This will be a busy week around the cottage and garden as we'll be leaving
early next week for that first big overseas trip since the pandemic arrived!
Thankfully, I seem to be over the food poisoning episode, a really debilitating
two weeks, and now feel up for all the preparations required for a long
distance flight and spending time with my much missed family and friends
in England.
MEMORIAL DAY weekend flew by even though we did little out of the ordinary.
Still staying cautious and away from crowds with travel coming up, we enjoyed
the garden which is lovely right now.
There were a few surprises.
Sitting on the porch yesterday afternoon enjoying a cup of tea, a beautiful
large deer bounded across the lawn in the sunshine. A baby bunny nibbled
on our freshly mown lawn. A chipmunk flashed by my feet when I took a
break on the back deck, while the usual large family of squirrels were
omnipresent under the bird feeders. Butterflies are back and quite a few
bees, both lovely to see. Birds have hidden nests in our shrubs and I hear
babies chirping. The 'dawn chorus' is awesome and I love opening the
windows early to listen as the sun comes up.
I've been cutting some hydrangeas to enjoy indoors, sharing some with
my new next door neighbors. With the intense heat we are having (it feels like
mid-summer) and which will reach 100F on Thursday, the lovely blue flowers
will be struggling in the sun even though we'll be watering daily.
Here's to a pleasant week ahead everyone.
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Dear Mary... I know how excited you must be to be able to see family again. Wishing you safe travel. I loved your description of you yard, all the unexpected little treasures and sounds of nature. I could just see it in my mind's eye.
ReplyDeleteWish we could share a cup of tea here with us - I know you would enjoy the garden Latane. Thanks for the good wishes for our journey.
DeleteI'm sure you're looking forward to seeing your loved ones once again, though it certainly won't be 100F here!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness!!!!
DeleteYou certainly have some interesting wildlife ,Mary! All good wishes for your holiday, and sad that this time we wont be able to meet, but there will be another day I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks dear Barbara - you and M will be close in thought. Yes, we also hope there will be another chance to meet up again and have fun as before!
DeleteDearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely in your garden and what a joy for seeing a large deer as well!
Here where I am it is rather cool, only 18°C today and on Thursday, Friday it will be 23 and 24°C.
Sunny though!
Enjoy your final time and wishing you both a FAR better travel experience than mine.
Just looked back at the Pdf I'd made from my Premium Select seat.
The footrest did not function, neither next to me where a young German man sat, he tried my buttons for me, after I'd almost hurt my fingers. But both did not yield any rise and it did not come out. Sad as I'd so longed for being able to stretch out and sleep...
Big hugs,
Mariette
Far too hot here Mariette, feels like July/August and the flowers are already suffering.
DeleteWasn't there another seat available that worked? That's so disappointing after all they put you through to get you home! We, thankfully, have a direct flight - and hopefully no cancelation - Raleigh to London, then a long motor coach ride southwest to Devon.
Dear - are you commenting here on your iphone or laptop? I can't comment on my iphone for some reason so just wondering.
Enjoy the cooler weather and have fun.
Mary x
No Mary, the plane was totally full. Sad but at least I got to go...
DeleteCan't comment now suddenly on several blogs and here I have to select my name and url but it is not 'normal'. Doing this on my MacBook and on Monday it was normal still.
Hugs,
Mariette
Oh yes! Take care just before a big vacation. So good to read that you are finally feeling normal after all that distress of food poisoning. Sounds as if you are living in Wild Animal Kingdom down there!
ReplyDeleteSweet deer just walked down the driveway this morning, probably after breakfast in the back yard - yes, for a rural area we still have a lot of wildlife!
DeleteYour blues are looking exceptionally beautiful. So nice that you are enjoying them and sharing with your lucky neighbor before you begin your travels. Hooray for feeling better and getting on with the fun! I am not looking forward to our high temperatures this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim and yes, this heat is really far too much. Off out to water this morning, and I guess every morning until hopefully some rain comes through - that doesn't appear on the forecast util after we've left for England!
DeleteI never imagined a deer bounding across a yard in RDU, wow. We have them all over the place here, of course so I have an almost weekly dose. They totally delight me. Traveling to Cary on June 15 for one week, I do believe our paths are not destined to cross. Enjoy the UK, your friends and family. Journey safe.
ReplyDeleteOh no, I was really hoping this might be the year we'd meet up - we won't be back until after you return home! Enjoy your visit with your son - hope weather is nice and you will enjoy our lovely area of NC. Safe travels Helen.
DeleteDear Mary - hope all of your travelling works out well for you both - happy days to you both and have a really lovely time with your family.
ReplyDeleteWish we could meet up again dear however, with so many hoops to jump through now thanks to COVID, we are staying put in Torquay for the entire visit. Our one day in London is now impacted by having to get tested to be able to get on the plane to come back! That of course will take up half the day we had hoped to be shopping, or at least window shopping, along Oxford St!!! Hoping there'll be another time though - returning to Bath would be awesome as we'd love to see you and J again xx
DeleteWe would have loved to see you both again but realise how difficult everything is now since our last happy get-together - may be one day we will meet again💚 I do hope that your brother is able to travel over from France to meet up with you - that would be the cherry on the cake for you both, Bon VoyageX
DeleteJohn is hoping to make it over from France - they already cancelled his flight from Beziers to Bristol, now he has one from Girona to Bristol - fingers are crossed!
DeleteYes, some day, some way, Bob and I hope we'll get together again xx
I love hydrangeas and they grow so well by the coast - even better, they don't need much tending!
ReplyDeleteBut how wonderful that you are coming to Devon again; I hope you will blog a little about it. I used to spend many weeks each year in Dorset (painting) and often also visited Devon; I have fond memories of Dartington Hall and the nearby Schumacher college. But more than any specific town there is a general 'West Country" feel which, at least for me, makes the entire western peninsula of England such a special place. It is something similar in Wales - only just a little wilder! The weather here is fabulous at the moment, the sea a deep indigo each evening and what seems like the widest of horizons. I hope Devon will be the same. Travel well x
Oh yes Mark, hoping there will be time to blog. I've spent a of of time at Dartington Hall, both prior to moving to the US and often when returning home - one of my favorite places, and the gardens are gorgeous. I also have several pieces of Dartington glass which now I believe is only made in Torrington, N. Devon
DeleteWales is still on our bucket list - we hope to get there some day fingers crossed! Enjoy that weather and order some for our visit please.
Glad you are feeling better and getting ready for your trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks dear friend - your good wishes will assist as international travel has definitely been missed and I feel somewhat out of practice. Just hoping the old back makes it!
DeleteDear Mary, it really does get hot quickly where you are. 100 degrees is a bit too much for me! It sounds so delightful in your garden, with a bunny, a chipmunk, bird and butterflies. Happy and safe travels to you both, and I hope the trip is absolutely wonderful. Bon Voyage! xoxox
ReplyDeleteTrish thanks so much. I bet you are looking forward to watching the Jubilee Celebration events this weekend!
DeleteDear Mary, How hot it is already for you, and here, we have barely reached 20 degrees C for a day or two. Your hydrangeas are beautiful and I'm glad I can enjoy yours while waiting for ours. Wishing you safe travel and a wonderful time in your beloved homeland.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lorrie - know you will enjoy your hydrangeas and at least they will still beautiful without the searing temps. such as we have here!
DeleteGood to read that the food poisoning is behind you, and you can now fully focus on preparing for your trip.
ReplyDeleteThis week is a very busy one for me, what with the first two days spent in Berlin (plus the train trip there and back, of course) for work, then a local business trip this afternoon plus my Dad being in hospital since late Saturday night.
Never want an issue like that again - though with contaminated foods now often in the news and having to be recalled one can't be too careful. Hope your dad is going to be well soon dear, I'll be thinking of him. Take care as you travel too.
DeleteOh Mary, your hydrangeas are wonderful ...... I love the blue ones but they always go pink in our garden. I know you can acidify the soil so maybe I should try that ! Hope you enjoy your time here in the UK ..... it's pouring with rain at the moment so, let's hope it will be over by the time you get here. You will just miss The Jubilee celebrations by the sounds of it although, I think the bunting etc. will still be up in London. Safe journey. XXXX
ReplyDeleteYes Jackie, will miss the Jubilee sadly, although I won't miss the crowds! Please save some good weather for our visit. Wish we could meet in London but as we have to spend half that one day getting a COVID test and results (clinic near Heathrow) in order to board our plane, it puts a damper on spending all day in the city as hoped.
DeleteI add aluminum sulfate around the base of my hydrangeas in early spring to keep them blue. Pink ones are lovely too - such awesome shrubs.
So glad that you are feeling better! Enjoy your trip and seeing your family and friends.
ReplyDeleteThanks Penny - hoping the trip goes according to plan - one never know these crazy days!
DeleteWhat's going on this year? Spring took forever to start and now it's already horribly hot. It seems you're having a heat wave too. Enjoy your time in the UK.
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree - so looking forward to going home and seeing family. It will be much cooler than here that's for certain!
DeleteBeautiful hydrangeas - we are trying to get ours to turn blue and last year we had a few that were a bit lavender, so maybe this year we will have blue! Enjoy your vacation - I am ready to travel again, and heading to the ocean soon!
ReplyDeleteAdd more aluminum sulphate to them next year in early spring. Enjoy the ocean - my real home in England is on the English Channel so I grew up as a "water baby" and have always love oceans, and sailing on them!
DeleteLove the hydrangeas and blue bowls! How wonderful to have so many animal visitors!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura - blue is my favorite color in all its hues and shades.
DeleteThe deer are nibbling all the hosta leaves at night which is rather annoying.