Sunny Days in Old Amersham

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Wow! We've certainly had some heat around these parts.

We've also had our fair helping of rain.

But in between the "Sunshine and showers",

I managed a trip to Amersham to listen to "Bands in the Park".

I've blogged about it before but this time,

I though I would add a bit of music and,

in response to a request from Molly,

'pop something up' on YouTube.

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This is of course a 'mixed bag' of pictures,

taken on many different visits.

(You need about 36 photos to fill 3 minutes)

I hope you approve?

I'm no expert at this video lark.

By the way, it plays well in 'Full Screen' mode.

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Hikers, Walkers and 'Road-runners'.

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I'm not really a 'hiker' but I do enjoy a good walk.

My Dad was a keen walker,

and he belonged to several groups in his local area.

When he came down to stay with me for a week, I used to

arrange a nice series of interesting walks.

I didn't take many pictures at the time,

as I only owned a film camera,

but the one below was the day in 1995,

when we ended up at Didcot Railway Museum.

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I like it best if I can start my walks from home

as I did here, up along Winter Hill.

But the weather this last week,

has not been ideal for walking anywhere!

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My road the other day was water from side to side.

It looked more like a canal.

Here's the same bit of road on a sunny morning.

Complete with a 'road runner'.

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This was taken through the front room window.

We have these small fellows all around the area.

I have no idea what they are. You usually see them running and

in fact I've never seen one fly.

Most (dry) mornings, around 6 o'clock,

I will be out on my early morning walk.

More for exercise really and I don't take my camera, but,

recently I have been spotting more of these birds,

out for their early morning peck.

So I have started taking my camera with me and yesterday,

I struck lucky.

Here's one.

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Too far off to identify it.

Here's another couple.

A bit closer

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And finally I managed to get a closer shot.

Not easy as they 'scoot off'' when you get too close.

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So, what are they?

And can you cook them?

No, I'm only joking.

( I know for sure they are not Jenny Wrens! )

Bright and sunny this morn and

Conifer lopping is complete.

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I have to admit though,

that I don't think I've improved the view?

Next task please.

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"Gardening for Adventure"

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I used to start off all my posts with some sheet music.

I haven't done recently so I shall try again.

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"A Blighted Gardener". A clever play on words here.

Not only did he lose his girl,

but

he also got blight on his cabbages & turnip tops!

Sad really.

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I bought this book "Gardening for Adventure" in 1968.

Bring a bit of excitement into gardening, I thought.

It's all about the unusual; things like the -

"Squirting Cucumber"

"Spaghetti Marrow"

and the "Walking Onion".

I grew many of these in those early days. It was all great fun.

But like most things, the novelty wore off.

(There is a video of the cucumber squirting,

here on YouTube.)

But here we are forty years on and I still have a few around.

My "Walking Onion" is still walking.

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This one is in a pot, just in case I lose the ones in the garden.

I call it my "Tree Onion" actually, and

use the little onions that grow on it for pickling.

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Here's a closer look.

When they grow larger and heavier, the stalk collapses and the

little onions take root, so the plant tends to keep 'moving on'.

Another plant still going strong from those days,

is the Alpine Strawberry.

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These have been self seeding in all of my gardens,

for over 40 years.

The berries are very small.

However this tends to concentrate the flavour.

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You don't need cream with these.

Though you do need to get out there early,

before the birds see them!

And finally for today - my 'Ice plants'.

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These are "Echeveria",

and I have lugged these from garden to garden,

every time I have moved house.

I used to have around fifty or sixty.

I used to use them as edging in the good old days,

usually with blue Lobelia, as here.

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They would have been killed off by frost,

so all had to be potted up and kept nice and warm

in the greenhouse.

I gave up on all this, as the cost of heating the house

is extortionate, never mind the greenhouse!

Shame really.

But I still keep a few of these reminders

in the porch & conservatory.

Oh well, back to conifer lopping!

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Raised from my slumbers.

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Everybody seems very busy these days

judging from what I read on all of your blogs.

I'm busy too, but not on anything of interest.

Sylvie has been making Bread Pud!

The proper way, from left over bread.

The Bread Pudding in Thame Market is £1.50 a chunk!

Mmmmm, I could buy a whole loaf for that.

Are we being ripped orf?

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Sorry that is not Bread Pud, but it is Thame Market last week,

with home made Eccles cakes and Carrot cake.

(to tempt CherryPie)

And this next one is even better than Bread Pud.

Lardy Cake!

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A bit pricey I thought as it always used to be

a cheap alternative to those 'posh' cakes with lots of eggs.

(a temptation for Foody)

So much for calories.

Molly did a very interesting bit on Sempervivums.

I have always liked these.

We used to call them 'Ice plants'.

I've no idea why.

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Anyway. here is a few from my collection.

Tomatoes are coming on well. A bit chilly at nights,

but they have quite a few trusses forming.

Deb, asked about that tomato plant that I grew,

that thought it was a beanstalk.

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Here it is. Out through the roof.

( the blog was here Deb.)

Doohie was interested in my Mulberry trees.

I can't find the old posts just this minute,

but I have two trees which I grew from seed twenty-five years ago.

One is morus nigra, a black mulberry and

the other is called morus alba.

An unusual white version.

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They are very sweet and juicy......

and

all the birds in the neighbourhood know this!

Hence I never get to eat many.

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My garden has been blessed with a good

showing of Aquilegia this year.

Probably because neither I, nor the birds,

have any desire to eat them!

This one is called 'Pink Bonnets'.

And ......just to 'make the day' for brother Ade.

A cat photo.

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A couple of days ago, Wesley was fast asleep on the lawn,

much to the annoyance of a pair of Magpies,

who had a nest in the tree behind.

They squawked at both Hazel and Wes,

if they dared to get too close.

This went on for ages. Hazel got fed up and came in,

but Wes being an awkward bugger, (taking after me),

refused to budge!

There!

I hope I've answered a few queries,

and kept a few happy?

Sorry if I've not mentioned all my friends,

but,

keep the requests coming - please.

It gives me ideas for future ramblings.

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There’s nothing I want to write about.

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"As a blog reader, I like it when the writer contributes something almost every day.

As a writer, I’ve found that’s not easy.

Some days are just blah and there’s nothing I want to write about."

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Now there is probably only one person who will recognise those lines above.

They were written on Saturday 7th June 2008.

You see I love to go back and see what my friends were writing about all that time ago,

before I even thought of starting my own blog.

It is very interesting to click on June 2007, June 2008,

to read what were the 'hot topics' at that time in other peoples lives.

The lines above, sum up how I feel at the moment.

"Blah, and there's nothing I want to write about."

I go to Thame market on a Tuesday.

I've done that umpteen times.

I go to Henley, I go to Wallingford and Cliveden.

I'm not bored by these places, but I may be repeating myself,

and from a readers point of view, this can be boring.

As my brother says - " Oh no. Not cats again!"

You saw my garden last year, and the year before.

The Mulberries are fruiting, but I showed those

last year - and the year before.

So I'm not going to repeat myself with my mundane weekly doings,

and I'm thinking very hard for new topics.

It may seem quiet around here at the moment, but I can assure you,

there is plenty going on. Well there would be if the rain stopped!

Yesterday was Bourne End Fete.

Today was Marlow Town Regatta. (a washout I should think).

I was going to Amersham to listen to Summer Band Concerts.

I didn't - as I expect it was cancelled due to rain.

So here I sat, browsing old blogs from around the world for ideas.

Did I get any? Well not really -

except the idea for this one -

from Jan in California, in June 2008.

Thanks Jan.

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"Who knows, where the Time goes?"

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"Time by moments steals away

First the hour and then the day

Small the daily loss appears

Yet it soon amounts to years."

Where does all that time go?

'Man' has always found the Spring to be his busiest time of the year,

and it has been no exception here in my patch.

The clock for Rosie is now finished,

and will be returned on Saturday.

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Greenhouse has been cleared out

and tomatoes planted up and doing champion.

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The Organ has been tuned and music sorted and checked.

I was thinking of using the alternative front this year,

but the painting of the details and especially the

'rope' edging, was taking me ages!

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A steady hand was needed here.

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It was taking too long.

It would never be done by Saturday.

I shall have to stick with the Dutch style front

for this season.

The garden is a major consumer of my time at the moment.

Wesley thought this conifer hedge was too tall -

either that or the ladder was too short!

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It will have to be lopped,

chopped,

bagged

and

binned.

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"Hey up" what's that up on my neighbours roof.

Oh, it's those three ducks that Wesley was trying to

round up the other day.

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They felt safer up there.

And so the last couple of weeks has been

very hectic here, to say the least.

But it looks like it's going to be

a good weekend

and......

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I'm all packed up and ready for the off.

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