The World Has Been Turned Upside down...

Hallo everyone. I think we would all agree that these are strange and worrying times that we are living in. At the moment, here in the U.K., restrictions were slowly lifted yesterday, so that we can see our grandchildren or a couple of friends in our own garden. That was a lovely moment for a lot of grandparents, and I am thankful that at least two of mine live close by, so I was able to spend a few hours with them.  I know that, for many, it's still going to be a while before families are able to see each other again, as opposed to on a screen! 

My eldest granddaughter is also allowed out for certain periods over in Madrid, and I'm happy for her.

I was going to say that things are very slowly getting back to normal, but that would be wrong. I think we are going to have to get used to a different kind of normal for quite a while to come. I'm certainly in no rush to go out to the shops. Many shops are now open and more will open in a couple of weeks, but, because of the social distancing rule, there are long queues.  

Everyone's top priority should be to keep themselves, their loved ones, and the wider community safe, but I'm sure that many people are feeling anxious or frustrated. To be honest, much of the media coverage doesn't help. They seem to only focus on the negative stories and frightening headlines. Whereas we all know how people are pulling together in our own Communities and doing a fantastic job. These are just ordinary people who are trying to show the very best side of humanity. 

Someone mentioned that we are actually living through History - many years ahead people will look back at what is happening now, and be amazed at how much the world had to change. 

I wish I had written those beautiful words! I think not  being able to hug our family and friends during this time is very hard .... oh, and not being able to visit a Hairdresser!  Over here, we still have many weeks to go. At least I have Benji booked in at the Groomers in the 18th June. He's starting to look like a little teddy bear 🙈.

We have had amazing weather here in heavenly Devon during lockdown, over the months of March, April and May, with almost 700 hours of sunshine. The most since records began and absolutely unheard of. Even though a lot of people have just been working on their gardens, they look as if they've been on Mediterranean holidays! ☀️☀️

I really can't end this Post without mentioning the tragic events that are happening in America at the moment, as the world watches on in horror. Black lives really DO matter - it's time to end this terrible injustice. The worst thing is - how many years have we been saying that, and still it goes on. My prayers are for all Americans, that you may all come together.

 I hope this Post hasn't been too depressing a read for you today, as I usually like to be positive on here - not spreading doom and gloom. Anyway, please take care and look after yourselves. ❤️

Autumn Gently Creeps In ....

Today is the Autumn Equinox -  I came across this quote by Oscar Wilde this week, and I thought it was very appropriate right now ...

We have had a couple of gorgeous weeks here in ye merry olde England, with clear blue skies, and amazing sunsets. Is anyone else looking forward to Autumn 🍂, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness? I quite like to be all warm and cosy in the evenings, with the lamps switched on and scented candles flickering away. It can be quite a romantic time of the year if you think about it. Yes, even if you are on your own.  Play some of your favourite music or settle down and watch a favourite, soppy film.  One of my favourites is Beaches with Bette Midler, about female friendship. I'm usually crying buckets by the end!

Talking about Autumn....these two pics taken in my garden last year sum up the season very well, I think. There's always this wonderful light in Autumn, when everything  seems so crisp and clear. 

Going back to the Oscar Wilde quotation at the beginning of this Post,  there is another one of his that is a favourite of mine, and I actually have it on a little plaque here in the home ...

Most of my long term bloggy friends, know how much I love quotations, and I'm always looking out for new ones. Pinterest is a wonderful source for doing this. Sometimes you read a quote, and you just think, 'yes', that's exactly it!  

I'm sure most of us love taking photos, be it of our family, times spent with friends, our gardens, places we have visited, or just anything that takes our eye.  This quote fits the bill exactly, for we truly are capturing a moment in time and, of course, these days most of us carry our phones with us, so there is no excuse to miss a magic moment!

I'm hoping for a lovely, dry Autumn so that I can get out on some walks here in heavenly Devon, and really appreciate the beauty of the upcoming Season, with all the amazing colour yet to come. Isn't nature wonderful?! 

Well my friends, I'll leave you again for now with another little quote, and these are my wishes for you today.  Take care. 

Any images today that are not my own, are courtesy of Pinterest.com

Where Does The Time Go?!

I see that I last wrote a Blog Post on the 21st March, and here we are, almost at the end of April.....my goodness, time passes so much more quickly than it used to.  I suppose it must be because everyone seems to lead such busy lives these days.  I’m sure I’m not the only one that would just like to hold back time. So if that Magic Geni with the lamp suddenly appeared in front of me, that would certainly be one of my three wishes. My second wish would be for my mum and dad to return just for a moment in time, so that I could ask them all the questions I never got round to asking when they were still alive - and my third wish?  It would have to be that all my little family would have healthy and contented lives.

I’ve decided to post a few photos of my garden today - all these photos were taken in the last couple of weeks, and you can see that it has suddenly burst into life once again.  Am I the only one to feel really thankful at the start of each new Season?  Thankful that I am still here to see new life appearing everywhere and to take in the beauty of the garden at this time of year.

One thing is for sure - life is very fragile and precious.  You only have to look at the atrocity that occurred in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 on Easter Sunday.  Easter Sunday of all days.  But then that is why that day was chosen by the terrorists, to cause maximum death and bloodshed with so many people attending  Church Services.  Of course, they also targeted the tourists, which has happened so many times before, elsewhere in the world. Families sitting down for breakfast, and in an instant, half of the family was blown away. These attacks are always indiscriminate- no-one is immune.  I’m thinking here of the Billionaire who lost three of his teenage children.  Wouldn’t he give away every penny, just to be able to hold his children in his arms again?  How do families recover from such terrible losses?  It just doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?

That’s why I always say “I love you” to my children and grandchildren, whenever I see them, or whenever I message them.  You can never say it too often and you can never love them enough.  Never.

I hope you have enjoyed the little snapshot of my garden today, and I’ll be in touch again soon.  Look after yourselves,  wherever you are reading this.

This last image courtesy of Pinterest.com

Sunday Snaps

It’s that time of the year, over here in England, when we ‘put the garden to bed’ once again, although this October we are still experiencing warm, sunny weather. The light always seems so clear at this time of the year. I took this photo the other morning, as the sun was rising across the fields next to the garden....

There are still so many roses blooming at the moment, although I’m sure that they will finish flowering once the mornings start to get a little chilly. 

I think the colours of Autumn are shown really well in the following photos - it really is like having a carpet of gold in the garden 🍁🍂🍁

Every year I like to plant winter flowering pansies in the tubs, so that their colourful faces brighten each day! 

All the photos here today have been taken in the past week. This was my attempt at a little Autumn display!

Don’t forget to just double click on any image if you want to enlarge it.  I think the following quote (courtesy of Pinterest.com) is always worth remembering 

It’s hard to believe, but this little tub of flowering daisies has been in full bloom since June and, even though it is now October, it is still covered with buds!

So then, I hope you have enjoyed my Sunday Snaps feature today,  of my Autumn garden. I will leave you with this thought .... ❤️. (Pic courtesy of Pinterest).

One For The Birds And Bees. ....

I am very fortunate to have plenty of wildlife here in my garden in heavenly Devon, and I try to capture photos whenever I can. The woodpecker is the most difficult one to capture with the camera, because he is off at the slightest movement or noise. I shall have to sit myself on a chair and learn to be patient - and very quiet! I did manage to take this one shot, although the quality isn't really very good

I was rather pleased with that last one, I must admit. 

Talking about the garden and the wildlife, research shows that bees are dying in large numbers.  However, this is not a new phenomenon.  In the 1950’s, there were over 50 species of bee here in the U.K.,  yet now there are only  25.  The rest have become extinct, and yet the number of non-native bees have increased.  This has been put forward as one reason for the demise of our own native bee.

A bit like our native bluebells, which are now being over-run by the Spanish variety!  Many people are simply not aware of the consequences if the bee population dies out.  They are responsible for pollinating our crops, and I have discovered that a third of our regular diet could be affected if this decline continues, and animals, both wild and domesticated, would be left without the foodstuffs they rely on. The following poster is courtesy of Pinterest.com

Strangely enough, with the hot, dry Summer we have experienced this year, I have never seen so many bees in the garden, which is planted up with all the shrubs and flowers that bees love so much. I also have several Bee and Insect Hotels dotted around!

Well, we are now in August, and the year is pressing on. I hope you are keeping well wherever you are in this small world of ours 😊.

Sunday Snaps...

(The above image is courtesy of Pinterest.com - all other images are my own).

Many moons ago, on my Blog, I used to run a feature called Sunday Snaps, so I thought I would share a few photos that I’ve taken during the past week

. 

You might notice that I snuck a little Sunday morning treat in with my fresh fruit this morning - and why not?!  It’s looking quite Mediterranean out there, isn’t it, as this wonderful Summer continues, with long days full of unbroken sunshine ☀️ and balmy evenings. It’s certainly going to be a shock to the system when it all ends!

One of the things that is a big plus for me, is that I haven’t had to cut the grass for ages. Usually, at this time of the year, I’m cutting it every five days. 

Mind you, the children break up from school for their six week Summer break at the end of this week, and that’s not usually a good omen, weather wise, if past years are anything to go by. 

Interestingly, the timing of the Summer school  holiday has existed since the 19th Century here in England,  and it is thought that it was so that the children could help in the fields at Harvest time!  Obviously, mechanisation has come a long way since then, and I’m sure many parents (and children) would like the holidays to be a bit earlier, when the days are at their longest. After all, by the beginning of September, the days are really starting to draw in again. 

I’ll close for now with a couple of latest photos of my family, who are such a blessing to me. Look after yourselves and I’ll drop in again soon. 

I’ve finally changed the Featured Post - you might be interested to see our narrow roads here in heavenly Devon!  Just click on the link at the top of the right hand sidebar. 

Trying To Make It Snappy!

Hallo again - it’s me, writing from heavenly Devon.  Whenever I’ve glanced at any advice about writing a Blog Post, invariably they tell you to start off with a snappy title, to draw people in.  Hence the title of this Post!  So then, did it work?  Were you all agog to see what I was going to be writing about today?!  Oh well, it was worth a try 😊

Hard to believe, but just for a few days last week, Summer suddenly arrived. No Spring - just Summer!  Everyone had their shorts and t-shirts on and, suddenly, everyone looked happy, as they basked in the warm temperatures.  Here are a few photos of the delightful little coastal resort of Salcombe - a haven for tourists during the Summer months, but at this time of the year, still relatively peaceful, which is just how we locals like it. I mustn’t say that really,  because Devon and Cornwall rely heavily on tourism.

I was also able to pay a visit to one of the best National Trust properties here in the South West, on a perfect, balmy day.  I have to say that I count my blessings every day, and especially for having the good health to be able to get around to do all these things.  Something that I never, ever take for granted.  A few photos of the magnificent gardens at Stourhead. 

I have been giving some consideration to starting up a completely new Blog, in addition to this one, but one that focused on gardening and my own garden.  But, on reflection, I thought that might get a little confusing, so I have decided to incorporate gardening photos in with my Southhamsdarling Blog.  

These two photos are special to me - the first one features a new garden fairy, given to me by daughter number 1, and the second shows lovely tulips and anemones, which were bulbs given to me by daughter number 2 in the Autumn last year.  Did I tell you how blessed I am with my two beautiful daughters?!  Also, of course, I am very blessed with three healthy grandchildren.  So much to be thankful for.

I hope this Post might have been of some interest to you, and I will try to think of some ‘snappy’ titles to use in the future 😊.   Sending best wishes to all those who ‘follow’ my blog, and thank you for your support. 

Meanwhile, something to ponder on, as I leave you ......

Last two images courtesy of Pinterest.com