All curled up

As the outdoor temperature just plummeted last night and the first frost of the year appeared, whitening both grass and borders, look who's curled up enjoying the comfort of his favourite chair!

This is our lovely Milo, he is a five year old tabby. He originally came from our local branch of the Cats Protection when he was just 10 weeks old. Milo has always been a character, so loving and easy to be around. Bless him, he even puts up with being regularly nuzzled, knocked over and pounced on by Zaf.

I wonder whether you have a feline friend who makes your home just that little bit extra cozy?

Have a happy weekend....

and the rains continue...

The Brits always have more than their fair share of conversations about the weather, but at the moment it does seem justified. The weather has truly been appalling this year, we have faced many floods already due to heavy downpours and yet the sky is more often than not grey and looming.

According to today's Telegraph, more than 500 flood warnings and alerts were in place yesterday, with the Environment Agency warning home owners in North-East England and North Wales to “remain vigilant” in the face of further heavy rainfall.

Picture: REUTERS/Darren Staples 

Forecasters said up to 2.73in (70mm) of rain, nearly a month’s worth, could fall in the North of England, with temperatures expected to drop sharply by the end of the week. Further persistent rain is predicted in Wales, the North and the East today. Surface water, slow to drain from saturated ground, could prove treacherous when combined with freezing conditions later in the week.

Picture: Robert Timoney / Rex Features

Three people died in flooding over the weekend. A 21-year-old woman was crushed by a falling tree and a 50-year-old man fell into a canal. John McNair, a 77-year-old retired company director, also died after his 4x4 vehicle was wedged under a bridge in a swollen ford following heavy rain in Chew Stoke, Somerset.

Picture: Paul Kingston / NNP

Fire and rescue services have received hundreds of calls to flood incidents, with the AA reporting hundreds more breakdowns as a result of the wet conditions. Many roads were closed or impassible, or downright dangerous to travel on causing hours of delays.

Some residents kayaked down the streets of Malmesbury, Wilts, while some home owners in Williton, Somerset, sealed their homes from 2ft of encroaching water using Plasticine. The RSPCA has reported more than 500 calls from people worried about animals in danger since Thursday. Officers yesterday rescued a horse, sheep and a chihuahua from a cut-off farmhouse, whilst residents in Broadway, Worcestershire, were being warned to boil their tap water amid fears that it could have been contaminated by floods and emergency supplies of bottled water were being distributed to more than 2,000 homes.

Luckily, we haven't as yet been too badly affected by the downpour. Yes, it's not good for the bees, who are totally confined to the hive, but on seeing the occasional blue sky do come out for a quick cleansing flight. Our garden is pretty soggy, and muddy!  Zaf, enjoying the puddles, brings about a kilo of silt into the house each time he is out for a walk! And getting clothes dry is a hopeless task without a tumble drier.

But mostly, having to get up early in the morning when the rain is lashing down from a dark and heavy sky, and it truly should be a 'duvet' day, is really not much fun...

Have a listen to this tune and watch the pitter patter roll down the window pane...

A sunny sunday walk

Whilst BB was at tennis practice, and Sam enjoying some quiet time at home with his Dad, my friend Sara and I took the dogs for a romp around the Sussex countryside. It was a lovely sunny day with far-reaching views.

Sara's dog, Meerka, is also a rescue dog, but from slightly further afield, namely Skiathos, Greece. Zaf and Meerka are great buddies, and although Zaf is much more interested in playing than she is, they get on really well. They both are little monkeys at coming back when called, and each time we are out walking them, as we scout round to find them, we both vow to do more training with them!!

We walked for about 2 and half hours, and sat on an upturned cattle trough, to enjoy coffee and cakes.

In the distance we spotted a family of deer watching us, watching them.

I hope you enjoyed the sunny Autumn day too!

The Autumn Wreath

I like the changing seasons very much, I like the different colours that nature displays, and I like to celebrate how we are moved along the year through the shifting months. Making a seasonal display seems right, a way of bringing nature just a little closer to our home. A wreath takes little artistic talent and can look very homely and inviting hanging on the front door.

First either make a base circle from twigs and stripped branches from any bush or tree which is quite pliable, or in this instance pay a few pounds for a shop bought moss covered base.

Collect lots and lots of plant material from the garden. Believe me, to get it looking dense and cover all the surface takes a surprising amount of greenery, here less is not more! In any case, if you run out, you can always pop outside and top up your supply.

Select stems, seed heads, dried flower heads, even a few fresh flowers that compliment in colour, and tie a selection of these together in bunches using florist wire. Attach to the base by wrapping the wire firmly around it.

Build up the base with lots of small posies, taking a selection of each type of plant material at a time, working in the same direction. You may have to snip the ends of the stems with the leaves and flowerheads, so the bunches sit tidily on the base. Occasionally stand back to check the visual symmetry of the material used.

You can either leave a space to tie a nice ribbon or bow round the wreath, or like me, continue until it is entirely covered with plant material. Shape a little of the florist wire on the reverse of the base to form a loop and hang on the door.

And hey presto, let the sun shine on your creation to welcome friends and strangers alike to your home.

Ha' en dejlig dag!

Sausages in the forest

Today we played in our friends' wood. It was a lovely sunny autumn day and we were invited to come for a walk and have a bonfire sausage and some melted marshmallows.

 Campfire set up, and coffees all round, whilst the sausages sizzled.

We headed off for a little walk, and although it was quite muddy, we did at least get to see all the deer tracks.

The light filtered very moodily through the trees.

Kids and dog frolicked in the autumn leaf litter.

And boys climbed trees

What a lovely way to spend a few hours on a sunny November afternoon!

Have a good week!

The Bath experience

Genuine Victorian Tearooms in Bradford on Avon

Yesterday we headed out of Sussex and down to Bath for the weekend as Steve was giving a talk to the Bath branch of the Avon Beekeepers Association. We had been offered the use of a room in the lovely Georgian B&B house run by the secretary, Glenys Lunt, and her husband George in the nearby town of Bradford on Avon. Having left one boy with his grandparents and another with my friend, Gaby, who also puppy and house-sat, we set off first thing Saturday morning on the nearly 3 hour journey west.

After lunching with a group of the beekeepers at the Bear in Bath, we headed off to the venue just down the road from the pub. It was the AGM (Annual General Meeting) and so after the talk (Bees need Buddies - wildlife gardening for pollinators), and a buffet brought by members, we headed off into Bath to do a little exploring. 

Bath is a beautiful old city in the county of Somerset in South West England, and was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s, about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain (AD43). They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs. Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973.

Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from creamy yellow Bath Stone. The City of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987.

There were lots of lovely shops in Bath, many gearing up for the Christmas trade

We had dinner in the very atmospheric Cafe Rouge

Later we wandered down to the River Avon to have a look at the horseshoe shaped weir. The River Avon flows through both Bath and Bradford on Avon, and with all the rain we have had recently was very high! The Avon is 75 miles long, although there are just 19 miles (31 km) as the crow flies between the source and its mouth in the Severn Estuary.

Next morning, when the worst of the rain (and sleet!) had passed, we took a walk through Bradford on Avon, and it is indeed a very sweet town (although it would be better if the traffic flow through the town was somehow minimised) with some pretty narrow streets, interesting looking pubs and nice shops.

A faded old hotel sign on the back of a town wall

There was a Christmas Grotto in the grounds of the Old Tithe Barn, a spectacular 14th century monastic stone barn, 51 metres (168 feet) long, with an amazing timber cruck roof. It is one of the country’s finest examples of medieval monastic barns – rightly called ‘the cathedrals of the land’, and originally formed part of a range of farm buildings grouped around an open rectangular yard.

We walked back into Bradford and stopped at the Victorian Teashop to warm up by the fire and scoff a cream tea; rather large scones, home-made jam and cream served with Breakfast tea and coffee.

One of the serving wenches, resplendent in period costume

On the way back to the B&B we crossed the Avon again, although this time the sky was rather bluer!

 Conclusion: a lovely part of Britain, and definitely well worth a visit!