known as T20s.
We were able to see both a women's match and a men's match, which were both great fun to watch.
The whole atmosphere was wonderful, with everyone clapping for all sides - bowlers, fielders, and batters - true sportsmanship! I actually learnt a lot and at least know how the scoring works now. There was some amazing play, with one of the bowlers bowling out six unfortunate players and gaining a hat-trick as well. I think we will be revisiting Edgbaston after retirement. Here are a few pictures from the match; that's my sports reporting for now. I did have a great time, though.
On Friday, hubby and I were off again in search of another interesting home and its gardens. Baddesley Clinton, in Warwickshire, is about 40 minutes away from us and was perfect for a sunny afternoon. This was originally a medieval manor house with strong Catholic connections. This religious fervour could be very dangerous, especially during the English Civil War, and the house was a safe place for Catholic priests. The Ferrers, who owned the property, leased the manor to two sisters at that time. They had several hiding places, or priest holes, cleverly fitted, which proved to be life-saving on several occasions when Catholic priests were being hunted down.
Back in our own garden, it's the turn of some other fruits to take centre stage after the strawberries did so well. I have a couple of blackcurrant bushes scattered around, and they have all produced a lot of berries.
This week, in this small corner, it looks to be another warm week to enjoy in the garden. I'm going to add more bark mulch to the woodland area at the bottom of the garden, which has become a little overgrown over the last few weeks. Although there is less need to weed there, I'm hoping the mulch will help retain moisture in the soil for longer when it has been watered or rained on. One or two plants also need to be removed and replaced, and so a trip to the garden centre is also looking likely. We also have some family birthday celebrations in Essex next weekend, which will be lovely
I hope you have some lovely plans for the week and that the weather is perfect in your own corners.
Best wishes
B x
We have blueberries ripen now, our strawberries are still giving. Brave of you going to a cricket tournament, not sure I would have gone
ReplyDeleteI don't have blueberries in our garden but I'm thinking they would make a good addition. I really enjoyed the cricket and would go again but probably only to the T20 type matches. Test matches would be too long for me.
DeleteThe T20s are fun to watch. They don't have the same drama as Test matches, but they're entertaining.
ReplyDeleteYour paeony is beautiful. We've got a couple of tubers, but they've never done anything.
As a newby to cricket , these matches were perfect for me to enjoy. Peonys are beautiful flowers and I love their colours. I once had a very deep pink one but sadly it was in a previous house. I would love to grow them again here.
DeleteWonderful action sport photos. Your nature photos are gorgeous and captivating! Love the ducks and the Canada goose as well as your garden photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. Most of my photos were done on a simple camera but the ones of the cricket were from my son's phone. We spent quite a time enjoying the company of the ducks.
DeleteBaddesley Clinton is an interesting place to visit. I enjoyed it there and at nearby Packwood. My childhood summers were dominated by cricket. My step-father played for a local team most weekends and my mum would often help with the teas. My step-dad also watched cricket on TV because his elder brother had played for Derbyshire and later became a test umpire Your husband may be interested to read about Charlie Elliott, he has a wikki page. I'm glad you enjoyed your day at Edgbaston:)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly has an interesting history at Baddesley with the priest holes and the wonderful moat that surrounds the house. Both Baddesley and Packwood are close by for us so a quick trip out on a sunny afternoon. I showed my hubby the wikki page about Charlie Elliot and he was most impressed. You have some very interesting family connections, Rosie. I'm looking forward to lots more days at the cricket now.
DeleteYour day at Baddesley Clinton looked lovely. And what great weather for your visit.
ReplyDeleteMy blackcurrants ripened much earlier than usual this year, so I've been able to pick them all already. Xx
We do seem to have chosen some really lovely sunny days to visit places lately. My blackcurrants are just perfect for picking so that is a job I must do this week. I should be able to make some jam with the currants which will be delicious and I can enjoy these delicious fruits for even longer. Have a great week, Jules.
DeleteI enjoyed your sports reporting and seeing your photographs, pleased you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteYour visit to Baddesley Clinton looks lovely.
How lovely to see those ducks :)
Your Peony looks amazing in the photograph, a beautiful colour.
Sending good wishes for the coming week.
All the best Jan
I'm glad you enjoyed the cricket photos. I had a great time and learnt a little about the game in the process.
DeleteBaddesley Clinton is a good place to visit both for the history and architecture but also for the grounds to wander around. The ducks were fun to watch especially as they kept an eye on their respective broods.
Peonys are beautiful flowers but can be a bit temperamental at times to grow. Worth the effort though I think.
Enjoy your week.
What a wonderfully thoughtful gift from your son. Great action shots and very interesting to read. Fascinating history on Baddesley Clinton. I remember going to one place and was shown the priest hole and being allowed to step inside one. It was cramped even for me as a child but it served its purpose. Lovely photos of the house and garden with its feathered friends and the peony. Your own garden always impresses me. I remember our gooseberry bushes that Mum used to make pies from. No blackcurrants though. Bet those are delicious!
ReplyDeleteYes, those priest holes are very cramped and must have been very uncomfortable to use. But when your life is in danger like the priests were, it was a small price to pay. The ducks were very entertaining and we sat for quite a while watching them. I'm thinking of making some jam with the blackberries this year.
DeleteI meant blackcurrants. Silly me!
DeleteMy brother goes to the matches at Edgbaston. He loves the whole day !
ReplyDeleteWe visited Baddesley Clinton a few years ago and really enjoyed it too. Those Paeonies are beautiful :)
AND your garden is doing well. You have more gooseberries than we have ie NONE! and those blackcurrants....mmmm....yummy :)
Angie
I'm thinking that watching some cricket at Edgebaston is going to happen more often from now on. I'm beginning to enjoy the sport, at least the T20's. I'm glad your brother loves the cricket too.
DeleteBaddesley is a wonderful place to visit for an afternoon especially if the sun is shining.
Gooseberries are about to be picked and frozen and the blackberries are now jam. Happy days here. I hope you are both Ok too.
On a lovely, summer’s day, there’s nothing better than to sit and watch a game of cricket and I think it’s become a much more exiting sport in recent years. Lovely photos!
ReplyDeleteYour fruit is doing well! I don’t grow fruit as I don’t have the room, which is a shame.
I hope that you are having a sunny week…the weather is glorious here in South Devon.
😁
Thank you, Sal. The weather is very hot and sunny here too. A bit too hot for me if I'm honest. I'm moving around the garden looking for a sheltered spot all the time but it is good to be outside in the fresh air. I'm picking fruit this week to turn into pies and jams later on. I still have plenty of space to plant, although my hubby wants to hang on to as much lawn as possible. That's up for negotiation!
DeleteCricket seems to be one of the few sports that might just win me over and I actually enjoy watching now. Glad you liked the photos.
Take care and have a lovely weekend.
Ours is a cricketing family with Mick, Daniel, and also Jasmine, playing, but I have no interest in it at all, I'm not at all sporty myself and don't even enjoy watching sport. Daniel's going to Headingley on Sunday to watch the test match (I think that's what it is). Glad you enjoyed your day out. Mick and Daniel used to take my dad to to T20 games and they saw some cracking matches. Now looking round a medieval manor house is definitely more my thing and Baddesley Clinton looks like a lovely day out with so much interest. Enjoy your celebrations this weekend, it's Jack's first birthday today and he's having a party tomorrow so we'll be celebrating too.
ReplyDeleteI think I surprised myself with the cricket, Jo. None of us play cricket but enjoy watching. Our son watched quite a lot when he worked as a student at the Edgebaston grounds and again when he was doing part of his degree in Australia.
DeleteI think you would enjoy Baddesley Clinton with all its history and mystery.
I hope Jack has a fantastic first birthday celebration with his family sharing it with him. How the time has sped past! It will be a sunny celebration for us too and I'll talk about it on my next post.
Have a lovely weekend x