April's Antics
Tulips and Coddiwomples
Hello Coddiwomplers!
Here we are in the Merry Month of May already, how are you all doing? I love this month, everything is green again, the days are longer, the temperatures are (a bit) warmer and the birds are in full song.
April was a busy month, which has meant the art front has taken a back seat. I haven’t picked up so much as a pencil for two weeks and I’ve REALLY missed it. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in this month. However April’s challenge did teach me that I am not a botanical artist! I found the references too overwhelming to follow, despite using techniques to break them down into small bitesize sections. I shall stick to the occasional sunflower, birds, animals and scenery!
Here’s a breakdown of April’s antics:
Trips and Coddiwomples
Tim and I took a two night road trip to the Cotswolds at the beginning of the month, which we loved. You can read all about that here on the blog (if you haven’t seen it already!)
We also visited Upnor Castle, near Rochester in Kent. It's an Elizabethan artillery fort and I admit I’d never heard of it before, but it’s well worth a visit.
Flower Power (Tulips and Bluebells)
My workplace, Pashley Manor Gardens, hosts an annual Tulip Festival and people travel from far and wide to stroll around the gardens, soaking up the colour and spectacle of approximately 50,000 tulips. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t kind to us this year; the early mild temperatures followed by colder air, rain and hail shortened their flowering season, but visitors were still able to chat to the bulb suppliers (Bloms Bulbs) and shelter in the marquee full of cut flower displays. And the resident ducks were happy!
I was in the office most of the time answering the phone, and as usual our Great British Public didn’t disappoint:
Me answering phone: “Good morning, Pashley Manor Gardens, how can I help?”
Caller: “Who’s that?”
Me: “It’s Wendy…”
Caller: “From where? Who is this?”
Me: “Wendy at Pashley Manor, you’re calling us…”
Caller: “Yes, I’m coming to the Gardens at the weekend. Do you take cash?”
Me: “Yes”
Caller” “OK, good” and puts the phone down!
I do enjoy the event though, it sucks you up into a little bubble totally unattached to the rest of the world!
When I did manage to come up for air, Tim and I discovered some stunning Bluebell walks near where we live. There were thick carpets of them at Sissinghurst Castle and in some local woodlands.
Daisy
I was also introduced to Daisy, a very independent young lady, who has captured my heart hook, line and sinker. She was one of triplets, and hadn’t bonded with their mother as well as her siblings.
She’s a lot smaller than the others and needs a bit of support but she definitely has a strong will about her and knows what she likes and what she doesn’t. Fingers crossed she makes it, but she has a good chance as she is lucky 7 after all. It’s made me realise that I could never keep animals like that, I’d become too attached to them. Still, it does go to show that I must have some maternal instinct somewhere!
Germination update
Remember last month’s germinations? Well, some of my Sweet Peas are in and I’ve now got some Cosmos to replant. Tim has also created a raised bed for runner beans and sweet peas (I’ll show you that when it looks a bit more interesting than it does at the moment!)
Coming up next month and beyond
Tim & I are planning an Adventure in June! We are going to head up to the NC500 and explore some of the wilds of Scotland for around 10 days in our DIY campervan (and a couple of B&B’s). I’m very happy to say we have bought a proper, more comfortable bed and have booked a half way stop in Whitby for the first night. You will (hopefully) be able to follow updates on my Instagram and FB pages (depending on available signal) but there will be a blog post or two about it when we get back so please a look out for those. Therefore my June catch-up will be a week or so later than normal.
I’ve also been working on a series of more personal blogs about my choice to be childfree, and they're going to be called “Following my sunshine - choosing the road less travelled”, They are my personal thoughts and reasons why I chose not to become a Mum. It’s a subject that I’ve never really spoken about very much, but in this day and age I think it’s important to show that we do have choices and that we don’t have to follow what everyone else does. What’s right for some isn’t right for others. I’m aiming to publish the first of these in July.
In the meantime, I wish you a very Merry Month of May, and I shall see you in June (provided I haven’t been abducted by a haggis!) Thank you for being here and reading to the end, I appreciate it very much. (If you have read it to the end, please type “haggis” in the Comments!)
Love,
Wxxx
Haggis!!? They are shy and don't usually frequent places where tourists go. Enjoy! Jan xx