Day 121 - April 30th

I always thought these plants in my Mum & Dad's garden were white bluebells. But, having searched online I've discovered that they are more likely to be a plant from the Allium family and probably three-cornered onion plants or three-cornered leek plants.

Day 120 - April 29th

William Norman Hadfield

2 March 1932 - 6 April 2024

Today we gathered to say a final goodbye to my Uncle Norman. Rest in Peace.

Day 119 - April 28th

A wet day meant an ideal opportunity to stay inside and do some scrapbooking.

Day 118 - April 27th

This evening we dined at a local Turkish restaurant. The food was delicious and the halloumi fries I had as a starter were particularly good. 

Day 117 - April 26th

Recently we bought a few new Osteospermum plants for the garden. Such lovely colours.

Day 116 - April 25th

Summers on the way when daisies dominate the lawn.

Day 115 - April 24th

I found a couple of bags of mini eggs today left over from Easter so decided to throw them into some Chocolate Cookie Dough for a batch of homemade cookies.

Day 114 - April 23rd

I spotted this little critter this morning.

Day 113 - April 22nd

Beautiful Scilla starting to flower.

Day 112 - April 21st

 Today we visited the bluebell woods.

At this time of year people flock to Hitch Wood to see the bluebells and parking can be a nightmare so we choose to park at nearby Preston and incorporate the woods in a circular walk around the area.

We parked near The Red Lion Pub and the set off across the fields.

We were so surprised whilst walking the footpaths when a herd of Roe Deer galloped across the path, some way ahead, and then settled themselves in the neighbouring field. We've seen deer from the car occasionally but have never seen them on our walks. They were obviously aware of us and soon moved on again.

In the garden of The Rusty Gun pub at St. Ippolyts we can across some more animals - pet Kunekune pigs.

In an isolated spot, we stubbled across the ruins of Minsden Chapel. 

A Scheduled Monument and Grade II Listed, the chapel was built in the 14th century but by the 17th century had fallen into disrepair. Work to repair Minsden Chapel by Natural England in partnership with Historic England was carried out in 2022. The arched openings in the wall was stabilised and work to conserve the overall structure by capping the wall head was carried out.

We passed by Hill End Chalk Pit, a disused chalk pit which is now a local wildlife site famous for its fossils such as ammonites.

Finally, we reached Hitch Wood and it didn't disappoint. Their were bluebells everywhere we looked.

The path through Hitch Wood then lead us back through fields and country lanes and back to Preston, but all along the route there were still bluebells to see.

Day 111 - April 20th

This months book club choice is different to our usual genre, but its quite good.

Day 110 - April 19th

Mountain Cornflower.

Day 109 - April 18th

As well as fancy daffodils, my mum & dad also have some pretty unusual tulips in their garden.

Day 108 - April 17th

After his dental work the other week, Tux is none the worse.

Day 107 - April 16th

I noticed these beautiful daffodils in my Mum & Dad's garden today.

Day 106 - April 15th

After heavy rain today, Wayne sent me this photo taken at work,

Day 105 - April 14th

This afternoon we joined our walking group for a walk from Meppershall to Holwell and back again.

The sun kept putting in an appearance during the walk but at other times it was quiet chilly.

But, the ground was on the whole dry and we only encountered one stretch of  mud.

We arrived in Holwell by St Peter's Church and after a short break, we then retraced our steps back to Meppershall. St Peter's Church is quite unusual, in that it is relatively young, having only been built in 1877. There has been a church on the site for over a thousand years and this building is believed to be the fourth.