G & J away from home

Wednesday, 3 June

Today we spent the day in Leyburn busy with important chores like washing and catching up with emails and work from home.  While I was out hanging the washing out I paused to take this photo of the bluebells in Joan and Carl's garden.

Spanish bluebells

These bluebells are the Spanish variety (sturdy, flowers all around the stem) rather than the native English bluebells (more weedy, flowers more on one side).  I write this down as I often forget which is which.

With an evening meal planned for us to catch up with neighbours John and Barbara we spent some time helping Carl on the vege preparation and I got to shell broad beans.  Who knew they were like peas but with fur-lined pods?  I thought they came from the freezer section!

Joan and Carl preparing the evening meal

It's a little strange to be visiting the house where we had lived for four months January - April 2004. Things seemed familiar and sometimes we remembered things, but it wasn't quite the same.  I'm sure our cat-sitters know exactly how we felt.

I don't have all our photos with us from 2004 but here's a current photo of the conservatory, my favourite room while we were living here.  It was winter, of course, and sitting in the conservatory looking out over the snow and watching the birds.

Between staying at Leyburn that winter and feeding the birds every day, and the time spent at Sharon and Dave's in Tewin, with their scrapbook of birds and other creatures seen in their garden, I came back from the house-swap with a much increased interest in wildlife in our backyard.  The rest is history!

My favourite room in 2004 - the conservatory

 After lunch Gary and I braved the bitter wind and walked down the familiar path down to the town. At least, it would have been familiar if we had been able to find where the top of the public footpath came out.  We couldn't so had to go the long way around.  There were two shortcuts - one down the steep and narrow footpath and another through the woods which came out at the library.  We couldn't find either from the top!

Not that walking the long way around was a complete loss as I got this photo of some lovely orange poppies not yet frozen to death in the unseasonably cold weather.

Poppies on the walk down to the town

On the way back we found the bottom of the footpath (the sign was a great help!) and so Gary headed up it while I (with my wider hips) decided to walk back the long way around.  We arrived back at the same time so perhaps they weren't very good shortcuts anyway. ;o)

Gary heading up the very narrow public footpath

More on the flora and fauna - a female pheasant turned up to join the pigeon in checking out what seed had fallen from the bird feeder.  The male pheasant did also put in an appearance but the camera was too far away to capture his visit.

A lady pheasant comes to visit - and a pigeon

We got to know neighbours John and Barbara while living in Leyburn and they've been out to New Zealand a couple of times in the intervening years but late afternoon we went over to check up on how the rock garden John had been building in the back yard in 2004.  After eleven years the rockery and ponds were well established and full of interesting plants.

The rock garden with Barbara

We had a lovely dinner with Barbara and John, and Joan and Carl, and afterwards the Ragdoll came for another visit so I got another cuddle.  Perfect evening.


From Home

Here's a photo of  'the boys', Sam and Mocha, sharing our bed, something they will never do when we're at home.  The cat-sitters are cat whisperers!

Sam (foreground) and Mocha (background) on the same bed

Blog Posts by Email

Apologies to those getting the blog posts by email as they will all be arriving out of order as I update from today and work backwards filling in the gaps.
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