In the Garden

Hello everyone. 

I have been outside in my garden this week. Everything is growing quickly in the garden after all the rain and sunshine we have had recently. Bees are buzzing, birds are singing, and it is a real joy to work and sit in the garden.

The area along our back fence has long been a problem space; we couldn't think of anything to grow there until a few months ago. I scattered some wildflower seeds and a few other old packets of seeds, and let nature take its course. While we have not had any flowers yet, there have been plenty of leaf varieties, and I'm sure the wildlife will enjoy the area regardless.

Some plants will undoubtedly turn out to be weeds, but I'm happy for them to survive in that part of the garden. In the photo, they look a little wilted with the heat, but they will be fine with some watering. 

A little further up the garden, we have the pond, and growth is exuberant with lots of plants. I think the bark mulch we put down last year has really helped keep weeds down and reduce the amount of watering we need.

Elsewhere in the garden, I have plenty of both veg and flowers growing.

And speaking of growing, this year, I have been trying to grow a few new things for the garden. So far, they all seem to be doing well with plenty of leaves emerging; I'm just waiting for the flowers to bloom. The lily is called ' Star Gazer' - pink, the begonias are 'Sunray'- peach/lemon and the dahlias, 'Banana Latte' - cream, and 'Pretty Woman'- pink.

Another new project has been the jute string and bamboo cane trellis to grow my peas and sweet peas along. I shall make a few adjustments for next year, but I like the idea of my veg and flowers growing up together. I will let you all know how that works out later in the summer.

Inside the house, my patience has finally been rewarded with the orchids starting to flower again. It has been over twelve months since this last happened, and I had almost given up hope. However, over the last few weeks, I noticed new growth on two of them, and this morning the first bud has opened. I am hoping for more flowers in the coming weeks. 

Here in the UK, many areas are going to be very hot next week. Stay safe in the heat if that applies to you. If you are getting a cooler week, may it still be a good week for you, whatever your plans.

A Special Day Out

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I want to say a huge "thank you" to all of you for your kind wishes and for the warm welcome back. It has been a good week here in this small corner, with a special day out on Thursday.

It was an early start for hubby and me as we drove down to Warwick Parkway station to catch a train to London for the day. When he retired from work last year, my hubby received a voucher for an experience day, which we used on Thursday. We visited The King's Gallery and had a tasting meal at a lovely Indian restaurant nearby.

It has been many years since I travelled on the London Underground, and I did not enjoy that experience. However, this time I was pleasantly surprised. It seems mid-morning on a Thursday was just a good time to travel; mind you, it was busier on the way back around 4 pm - but nowhere near the squashed sardines that I remember from the last time I was on the Underground.

The meal at the restaurant was delicious. We tried everything on the 5-course tasting menu, and very little was left at the end. The service was excellent, and we had all the dishes explained to us, along with the ingredients used.

I took a few pictures, but several times I forgot and had already started eating. I might be more adventurous with Indian food next time we eat out, as I normally stick to the usual favourites.

Here are a few dishes we tried: 

• Mini poppadoms and dips
• Banana stem soup with banana chips ( It really did not taste of banana)
• Crab tart with mustard cream
• Meen Polichattu (fish marinated in spices, coated in a tangy tomato sauce and steamed in a banana leaf)
• Lamb shank varutha curry
• Malabar parantha (layered flaky flatbread)
• Thalassery chicken biryani
• Kumquat, milk chocolate and ginger mousse.

The other half of our day's experience was a visit to the King's Gallery. The current exhibition on display celebrates the centenary year of our late Queen Elizabeth through the decades of her clothing. 

We saw her christening robe, commissioned by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, for her eldest son (Edward VII), and some of the cotton Liberty dresses that she and her sister wore as young princesses.

Through the 40's and 50's, the Queen favoured darker, richer looking colours with full skirts and the style of ' New Look' Dior. Later in her reign she wore much brighter colours so that the public could see her more clearly when she was among crowds.

Her favoured designers over many decades were Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell, and we were able to see various sketches that eventually became outfits for the Queen.

It was lovely to be able to see some of the clothing that had special significance, such as the Queen's wedding dress, coronation dress, outfits from overseas tours, the dress used for the parachute entrance to the 2012 Olympics and the last dresses seen in public when the nation celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Of course, there were many hats on display, too. We also saw more practical clothing for walking and enjoying holidays with her family at Balmoral.

Here are a few photos I took while we were there. If you want to see more, here is the link to the King's gallery, which also includes a 3D walkthrough as well as more information about the Queen's style.

Wedding dress

Coronation dress

State visits

The Olympic Games dress

Platinum Jubilee

Hats and crowns

From sketches to dresses

We had a wonderful day out seeing the exhibition and enjoying our meal. A long day, but worth every minute.

This week looks more like a normal week. How is your week looking? I hope you have things to look forward to and that we all get to see a little warmth and sunshine.

Look forward to seeing you again soon, and thank you for visiting x

Slowly Venturing Back

Hello to all my dear friends. I have really missed you all. 

As a family, we have been through a really horrid time and are still dealing with the aftermath one day at a time. Physically, we are all fine, just not quite so much in other ways. 

And so, it is time to return to share and enjoy the company of my blogging friends. I will pop in to say "hello" on your blogs over the next few weeks and start catching up on all that I have missed.

Thank you for all your kind messages and good wishes; they have meant a lot.

See you soon 

Beverley x