Tulips, Tulips, Tulips!

I do love our tulips, so here is an unashamed heap of tulip photos from the garden!

A tulip on the Fairy Hill


Also on the Fairy Hill


My black tulips never fail to impress.



2 Raggy tulips. Last year there was one - next year?

I just love the glossy petals on these - new this year.

The same from above.



Red and yellow - striking.


A delicate white, blushed with pink.


Ice cream pink.


Like a crown with those pointed petals


Also new this year - I love these, the insides look as though they've been painted.


A close up of the pattern inside. You can even see the pollen on the right hand side.


These are in the arboretum bed.

I have more, but the upload is very slow tonight and I'm flying to the UK at 6.30am so I must get some sleep.

Off to see Jack for his 5th birthday which is on the 14th May. I am back next Monday. Have a good few days everyone.

Monday Trip Around the Garden Flowers

The Deenery - one of our beds. This is opposite our front door.

ATCs

Before the main garden photos, I have some ATCs I'd like to put on here. I have done my Q for quince which is on its way to Teri in Wisconsin:

I took a photograph of the quince bush in our garden and printed it on ordinary paper, then printed a quince fruit from the Internet and cut it out to stick in the corner. Then I coated it in gel medium to preserve the picture.

R is for Random Ribbons and this one is heading to Lynn in California:

I am trying to do 2 ATCs each time I do a letter, so the following 2 are for swaps if anyone would like one of them:

Another photo of the quince pasted onto the ATC card with a quince fruit on the top right.


More random ribbons - some of them different from the first ATC.

I also made another ATC with a quotation from Cher:

'Anyone who's a great kisser I'm always interested in'. What a romantic couple. This is also for swap.

The Deenery Garden

OK, lots of photos for you. Enjoy:


Apple Blossom






Ever reliable honesty on the allotment.





Glorious broom on The Fairy Hill




Little pink Azalea and a close up:





Cherry blossom






More blossom.




A new leaf - how glossy it looks.




Perennial alyssum - such a fantastic rockery plant.



A miniature azalea - planted this year.




A delicate pink phlox with the promise of many more flowers.

Do click on any of the photos if you have time.




The Purple Acer in the front looks wonderful in the sunshine.

Jim and I have been working very hard in the back garden. We're still trying to sort out the builder's rubble and mess! I can see the new lawn taking shape and today I was shifting large rocks to make an edge for one of the arboretum beds - which we are extending. I'll take photos when it all looks a bit better.

I haven't posted any of my tulip photos as I have quite a few, so I'll save them for a post on their own. We really do have some lovely ones this year. Right, time for bed said Zebedee....

From Worthing to Norfolk, Sunday May 2nd 2010

On the Sunday of our UK stay, we drove all the way up to Norfolk to visit our friends Ivor and Maureen. My son Jason and his family, Sam, Jack and Kitty were there for the day too. We arrived just as dinner was being served. What timing.

Jason and Sam had decided not to tell Jack that I was coming but told him there would be a surprise. His little face was a picture when I arrived. He said 'What are you doing here?' then 'It's a good thing you arrived now or you would have missed your pudding'. He obviously had the pudding on his mind! Later on he said to me 'That was the best surprise ever'. Aw, bless.

We all sat round the table and enjoyed a Sunday roast dinner. Then there was lots of playing with the children, a look around the garden and general chatting and catching up. Here are a few photos of our day:

Kitty now crawling all over the place.

Jack shows off his stickle brick rocket. I'm pulling a strange face!
Jack was laughing because all my rockets fell apart!

I was proud of this one - until it fell apart too....
Kitty decided to eat Jason's mobile phone!

Jason looks on as Kitty stands for quite a while. I tried to get her to walk to me but in the end she bent down to the floor. I don't think it'll be long before she's walking.
Me - my hair isn't quite that red!

Another funny one of me! Jack gave me some sweets.

Jack and Jim had great fun building monsters with the stickle bricks too. It was all too soon time to go but we had a lovely day. We headed off back to Worthing about 7pm and arrived back rather exhausted! Monday was packing the car day and we really packed it full this time - having bought a dishwasher during our stay.

It's good to visit but so nice to be back home!

I have taken lots of flower photos so look out for the next blog.

UK Trip at Last

Well, here I am again, all behind and in a tizzy. I am behind in my ATCs and my blogging. One week away and life descends into chaos!

UK Trip

Having said that, I had a lovely time and loved catching up with Sonny and Poppy in Sussex. Sonny is just delightful. He pulls really funny faces and we hit it off extremely well. He is now 9 months old - amazing. Here are a couple of photos of Sonny at bedtime:


Don't you wish you could do that?

On the Thursday, Jim had a meeting in town, so I took our car to be serviced, have a new exhaust system, new shock absorbers, etc etc. Then I walked into town and spent most of the day there! I have ordered 2 pairs of glasses for Specsavers of course and Jenny and Sonny met me in town, where we had a delightful lunch in a pavement cafe.

Jenny walked back home and I had my hair cut - just a trim but it looks much better. I cut it the last time and made a bit of a mess of the layers.

I bought Sonny a paddling pool/ball pit and some balls to go in it. It was a real hit! When Poppy came, they played in it together:


Sonny didn't take his eyes off Poppy - Ali watches. We had to buy about 11 packs of balls to fill it.



We spent some time in the garden in Worthing and it was lovely to see the two sister, Ali and Jenny, with their offspring:

Sonny trying to eat Poppy!
Sonny kept picking weeds and trying to eat them. Every time he almost got one into his mouth, Jenny whipped it away from him!

We all went for a lovely walk along 'The Gallops' in Worthing, Sussex. Poppy likes to walk but goes in every direction but the one you want her to!

Poppy, Jim, Ali, Sonny and Jenny
Poppy found a stick and is carrying her doll. Jim and Ali are chatting.

There were some rather super clouds - a row of poodles?

We walked up to the play area and Poppy enjoyed the slide, while Sonny wasn't too sure of the swing.

Sonny wasn't too sure...

We really enjoyed the walk and the fresh air. On the way back to the car, we spotted something moving in the long grass:

He/she also had a friend:
2 bunnies. They stayed quite a while and didn't seem bothered by us.

The Arum lilies were at their best.

We called at Russell and Caz's home, as I had only seen it from the outside. I loved the tiles that made up the front path:


Inside and the front room has been decorated and has a new suite, made to measure. Russell loves the 'day bed' part of it. Caz made us some chocolate muffins, which were gorgeous. It's a lovely little house, just right as a starter home.

Sonny loves jumping in his bouncer. I videod him in it but I wish I'd kept my mouth shut!!



I hope it works!

Phew, that's enough for today. I'll finish tomorrow with a bit of luck. It's the General Election in the UK so Jim and I are watching it.