Monday 21 May 2012

Sunday


Out for a very decent traditional Sunday lunch at the Lion Inn at Timberscombe; plain but well-cooked, followed by a short excursion into the surrounding countryside. The dogs, already walked, stayed at home today; sometimes we like to eat without an avid audience eyeing our every mouthful.



The primroses are over, save in shady spots; instead, Queen Anne's Lace and Red Campion are everywhere; the hedgerows are a froth of pink and white.






We pootle gently; Exmoor is very beautiful today in its fresh Spring greenery.











Sometimes we stop; we look in at St Mary's church above Luxborough; we take photographs.



 A very muddy man on a trail bike stops; he and his companions have been hopelessly lost for miles, winding in and out, up and down, round and round, through the little lanes. We share a map, and he and his group roar off; later we spot them lost again, peering confusedly at the sat-navs that struggle to cope with the twists and turns, farm tracks and dead ends that lie in wait for the unwary.




Then home for a few hours of gardening, weeding, planting, planning where to put the gated arch that will keep an enthusiastic labrador off the flower beds. The garden is full of stinky Herb Robert, which I regard as the enemy; it thrives down here, so my ruthless pulling-out won't endanger it in the slightest. I am delighted to find that one of its other names is Death Come Quickly....

Sensing my strange reluctance to weed for hours (or getting fed up, perhaps, with my lack of focus and over-keenness to look way beyond the task in hand to the dream garden that may evolve in years to come?), the Companion releases me, and I go indoors to bake a chocolate cake instead.









By evening those plants that have been released from pots look like they are already
stretching their legs and extending their toes, grateful for real soil and freedom to grow.




The chocolate cake, on the other hand, is a less grateful affair; it looks, smells and tastes good (and so it should, given the ingredients) but it sinks in the middle and is oddly dry and powdery. One for cream or chocolate sauce, I think.

Never my favourite day of the week, after the bleakness and rigours of a convent boarding school, I'm finding that Sundays are really rather pleasant these days.

Hours of battling with Death Come Quickly excepted, of course.




25 comments:

jabblog said...

Sounds a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. I hated Sundays,too, for different reasons - now, it's just another pleasant day.
I love Herb Robert though I admit it has a tendency to take over but then I'm grateful for anything that deigns to grow in my garden;-)

Lucille said...

Now that dreaded weed has a name. It doesn't make me like it any better. Goose grass is thriving too do you find?

BumbleVee said...

I've declared war on Wendy's Weeds..... which in reality are white anemones that a friend name Wendy gave us all those years ago when there was nothing in my 'garden'..... and they took over. Now... can't get rid of them...they're everywhere!

The dirt is so hard I don't know how anything grows...but that is also being dug up ...given a good stab with the shovel and new topsoil being added..it's killing my barely recuperated arm...and Greg keeps trying to tell me not to do anything...but, I just can't stand around letting him do it all...and am overdoing I'm afraid. ... the front won't have any dirt at all eventually.... and near the house...we now have it two feet deep... lining with clay..then road gravel then pea and finally chunks of lovely decorative limestone ...no more mud jumping up onto the front of the house in rainstorms .... not more cats using it for their personal bathroom...etc.... but, it is a lot of digging...

Anonymous said...

Never ever plant Lemon Balm thinking its a nice smelling herb it will take over the world !

Susan said...

such lovely & plentiful photos - hooray ! much love xoxo les Gang

dinahmow said...

Another lovely post to wallow in.
I was "oop north" at the weekend, though not as far "oop" as Newcastle. In more than 30 years I'd forgotten how cold it can be!Here in London, blossoms were over more then a week ago, but in Buxton some are just beginning.
Still, it was a lovely trip.

flwrjane said...

Oh to be in England!

yes, I can always get away by offering to make lunch or a coffee.

cunning aren't we?

xo jane

Desiree said...

It will be a lovely garden and your dreams have come true!! Beautiful photo's of the country, I love it!

judy in ky said...

I'm so glad Sunday are improving for you. When I was teaching I couldn't enjoy Sundays because I had to prepare for class the next day. I love them now, though. Thank you for sharing your photos, they provide very pleasant browsing. I love to poodle, too.

Anonymous said...

Very nice photos - some much history in your surrounds. Your photo taking has increased and we benefit!

Where I live, that weed is called Stinky Bob, confirmed by Wikipedia link. My yard gets tons of it but thankfully easy enough to pull, root and all. I cannot fathom purchasing it or allowing it to remain as indicated in Wiki :)

K, USA

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

There's no such thing as a bad chocolate cake ! Pour over some cream whipped up with a bit of that syrup from a jar of ginger .....
Pootling about your part of the world yields endless lovely surprises , doesn't it !

Val said...

Lovely shared walk THANK YOU

I have cake recipes like that too and have to suffer by adding cream or sauce ..isn't life hard at times :0)

hasenschneck said...

Sounds like you had a lovely weekend. I love Solomon's Seal. I bring them in and put them on the kitchen windowsill so that I can see their amazing suspended flowers at eye level.

Arthur Ransome said...

What a brilliant post with all those lovely photos. You are lucky with your Death Come Quickly. At least it has decent flowers unlike wood avens which is my Weed of Choice (or rather no choice) in my new garden. What is the name of that lovely spiky blue flower that you have put in? I adore it but can't buy any as I don't know its name.

alice c said...

I gasped! "What is this?!!!" I thought ...The Companion is a motor cyclist and they are doing off-roading together. I had visions of Flossie running behind and Tosca in a pannier. I am relieved to know that all is sedate, happy and non-muddy.

Lynda (Granny K) said...

Thank you for the heads-up re. Stinky Bob. I have some growing in a little pot and thought how pretty it looked. Had no idea it could be a nuisance. Can't wait till daylight to go and see if the leaves really smell of burning rubber. I rather like that smell! I'd better make sure it isn't allowed to seed though.

kippy said...

beautiful photos! I called herb robert "that feral geranium thing". Thanks for identifying it by its' proper name.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

You live in such a beautiful area. Unfortunately I can't visit in person, but your photos allow me to enjoy some of the peaceful views.

knutty knitter said...

So now I know what that thing is called! It isn't too bad though. I reserve my ire for mexican daisy and convolvulus (granny pop out of beds) with a reserve of hemlock and sticky weed.

I do like your photos as your place is so different to mine.

viv in nz

Anonymous said...

Just incase anyone is interested here in Scotland we call it Sticky Willie.It may be a weed but it brings laughter & joy to many a family here.The fun or joke is to attach it onto the unsuspecting participants back without them knowing whether on a ambling walk or gardening together & then when they discover ..shout Sticky Willie...these traditions are passed onto each generation.....just big kids at heart really :)

Catherine said...

An idyllic day! We have a wild flower that is threatening to take over the beds - not sure what it's called, so just refer to it as 'Thug'. Very pretty in the verges but rampant in the garden.
We also have a very lively labrador who we are trying to discourage from trampling the plants, as well as the four cats... We seem to be living parallel lives! Oh and the convent school etc
Nice to meet you!

Anonymous said...

Such beauty. The stained glass window - the name St. Lo - related to Bess of Harwick's third husband?

Ginnie said...

So much to savor! As usual, the pictures of your countryside are so beautiful. The stained glass window is heartbreaking, isn't it? Never heard of Herb Robert, which is OK with me - we've got enough other invasives to deal with. And adding cream or chocolate sauce to almost anything sounds good to me.

Anne said...

What a wonderful day with the Companion ...... and chocolate cake too!!

Marcheline said...

Lovely photos... am still giggling about a flower called "Death Come Quickly"... can't believe they didn't use that on an episode of "Rosemary & Thyme" while it was still on the air....

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