Not really said much about my garden these past few months and been a bit rubbish in documenting it even though it’s given me so much both tangibly and spiritually. Here are a few of the first harvests that my two vegetable beds have borne.

Been remiss in sharing my visits to the pond. Here’s autumn so far. The swans have relocated to a larger pond, the cootlings have grown & each one sports a white smudge on its face. After the green density of summer, the trees are baring their bones. #SamePlaceDifferentDay

Saturday afternoon at the park.

Did one of my ‘alternative’ routes walking in the woods this afternoon and was amazed at all the fungi on display. I half expected to come across some faerie folk while I was peering at the undergrowth…. #mobilephotography #nature

The Full Moon this month is known as Stationery Moon. Traditionally the time of year for harvesting notebooks, pens and pencils.

Journeyed to South Devon on Tuesday to ‘Greenway’, Agatha Christie’s holiday home near Brixham. I enjoyed the peacefulness of the steady walk down to the boathouse with its wide views of the river and imagined how lovely it would have been to enjoy the plunge pool and saloon.

Bussed it from Barnstaple to Lynton today. Circular walk along the South West coast path to the stunning Valley of the Rocks, then back along the inland path. The sea was sleepy & the lack of man made noise was soothing. Spotted a fair few feral goats taking it in their stride. #NorthDevon

It’s my birthday today! Went and swooned at the dahlias at Calke Abbey, my mum made me a delicious lemon drizzle cake and I was given a swanky new lunchbox as one of my gifts.

Jarrow was the inspiration for a #WhereTouristsSeldomTread while we were in the North East. St. Paul’s church & monastery & its twin, St Peter’s in Wearmouth were founded in the seventh century. You can walk the Bede Way between the two, in honour of their most famous servant.

Hello @mozillion.bsky.social not impressed with your service. Number port supposed to happen on Tuesday. Still waiting. No communication, no help from customer service . Can’t use services that require me to receive a text to authenticate. Can’t use RCS to contact my vulnerable parents.

July at the pond. Now that the swan family have moved in, I keep my visits quite brief as they are not usually happy to have any company and I don’t want to antagonise them. It’s been lovely to see all of the youngsters getting bigger though. #SamePlaceDifferentDay

From last week: walking from Whitley Bay to Tynemouth, the Metro back again with a stop off for cake at Spanish City.

Watching sport. Come on Rovers! #FACup

Haway the lads! Promming The Glasshouse, Gateshead and looking forward to Sean Shibe!!

Day off, day out. Had a ride out to @UptonHouseNT today. Home in the 1920s, 30s and 40s to Lord and Lady Bearsted. Stunning views from the house and then a surprise as you walk down to the edge of the south lawn and see what is beyond and below.

Still don’t know why I overlooked @britishlibrary.bsky.social for so long. Its proximity to St. Pancras and Euston, the diversity of the exhibitions and its cocooning atmosphere make it a no brainer. The ‘unearthed’ exhibition was perfect for a stifling afternoon.

Looking forward to Morning Ragas @wigmore-hall.org.uk on this very hot Saturday.

Post yourself from a different era…..

June at the pond. It’s been wonderful to watch the chicks get bigger; five cootlings, four cygnets and one duckling. Crab apples, acorns, sweet chestnuts & berries of all kinds are in varying stages of development. Being out at the start of the day brings space to my mind. #SamePlaceDifferentDay

Really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t just the weekly journeys & what Alistair saw, it was the rabbit holes he went down as a result of them that fascinated me. Big topics like food production but also folklore, collective nouns, history, ancient celebrations all woven together. #ASingleMap #BookSky

This morning’s walk around Spring Cottage and Bath Yard. The shade was delicious and the quiet was what I needed.

Inge Löök (real name Ingeborg Lievonen) (born 1951) Contemporary Finnish artist🎨 & illustrator #IngeLöök

One of my favourite places to visit in #Scarborough, Peasholm Island.

May at the pond. Some gorgeous mornings to be out but I did enjoy the rain today. Now taking the summer route there rather than the winter one. Yellow flag irises are out, the swans are the proud parents of four goslings & the coots have five cootlings! #SamePlaceDifferentDay

Nowadays, I baulk at big exhibitions but I couldn’t resist #Hiroshige & I was richly rewarded. Scenes of a simple life outdoors, full of fantastically absorbing detail. Gorgeous colour palettes capturing the beauty of nature & the seasons accompanied by a soundtrack of birdsong.

Plenty to enjoy at Wentworth Castle Gardens today. The rhododendrons were looking spectacular, wonderful views from up on high and a conservatory filled with unusual plants.

Trying to quell my gardening anxiety (wilting plants, scorched seedlings and poor germination) by focusing on the things that are doing really well and enjoying them. #gardening

Bank Holiday Monday, so an opportunity for a #WhereTouristsSeldomTread destination. Today we visited Dudley. Some super examples of 1930s architecture. Zoo canopy Lubetkin & Tecton Former Odeon cinema Cooperative Emporium Webb & Gray Former Woolworth’s B Campbell Donaldson #modernism #artdeco

The pond in April. A bit of a blip last week as the mallards refused me access to the viewing platform. It’s noticeable how the trees have greened up as the month has progressed. #SamePlaceDifferentDay #Mobilephotography #LandscapePhotography #SouthDerbyshire

Motor racing innit.

Matlock Bath today, in and around Lovers’ Walks.

Tulip-tastic at Tyntesfield National Trust yesterday. #tulips

Today’s wanderings

Cafe, slots, beach, Leslie Worth watercolours.

Víkingur Ólafsson playing Bach @wigmore-hall.org.uk. This is going to be special.

This exposure in Hornchurch Railway Cutting marks the most southerly extent of ice during the Ice Age. The 450 ka Hornchurch Till - grey, chalky & rich in erratic Jurassic fossils, is overlain by Black Park gravels deposited by the Thames #LondonGeology londongeopartnership.org.uk/wp/wp-conten...

Morning! Out a bit earlier today.

This year’s tulips. Yes, I did go a bit bonkers but sitting in my chair over the past few days admiring them is giving me so much joy. #gardening #tulips

Ready for action! Two replacement vegetable beds built over the winter, double the height of the originals. Filled yesterday so will see how productive they’ll be this year. #gardening #growyourown

Via No Context Brits

My mum and me.

At the pond in March. Every Tuesday at 08:30 give or take a minute or two. #mobilephotography #landscapephotography #nature #southderbyshire

Saturday night roast. Lamb and boulangère potatoes. #cooking

Today’s #WhereTouristsSeldomTread destination was Lichfield. Following the heritage trail helped give a purpose to our wanderings & showcased how much history this city has; the Franciscan Friary, the grisly executions in the Market Square and of course the stunning cathedral.

Sunday stuff

Maya Veshnik, contemporary Ukrainian batik artist #WomensArt

February’s visits to the pond. I miss last week as I was away. Lots more bird song in the mornings which is a joy especially the Song Thrush break beating in his favourite tree.

My 2025 resolution was to visit some of the places in The Guardian series ‘Where tourists seldom tread’. First, #Walsall. I only had 5 hours free inc travel time so the main draw was New Art Gallery followed by a wander around. There’s so much more though! #WestMidlands #Architecture