MANOR FARM DETHICK

Our journey continues this weekend in Derbyshire. We will be staying at the Manor Farm in Dethick, B&B. This is the place mentioned in Alison Uttley's novel "A Traveller in Time" called Thackers Farm. It has been called one of the most romantic and historic houses in the Peak District and is  owned by Simon and Gilly Groom Simon used to be a Blue Peter presenter.
Saturday night we have tickets for a 1940s Nostalgia Charity Night featuring Victory Belle.
(Back Sunday night if I don't get lost in time!)

www.manorfarmdethick.co.uk

LITTLE WHITE RABBIT MEETS ?

Do you recognise these two people from Harry Potter?

TREE HOUSE AT ALNWICK

The photograph below is taken from the car park of Alnwick Garden, the treehouse is in the background.

A trip across the scary suspended bridge leads to the magical restaurant.

The treehouse is open daily for lunch and on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays for dinner.(Booking recommended)

TO DAFFODILS

Fair daffodils, we weep to see

You haste away so soon;

As yet the early rising sun

Has not attained his noon,

Stay, stay,

Until the hasting day

Has run

But to the evensong;

And having prayed together, we

Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay as you,

We have as short a spring,

As quick a growth to meet decay,

As you or anything.

We die,

As your hours do, and dry

Away

Like to the summer's rain;

Or as the pearls of morning's dew

Ne'er to be found again.

(Robert Herrick)

DISASTER

Oh dear, I wasted two hours two nights ago trying to put my recent photos on my blog but then my computer decided to crash. I think I may have lost many precious photos. My husband has taken it down to Frodsham Computers to see if we can recover anything. I am now using my fairly new laptop and am not really very expert uploading onto it yet. I have managed to put two photos on of our recent trip to the Garden Station at Langley. There is a pleasant tea room in what was the old waiting room. The station closed in the 1950s, and the track ran along the Hexham Allendale line. (More later, hopefully!

THE GARDEN STATION

www.thegardenstation.co.uk

The garden Station, Langley on Tyne

MORNING HYMN - IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE

 I have always liked the following hymn and I am singing it as I blog - can you hear me? Sing along if you know it.

 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almight, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains, high soaring above,

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life Thou givest - to both great and small;

In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,

And wither and perish - but nought changeth Thee.

Great Father of GLory, pure Father of LIght,

Thine angels adore Thee all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render; O help us to see;

Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almight, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

(Walter Chalmers Smith 1824-1908)

(Light shining through the windows of Hexham Abbey)

ONE BLACKBIRD

The stars must make an awful noise

In whirling round the sky;

Yet somehow I can't even hear

Their loudest song or sigh.

So it is wonderful to think

one blackbird can outsing,

The voice of all the swarming stars

On any day in spring.

(Harold Monro)

OUR VISIT TO MORPETH

The William Turner Garden in Morpeth, a bit dull at present but will soon be full of colour.

 There were signs that the badgers had been busy digging in the flower beds

The primulas were very colourful and the cherry blossoms

 

River Font

We enjoyed a cup of tea in The Chantry Tea Rooms opposite Tourist information

 I enjoyed my tea which was served in a Rington's Teafuser (Ringtons, a family business established 1907)

www.ringtons.co.uk

Easter Bunny Display in bakery window.

THE OLD BAKEHOUSE MILLENNIUM GREEN, MORPETH

We had a chat to these three pleasant ladies sitting enjoying the sunshine in the Old Bakehouse Millennium Green (Morpeth's Secret Garden)

Their names are Muriel, Joyce and I think Nora, (I can't read my writing, her name could have been Nancy!)

This was a pleasant garden created from wasteland by local residents, it aims to provide colour and interest throughout the year and a safe haven for both wildlife and people close to the town centre.

MORNING PICTURE - LWR WITH COWSLIPS

Little White Rabbit among the cowslips

(Cowslips mean Pensiveness, winning grace!)

LIFE'S CLOCK

Did you remember? I had wondered if this was the weekend the clocks went forward but decided it was next week and on our journey home we noticed a church clock saying 4 p.m. when our watches said 3 p.m. It was only when listening to the 6 o'clock news on  Radio 4 when Big Ben chimed 6 that we realised that this was the weekend that British Summertime begins. I thought the verse below appropriate for tonight's thought.

The clock of life is wound but once.

And no man has the power

To tell just where the hands will stop

At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed;

To lose one's health is more;

To lose one's soul is such a loss,

As no man can restore.
The present only is our own

Live, love, toil with a will -

Place no faith in "tomorrow" for

The clock may then be still. 

MY SPRING GARDEN

The pictures below are of my front garden. On my arrival home this evening I was met with some lovely scents from the hyacinths, jonquils and other perfumed flowers.

Our journey has taken us to Durham, Derwent Reservoir, Hexham, the Garden Station at Langley on Tyne,  Morpeth, Alnwick and on our return journey we stopped at Eggleston Hall and I added to my collection of auriculas. I will put more pictures of our travels on the blog in the coming week. We have had some beautiful sunny weather and we have met many interesting people. The hedges are all bursting into bud, the birds have sung merrily everywhere, the little lambs were frolicking in the fields as we drove home through the dales, we even saw a curlew today and last night, quite late, saw two herons standing in the river in Durham. I hope you have all enjoyed your weekends also.

DERWENT RESERVOIR

On Friday we visited Derwent Reservoir whose water levels were lower than normal,  It supplies water to the homes in Wearside and South Tyneside. Every day 28 million gallons are taken to the distribution system.

 The bunnies all enjoyed the sunshine and the fresh air

This is a photograph of the view the other side of the reservoir, taken from the dam as we walked across

 

 

 

There was lots to see and quite a few fishermen.

LITTLE WHITE RABBIT'S ADVENTURES CONTINUE

Hello Everybody, have you wondered where we have been? Little White Rabbit was invited to his cousin's birthday party in County Durham so he has been to stay with his Grandad and other relatives. He has visited many places over the last two days, stay tuned and you will visit Hexham and the Water Gardens at Alnwick, including a trip to a very large tree house.

 On the journey to Durham we saw many lambs in the fields

 We also saw a lot of palm, commonly called Pussy Willow

 

We saw a lot of windmills on our travels in County Durham

 Here are some highland cattle

Here is a picture of the family gathering. Peter Rabbit

met his old friend Flopsy Bunny.

3 SPRING PICTURES

 We thankThee for the springtime, Lord,

 For birds and trees and flowers,

For running brooks and huming bee, For sunny, happy hours.

(Frances weld Danielson)

TONIGHTS POEM BY ELIZABETH BROWNING

The little cares that fretted me, I lost them yesterday,

Among the fields above the sea; among the winds at play;

Among the lowing of the herds, the rustling of the trees;

Among the singing of the birds, the humming of the bees.

The foolish fears of what might chance, I threw them all away

Among the clover-scented grass; among the new-mown hay,

Among the husking of the corn, where drowsy poppies nod,

Where ill thoughts die and good are born,

Out in the field with God.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

These pictures of the corn stacks remind me of the times my dad would play hide and seek with me in the fields in days of childhood - such happy times.

PANSIES

According to the language of flowers, pansies stand for thoughts.

I have always liked pansies I think they look as if they have little faces. As a child I was often taken around various gardens to see the colourful pansies. I have now become interested in Victorian Violas which I will blog of at a later date, I have purchased several at both Harrogate and Malvern Spring Shows. I am running late this morning as I have just sent a Jacqui Lawson electronic birthday card, if you haven't seen them look up the website.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/