LAYER UPON LAYER

New to me, it appears if you want a spring-flowering display to go on as long as possible, plant separate layers of different varieties of bulbs in one pot. Its about timing, just as any fading bulb foliage starts to look untidy, useful things like geraniums into play!

Sian set to with Tulips and Anemones (tulips not shown here) with some lovely pink geraniums saved from last year.

A GENEROSITY OF GERANIUMS

Training Geranium 

The other day Sian returned from a Garden Centre near Bagshot proffering a lovely trailing geranium, an act designed to distract from other purchases or the prelude to asking help in a garden chore.

Either way geraniums are a favourite flower.  

Geraniums are part of the Pelargonium genus of flowering plants, which includes about 200 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs!

I am not sure if this directly applies to my plant, however pelargonium have been used for intestinal problems, wounds and respiratory ailments: good to know.

Pelargoniums rank as one of the highest number of potted flowering plants sold. Certainly they were going gangbusters at B&Q the other day.

ALLOTMENT GARDENING: TWO ESSENTIAL TOOLS

WATERING CANS VARIOUS

Up at the allotment the other day; Could I be forgiven for thinking that the numerous plastic chairs next to particular Plots were for my benefit? These seats provide the lack lustre artist with a resting place.

Little time to rest for people that actually do the work. There is lamentation and gnashing of teeth as a few frosts have taken their toll of some of the potatoes. Slugs are about and looking for runner bean plants.  These must be the early onslaughts.

A dry Spring too this year, hence the watering cans of all sizes and shapes that are dotted around and about.

Oh well we all need rest and water.

ALLOTMENTS: BEDS READY FOR INSPECTION

ON THE ALLOTMENTS: APPLE PIE ORDER

By the end of last weekend many more allotment beds were showing a fine tilth and had been planted or were soon to be.

On one particular part of the Allotments everything was very much in apple pie order, complete with apple blossom! All of this reminded me of the lengths to which we would go at school to make our beds and other tidying to ensure we would have a fighting chance of winning the Dormitory Trophy.

A tidy (seed) bed is a happy seedbed.

RETURN TO HEDSOR

A breathtaking view across the Thames Valley and on to Chilterns

The other day I cycled back up to Hedsor Church.  

There is a breath taking view from the churchyard Southwest ‘ish.  Chris and I had cycled up there in January >> http://bit.ly/1FHTuEb and I was keen to compare and contrast the landscape.

Somewhere down there was the Thames and to my left Winter Hill which falls away to the river and Cookham Village, birthplace of Stanley Spencer. Most of his works portray village life in Cookham and the landscape here.  This reminded me, the small yet perfectly formed Stanley Spencer Gallery http://www.stanleyspencer.org.uk has some new pieces of work on show – I must scuttle along to see them.

January 2015 

CHRISTINE AND CLIVEDEN

Downstream of Cookham we moored below the woods beneath Cliveden House

It was the first of the Thames cruises on the MV Cantara of Dart with Skipper Derek and first mate Sarah-Jane. 

A lovely late April Friday and we motored downstream through Marlow and Cookham. Lock keepers were cheerful and hard at work on their gardens.

 Downstream of Cookham we moored below the woods beneath Cliveden House, former Astor home and now were the super-rich go for play dates. 

On board we enjoyed a super lunch and a walk in the woods.

As I looked up at Cliveden my mind wandered back to the Profumo affair in the early ‘60’s of which I kept a scrapbook much to my Grandmother’s annoyance.

Cliveden House’s website >> http://bit.ly/1GROtum paints a colourful picture:

'The year was 1961. While the Cold War was slowly chilling British politics, Cliveden House was consumed in a sultry summer of sweltering heat. Cooling off in the now famous outdoor pool was Christine Keeler, a nineteen-year-old rumoured mistress of a suspected Russian spy.

The web site continues:

'Profumo and Keeler embarked on an illicit affair following their chance meeting at Cliveden House; an affair which was to force his resignation, irrevocably damage the Prime Minister's reputation, and impact on the course of British politics forever'.

Fun on the River forever!