Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Want to see some pictures?
Who wants to see a bluebell picture?
Go on.... you know you want to!
Well, sorry....... you will have to wait until tomorrow.
We have seen bluebells in their millions but having got home late this evening I have not had the oomph to think about my pictures.
Emmett Gardens, where we have been today, would not normally rank amongst the other National Trust gardens we have visited - except for the bluebells.
We arrived about 10 minutes after opening time and the car park was filling.
There was already one coach in the car park
We were greeted at the entrance kiosk by a National Trust worker outside whose job it was to ease any hold ups there might be.
She explained that it had been announced on a TV programme that the bluebells at Emmetts Gardens were the best they had been for 20 years and people had responded in droves, particularly on such a beautiful day.
They were expecting more coach parties.
It was impossible to find any solitary places - damn it we had to share those wonderful bluebell carpets.
But there was no getting away from it - we were experiencing a magnificent sight.
And blessed too by the call of the cuckoo - becoming much less common these days the naturalists tell us.
We can't share with you the cuckoo - but tomorrow we will display the bluebells.
We decided to have lunch in the old stables - but had to queue to get in and order our food. It was worth the wait.
After lunch we strolled in other parts of the garden.
For those that realised that an emmett is an ant - we did, indeed, see some giant ant hills.
But by 2 o'clock the afternoon visitors were arriving in hordes and we felt it was a good time to leave.
We stopped in Westerham - we might have explored and photographed the statues of General Wolfe and of Churchill and the old buildings, but I had another mission.
It was a mission in which Westerham let us down.
I needed rice cakes - having forgotten to pick up my tin before leaving this morning.
We were going to see Bill's cousin, Ann. Our visits there, before Gordon died, always drifted into tea time and we would be asked to stay for tea.
I just was not going to eat bread - my digestion has been doing so much better without it.
There were no rice cakes to be found amongst the classy cafes and antiques and craft shops of Westerham - even the Co-op had none.
We were told that there was a Morrison's in Oxted - a few miles on our way. But we didn't know where it was. We stopped in the High Street - as luck would have it, right outside a health food shop.
This was indeed fortunate for we had already discovered that chemists shop, designed initially to sell things to care for people's' health, did not stock items for a gluten free diet.
But the health food shop gave us rice cakes and some tasty spread to put on them - and a treat of halva with grape juice and raisins.
And so onwards to Godstone to chat - and chat with Ann.
I commented yesterday evening how she is grasping life and this is very true. But she has also been very depressed in the last month - all the classic symptoms. Grief at the loss of Gordon has just hit her hard.
So she was glad to talk.
We were glad to be there.
Bill has come home with clothes - Gordon's clothes.
Ann was in the habit of buying him things if she went on a shopping trip and many clothes have not been worn.
Some were not the right size for Bill - but there are all sorts of things that are very suitable.
Slowly Ann is doing what is needed with all Gordon's things.
This evening I decided to chill out and watch The Apprentice.
And soon it will be bed time.
Tomorrow will be a less busy day - sort of. There will be no gallivanting but I have a long list of things to do and Bill has dentist and blood test. We need to do a little food shopping too.
Goodnight.
Go on.... you know you want to!
Well, sorry....... you will have to wait until tomorrow.
We have seen bluebells in their millions but having got home late this evening I have not had the oomph to think about my pictures.
Emmett Gardens, where we have been today, would not normally rank amongst the other National Trust gardens we have visited - except for the bluebells.
We arrived about 10 minutes after opening time and the car park was filling.
There was already one coach in the car park
We were greeted at the entrance kiosk by a National Trust worker outside whose job it was to ease any hold ups there might be.
She explained that it had been announced on a TV programme that the bluebells at Emmetts Gardens were the best they had been for 20 years and people had responded in droves, particularly on such a beautiful day.
They were expecting more coach parties.
It was impossible to find any solitary places - damn it we had to share those wonderful bluebell carpets.
But there was no getting away from it - we were experiencing a magnificent sight.
And blessed too by the call of the cuckoo - becoming much less common these days the naturalists tell us.
We can't share with you the cuckoo - but tomorrow we will display the bluebells.
We decided to have lunch in the old stables - but had to queue to get in and order our food. It was worth the wait.
After lunch we strolled in other parts of the garden.
For those that realised that an emmett is an ant - we did, indeed, see some giant ant hills.
But by 2 o'clock the afternoon visitors were arriving in hordes and we felt it was a good time to leave.
We stopped in Westerham - we might have explored and photographed the statues of General Wolfe and of Churchill and the old buildings, but I had another mission.
It was a mission in which Westerham let us down.
I needed rice cakes - having forgotten to pick up my tin before leaving this morning.
We were going to see Bill's cousin, Ann. Our visits there, before Gordon died, always drifted into tea time and we would be asked to stay for tea.
I just was not going to eat bread - my digestion has been doing so much better without it.
There were no rice cakes to be found amongst the classy cafes and antiques and craft shops of Westerham - even the Co-op had none.
We were told that there was a Morrison's in Oxted - a few miles on our way. But we didn't know where it was. We stopped in the High Street - as luck would have it, right outside a health food shop.
This was indeed fortunate for we had already discovered that chemists shop, designed initially to sell things to care for people's' health, did not stock items for a gluten free diet.
But the health food shop gave us rice cakes and some tasty spread to put on them - and a treat of halva with grape juice and raisins.
And so onwards to Godstone to chat - and chat with Ann.
I commented yesterday evening how she is grasping life and this is very true. But she has also been very depressed in the last month - all the classic symptoms. Grief at the loss of Gordon has just hit her hard.
So she was glad to talk.
We were glad to be there.
Bill has come home with clothes - Gordon's clothes.
Ann was in the habit of buying him things if she went on a shopping trip and many clothes have not been worn.
Some were not the right size for Bill - but there are all sorts of things that are very suitable.
Slowly Ann is doing what is needed with all Gordon's things.
This evening I decided to chill out and watch The Apprentice.
And soon it will be bed time.
Tomorrow will be a less busy day - sort of. There will be no gallivanting but I have a long list of things to do and Bill has dentist and blood test. We need to do a little food shopping too.
Goodnight.
