Sunday 11 April 2010

The week just gone by.

I am quite excited as I write this, as I have just finished converting loads of old black and white family photographs to digital on the computer. A posting about this is in the air I think.
This last week has been a very pleasant and productive one. The lawn feed is gradually going down and grass is greening up everywhere as a result. So many things are flowering now that it is quite mesmerising. Yep, probably my favourite time of year as I can actually garden, as opposed to the summer madness of mostly mowing, hedgecutting, strimming and hoeing in temperatures that fry the brain. Thank goodness for our own garden during the summer!
Going about my work, I never tire of the drive along the clifftop, and sometimes take a break for a cup of tea somewhere along it.

I mentioned in an earlier post that a mystery person always leaves a bag of sweets on my mower when I go off to do something........it is still happening, but this last time something else happened........

.....a hot cross bun plummeted from the heights somewhere to land at my feet, and still no face to go with it! I am very thankful that it's not rock cake season or the hard hat may have to go on!

Not all of my blog is about gardening as it was meant to be about my life as well, but when the desire takes me, I have to photograph plants that particularly please me at given times. 'A' grinned to herself when she witnessed me early the other morning in my boxer shorts and t-shirt rummaging through our shrub borders to take a picture of our Coral Bark Acer. The Acacia in the background is glorious at the moment, but will need some formative pruning later.

The weather was pretty good all week and at the end of one of the days we both decided to take a walk through Bournemouth's lower gardens. Although these follow the Bourne Stream for about three miles almost all the way back to our house, we parked up by the town hall just off the main square so that we could go through the last bit to the beach. We got out of the van and took this first picture as it is such an unusually wild and lush area right amongst the main shopping area.

We continued on through, this area being the last section, with the wonderfully old Pavilion Theatre at the top of the stone steps in the right of the picture. This is a lovely venue where we have seen the likes of Carmen, La Traviata, The Mikado and at the other end of the scale, pantomimes when the daughters were smaller and even Crackerjack in days long ago....and yes...........I won a pencil from Leslie Crowther! Who remembers that one?

This photo is a little out of sequence and shows the gardens just before the previous photo. The balloon is being set up once more for the summer and if any of you come to Bournemouth is simply a must to go on if you want a birds eye view of the town.

We arrived at the seafront and what a fantastic evening it was to be here.

I had to take a picture of the towns latest aquisition, a Baywatch lifeguard lookout!
The Purbeck Hills are in the background.

And finally, just in case I get accused of ignoring gardening too much, this is our Sambucus Aurea leafing up nicely now.
And a pot of tulips!


6 comments:

  1. Dear Gary, This posting is, for me, a walk down memory lane for as a child I would,on day trips by paddle steamer [The Monarch, The Bournemouth Belle] from Swanage visit Bournemouth. I well remember the gardens running through the town centre and, at some point in the 1950s, seeing them lit with night lights in coloured glass jars hanging from trees and shrubs. Health and Safety will have put a stop to that years ago, I imagine. And, for reasons too tedious to tell, for many years I saw the pantomime in the Pavilion Theatre - even now recalling hiding under my seat when the Wizard appeared in Cinderella!!

    I love Hot Cross Buns - lucky you.

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  2. Gary, along with your personal garden and the ones you contract too I hope you have the time to return to the Bournemouth gardens and post pictures of the seasonal changes. How great it must be to live in an area with such a rich gardening history. Be sure to have your camera with you the next time you guys go to show/event at the pavilion (lol) - G

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  3. Hi Gary,
    I'm tempted to listen to some of the music you've listed!
    Can't say I'm familiar with Bournemouth, but very much enjoyed taking this virtual journey with you.
    Cheers,
    Alice
    aka Alice's Garden Travel Buzz (found you on Blotanical, btw....)

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  4. Hi Edith,
    They do indeed still have the little glass jars lit, and children are given the job of lighting the thousands of candles, what a sight to behold at night!
    I am not sure if The Monarch is still around, but the Bournemouth Belle certainly is, but only doing bay trips from Poole I think.
    Blotanical is sorted now by the way!

    Hi Gary,
    We go to Bournemouth a lot as it's only 5 minutes away and so will take loads more pictures no doubt. Glad you liked!

    Hi Alice,
    Thanks for your comments. It's always good to see a new face.

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  5. Just found your blog and I must admit when I saw the photo of the van on the road, I thought this blog must take place in Victoria, as it looks as though you are driving on Dallas Road overlooking Clover Point. I wonder if you'll ever find out who is sending you hot cross buns from above.

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  6. Hi Helen,
    I think that I shall have to hide in the bushes to catch them. Thanks for visiting.

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