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Sunday 19 May 2013

Sunday Snaps! ....

Hi everyone.  Here I am again with a few more Sunday Snaps for you.    A little bit of a mixture this week!  

We have been blessed with fantastic weather over the past couple of days, with lovely warm sunshine and cloudless blue skies.  Oh my, you never thought you would hear that from my home in the South Hams of Devon did you?!  Long may it last I say!!

Here is a photo of Plymouth's historic barbican taken yesterday in the sunshine.


Here is a similar view taken at night. I love it how the buildings are so well  reflected in the water.


  
Well, in this lovely weather, hubby and I have been very busy in the garden, as we want it to look good for Wednesday afternoon when we are holding an Afternoon Tea on behalf of Children's Hospice South West.

We have been painting the Summer house and cleaning it out after the winter (found lots of spiders!)





Cleaning out the pond 



Cutting lawns and generally tidying up







Power washing the patio, which, as you can see, really needed doing!


Hanging bunting in the conservatory



I can tell you this dear friends, holding an event at your home/garden, can really focus the mind! I think hubby and I will probably be lying down in a darkened room for a week once it's all over.  Please pray for a nice dry day for us.  We shall be providing a cream tea, tiny sandwiches and home made cakes. It's always very difficult, because we have no idea how many people will turn up.  We have advertised it widely locally, so we could have 20 people turn up,  and, on the other hand, we could have 150!!! Eeeek! Watch this space.  Hopefully we will make a nice bit of money for this very worthwhile cause.

Some of these photos have already been shown on my facebook page, but I just wanted to include these two of Alfred saying hallo to Shady!



I hope you all have a lovely week and let's hope that the sun will shine on all of us.  Sending blessings your way my dear bloggy friends.




19 comments:

Manzanita said...

Your landscaping is truly beautiful and I can foresee another exciting summer with your family and friends in this gracious place of nature.

Unknown said...

Yay for sunny days and time to spruce up your lovely outdoor living space. It is absolutely beautiful! I also truly enjoyed the first two photographs of the historic district. Great shots, Diane!
When we recently hosted a gathering, I remember how hard we all worked to make everything spic and span. Now things are gradually falling back into their usual disarray. It's a lot of work to keep it all up!

Linda O'Connell said...

Oh please, may I come? Your garden and yard and especially the summer house look so inviting. I hope you raise a bundle for the charity.

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness Diane, so many gorgeous shots that make me wish I could twitch my nose like "Samantha" (remember her) and appear there to enjoy all that beauty first hand. I especially love the pond. You did an awesome job on the summer house and I don't envy you dealing with the spiders. Never have liked that creature. Alfred is always a star and your shots of him are amazing. Good luck with the preparations and hope it all pays off for that much needed charity. Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday and thanks for blessing us with such beauty in your photography.
Hugs,
Odie

Shady Del Knight said...

Hallo hallo hallo, dear Thisisme! I wish I could reach through the screen and give Alfred a great big SMOOCH! (LOL) Thank you very much for posting more pics of my buddy. Dear friend, I've been following your blog for 33 years and this is the first time I ever saw a cloudless blue sky above your house! Are you sure these pictures aren't photoshopped? (LOL) Everything looks lush and green around your property and the snaps from Plymouth look like an artist's rendering. I caught a glimpse of your "All You Need is Love" bag and your "Good Day Sunshine" pillow. I will be "Wishing and Hoping" (Dusty Springfield song title) for a sunny warm Wednesday for your charity tea. Bless you and your husband for all you are doing to help the community. Happy Sunday to you, dear Thisisme!

Chatty Crone said...

Awe your pup is so cute. I love your summer home - how far is it from your other home? It looks perfect. And the second picture with the river and the lights - gorgeous! sandie

Grammy Goodwill said...

Your yard and flowers look so lovely. I envy your green thumb. I just threw out a plant that I drowned. (I didn't realize the pot didn't have a drainage hole.)I loved the peeks inside your garden shed and conservatory, too.
I hope your tea will be very successful. Good luck.

BB said...

Just beautiful! Your yard is worthy of magazine articles. I can't imaging how much work it takes to keep up though. Fingers crossed for sunny weather and lots of donations! Hugs my awesome friend!

Claudia Moser said...

You simply created a little corner of paradise, would love to relax on your patio! Good luck with your event, somehow I know it will be a blast!

Olive said...

Diane, the first two photos should be framed. Your ground and home look lovely. I am afraid I would move from focused to panic at the disco. Bless you two. Good sports you are, hugs. Olive

Shelly said...

Nothing like a sunny day in a beautiful place, and you have both, my friend! The people who come to visit your lovely garden and home are going to be blessed. And yes, I am sending prayers for lovely weather. Love little Alfred!

Suzanne said...

Hi Thisisme...I wish you the best turnout for your tea on Wednesday. Such a good cause you're working for.

And, my, you two have worked so hard, and your gardens and yard show it. It's so beautiful Diane, and I still love that tree near the arbor!

The first two photos you gave us sent me 'a drooling, lol! So beautiful! And, you know we just can't get enough of Albert. He's so stunning. Right, Shady?

So with that, I hope your week stays pretty for the tea, it should be a great success! I'll see you soon!♥

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Diane,
OMG, we could see how hard both of you worked for welcoming the guests and how I wish to be one of them(^_^)彡☆ I REALLY enjoyed your wonderful English garden and beautifully decorated house♡♡♡
I'm crossing my fingers that you will have a great day with sunny weather, my friend♬♬♬ 
The two pictures of Plymouth's historic barbican are really intersecting for me.

As you might know that my husband won't let me have a dog after ours died when we were young seeing me so sad; I LOVE to see Alfred in your post as well(*^_^*) Say Hi! to him for me!

Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

Unknown said...

Great pictures and thoughts Diane.
Hope it all goes well.
We don't have the sun at the moment, it is dull and dreary and sometimes wet. Never mind I am sure it will visit us again sometime soon.

God Bless

doodles n daydreams said...

I have just been catching up on your posts - you've certainly be having a busy time. I hope the garden party went well and look forward to hearing about it.
And congrats to your good man on being re-elected, well done.
You've got a lovely family, lovely photo's of everyone.

Blessings,
Diana

Belle said...

Hello Sweet Diane, What a lovely house and grounds you have! Gorgeous. I do pray your tea will have beautiful weather on Wednesday. It is so kind of you to offer yourself and home to help the Children's Hospice.

Unknown said...

I love your garden, and the little summer house is a treasure. You must feel like a little girl when you go to hide away there. Did you have a dry day for the tea? It's been raining here for a week, with no end in sight. I am coughing and sneezing up a storm, which is not pleasant for anybody here either. Oh well, I am not dying or suffering too badly. Looking on the bright side, I have my family here (2 grands) to share the misery with. :)
Have a great week.
Rosemary

Anonymous said...

Came across your beautiful blog, and glad I did! Now following :) I just started a poetry blog called One Line at a Time. Feel free to stop by it if you'd like!

Unknown said...

You have a beautiful home, Diane! Glad the weather cooperated so you could clean up the outdoor space and have it serve as a great complement to your landscape. -German @ Total Clean