Long Summer Days

This past week the early morning sun has been shining right into the kitchen while I make my breakfast........

The Stocks on my kitchen windowsill have smelt fantastic.........

I was enchanted by the owls on display at Patchings last Sunday........

Barn Owl

Eagle Owl...it was huge.

How I loved the lazy Sunday atmosphere at this great event. The Big band played such happy tunes and the music drifted around the marquees full of inspiring art and craft......

Eldest accompanied mum and I . He seemed to enjoy most of the displays....and was very impressed with this huge chain saw ..........

Feeling inspired he sat in the sunshine to do a little whittling with his birthday gift, while we waited for mum...........

And I admired the yarn bombing.......

Down by the river, later in the day we loved the Goslings .......

And the long days  are perfect for strolling in the evening light...........

It's not a time of year to dash about when you walk. I've been walking most days and I'm still recording all my miles for the 1000 mile challenge.

On Wednesday I took Mum to see my friends garden............

It's full of beautiful flowers at the moment. We did love the Roses..........



But we adored the wild flower meadow.........

The Ox-Eye Daisies were at their beautiful best..........

Makes me want an area like this in my own garden too. So inspiring.

How I love the long Summer days.

Jacquie x

This Weeks Walk :: June Sunshine

Hello Lovelies,

This Thursday the walking group was once again blessed with warm sunshine. The walk started from a pretty village, where we parked by the church........

There were lots of sections of pretty woodland, with cute wooden bridges over little streams......

Field edge paths and rolling hills..........

Glimpses of beautiful Equines..........

Their coats looked amazing, shining in the sunshine against the fresh green background........

We passed pretty stone cottages with Roses around the door.........

And as the day warmed up, the dappled shade of more woodland was very welcome........

Here we emerged from a wooded glade into a beautiful valley..........

Oh, how I LOVED this spot.....the lush green hills in the background.....and the stunning colour of the meadow.

The Buttercups were beautiful and the red of the Sorrel added an amazing fiery glow........

How wonderful the countryside looked in the June sunshine..........

Just as we were all getting a bit hungry and tired there was a big hill to climb. It was hard work....but worth it for the stunning picnic spot and the cool breeze.........

It was so relaxing, sitting on the grass, watching and listening to the Skylark ( which I did try to photograph but failed miserably)

And eating some of the yummy British Strawberries my friend had brought to share with the group. They  perfectly finished off an idyllic picnic.......

And they were much easier to photograph :0)

Such wonderful, seasonal delights.........

The sort of moment you want to store away in your memory...the sights, the sounds the taste.... to cheer you on a cold winters day.

All too soon lunchtime was over. It was so pretty on the hill top.........

The cows rested  in the hot afternoon sun.......

And the Derbyshire stone walls reminded me of the Yorkshire walls of my childhood.......

They looked especially wonderful here.....with Pretty Foxgloves growing from between the stones..........

The last part of the walk was mainly woodland....and what a magical place it felt on that sunny afternoon, the dark places and the pools of bright sunlight......

The moss covered walls and the fresh green leaves........

The cool shade beneath the canopy so high above.........

All too soon we were back at the same village we started from, where the Almshouses were looking especially pretty, set behind manicured lawns and lovely Lupins...........

We walked seven miles, but it was the sort of day you just felt like walking forever.... or maybe stopping time for a little bit...a precious day outdoors in lovely company at such a perfect time of year.

I do hope you lovelies are getting chance to enjoy the early summer too....or enjoying looking at it here if not.
Jacquie x

The Buttercup Walk

 Hello Lovelies, how are you?
The weather here has been  wild and windy  at times. But thankfully I was very lucky with the weather on my two days off last week . My " Midweek Weekend" as I like to think of it. I know I'm very fortunate to get this break in my work days. Some time when I can relax while the rest of the family are at work or school.

At this time of year all I want to do is spend as much of that time outdoors as possible.

On Wednesday morning I had arranged to visit a local meadow with a friend.
The Buttercups are just at their glorious, golden best right now...........



Oh the simple joy of walking through fields of Buttercups, it takes me back to my childhood.......




This Meadow is right by a railway line......I love the viaduct it goes over here.........

It's a little oasis of nature right next to the urban sprawl.......

 And at this time of year it's a mass of simply beautiful wild flowers.  Clover was another childhood favourite of mine........

And in recent years, photographing the mouse's eye view of the hog-weed has become another seasonal delight.......

Here the path passed under the railway line.........

And out into a shady place, so lush with cow-parsley........

  over looking a pretty stream.........

 The stream soon flowed into the river......

How I loved standing on the footbridge here.....looking at the sparkling reflections and listening to the sound of the water.........

A little further along you could see the railway line and a family of Swans on the river.....

 If you click on this photo you will be able to see it much larger.

 Here's the view looking back towards the second bridge we crossed. As you can see it's not a pretty construction, but it's in a beautiful spot. I do feel we are blessed in this country to have well maintained footpaths, and even bridges especially for walkers, that give us access across private land.

 I think this spot would be perfect for a family picnic on a hot day..........

To sit at the waters edge and watch the water birds and the tiny fish that were easily visible in the clear water.........

We walked a little further and crossed the road I often drive along with Mum. This is a favourite view which  I've shared on my blog before.........



Everywhere is so green right now. And it's still that fresh zingy colour that I loved in May. I'm enjoying it while it lasts............



It was prefect walking weather, and the light changed all the time as fluffy clouds scudded across the sky.........

 But all too soon it was time to turn around and head back. This is the other bridge we had to cross on this walk....equally pretty :0)

The footpaths are rapidly disappearing into the undergrowth....but who can complain when it's such pretty yellow and white undergrowth as this............

Time to walk back through the dark tunnel into the Buttercup fields.........

I've thought about this carefully.... and it's decided....I LOVE June too :0)

Jacquie x