It’s been a good to great week. Glorious weather, a Garden Club outing, a couple of splendid walks with Miss Daisy and a couple of excellent bike rides. Isn’t it intriguing how good weather can make everything seem better?
On Tuesday we joined a Garden Club outing to Broughton Grange Gardens & Arboretum which was excellent. The weather was glorious and we were treated to a guided tour by the head gardener, a very knowledgeable and interesting young(ish) man. Most of the garden has been developed only in the last twenty years – it’s a marvel what can be achieved on a blank canvas when money is, apparently, no object.
There are lots of different sections, the most impressive of which I suppose is the Walled Garden.
[The walled garden] was designed by leading landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith in 2000, and consists of three-terraces contrasting the structure and form of topiary with wild, luxuriant herbaceous planting, whilst softly framing a beautiful rural backdrop. The design was conceived entirely in relation to the surrounding landscape, thus supporting superb views to distant natural features and buildings.
Prior to its construction, it was an empty field.
The splendid weather has also meant a few fine walks around the Edgcote Estate which, as you will know, is one of our “go-to” walks. It does mean popping Miss Daisy into the back of the car for the five or six mile drive there which she is generally less than happy about. She is initially reluctant to get in the car and then tends to spend about the first three or four minutes of the journey howling as if she is being tortured before settling down. When we get there, she loves it, of course and is beginning to become sufficiently familiar with the walk that she knows when to pelt hell for leather for the swimming hole. Initially a bit tentative about the river she now paddles quite happily but is still not keen to go full-on swimming in the deeper parts of the stream. Still, she is getting better about both the journey and the water and it won’t be long (I hope) before she’ll be leaping into both with enthusiasm.
And, the good weather has also resulted in a few decent and highly enjoyable bike rides out and about. What’s not to like?
We’re off again this coming week on another campervan adventure – there’s no stopping us! This time we’re off to Northumberland for four nights, a region we’ve never visited and an area I’ve wanted to see for some time. It’s littered with “rotten old ruins” which our boys were so fond of being dragged around in their childhood, there are some glorious coasts and beaches and, not surprisingly, some excellent fresh seafood. I’m particularly looking forward to Craster, home of the kipper.
We’ll be late getting back so, if you’re lucky, there won’t be sufficient time to pull an edition of the Picayune together next weekend. If not, we’ll be sure to inflict some of the least bad photos on you the following weekend. Enjoy the break!
YCNMIU!
The news at the end of the week has been dominated by the Supreme Court ruling on Row v Wade. So, the news that the Conservatives lost two bye-elections on Thursday might have been missed by our foreign reader. Labour regained the parliamentary seat of Wakefield from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats overturned a massive Conservative majority in Tiverton & Honiton, a seat which has never been held by any party other than the Tories. Just to give you a clue of the calibre of the former MPs for those two seats – in Wakefield the former Tory MP resigned after being convicted of child sex abuse and the Tiverton & Honiton seat was held by the MP who resigned after being caught watching pornography in the House of Commons.
Not surprisingly, the Prime Minister has vowed to carry on even though he is “listening” to what the voters are saying – that he is a lying, rascist, corrupt, law-breaking misoginistic narcisist with no interest in anyone or anything other than himself. The chairman of the Conservative Party resigned after the debacle and his resignation letter was telling: “Someone has to take responsibility” and it is clear that the Prime Minster has no intention of doing so.
“To lose one bye-election may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
Purely coincidentally, I’m sure – Susie Dent’s Word of the Day on Friday was ‘stiffrump’ (18th century): a highly obstinate individual who refuses to budge.
And finally, we had the following from Adam and Ava – Jessie received a Behaviour Award for showing good behaviour last week and for always following the school code of conduct.
Penny very cynically remarked that good behaviour awards were often given to those children who were generally very poorly behaved. If their behaviour was marginally better one week than the previous one the award would be given as an incentive to try to encourage them to maintain their improved behaviour. Of course, that’s absolutely not the case with Jessie!
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg