Half Term Catch Up

Hello everyone. 

After half-term week, this week has been much quieter, giving me the chance to catch my breath and fill you in on a few of the other things we did during the holiday, as promised.

First, we visited Hereford Cathedral. This cathedral has been a place of worship since at least the eighth century, although large parts of it were rebuilt in the Norman period. Gothic styles have also influenced it. In the crypt of the cathedral is the chained library, which has ancient books and manuscripts chained to the bookshelves. They are handwritten and contain beautiful illustrations. 

One of the other most valuable treasures of the cathedral is the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world dating from the late thirteenth century. It is, however, not a map in the modern sense but rather a summary of the worldview at that time—a pictorial encyclopedia and map of the medieval mind.

Although I didn't take pictures of either of these important artefacts, I hope you enjoy the variety of stained glass windows in the main cathedral.

One of the other lovely things about half-term school holidays is that D often likes to bake.  Here is her half-term cake that she made this time. It was delicious and super chocolatey! 

D and I also went shopping together and came back after a lovely few hours, with several shopping bags of items for our holiday together in August. We are cruising around the coasts of France, Italy, Spain and Corsica. I am really looking forward to the trip.

Back in my garden this week, I'd like to introduce you to my newest baby hosta. It is tiny compared to the ones at Barnsdale Gardens but holds a lot of promise, according to the plant label. I noticed a leaf in the photo with a rather large hole, and after checking the health of the rest of the hostas, I can report that they are all fine. Someone must have munched on it before I planted it.

The foxgloves are all doing well and the bees are simply loving them.

And this Iris was a beautiful surprise when it opened up during the week. It has had several flowers already and seems to have settled well in the clear water of our new pond.

The Rodgersia has also grown tall and lush in the merry-go-round of sun and rain this year, too.

It's an excellent year for strawberries, and I've already seen many delicious ones while visiting other blogs recently. I replanted my plants earlier in the year and added a couple of new ones from the rampant runners that had grown. This is D's hand so that you can see how enormous the strawberries have grown.

Meanwhile, there is another quiet week ahead for this small corner, but sometimes, that is a very good week indeed. 

I hope that whether your week is busy or relaxed, it is a good one wherever you are in the world.

Take care

B x