We Spring Forward

 

Spring seems to be here, and April is just around he corner We shall soon be making our regular spring visit to Somerset and Cleeve Abbey, and in the meantime the blackthorn on the corner of the road on the way to the paper shop is in full bloom again.

Last night the clocks went forward into Summer Time, so we look forward to brighter evenings and hope for a pleasant summer that isn't too hot - or too wet!

And Now we're past the Equinox

Autumn is upon us, and although I haven't done much blogging, I have been fairly busy. The 'Heirloom' blanket is finished, and another is being worked out.

Two more reprinted EJO books have been prepared for publication - one is already out and one currently at the printers, with more to do for next year, so no let-up on that front.

One of the summer highlights was a rail trip to Dartmouth. We joined the train at Romsey early one Saturday morning, and were diesel hauled to Taunton. Then 'Sir Nigel Gresley' took us to Kingswear via Exeter and Paignton, and our tickets included the ferry crossing to Dartmouth. We took a picnic lunch and were served fizz, unlimited coffees or teas, and a 'snack box' each both morning and afternoon. 

That was so generous that we almost could have managed without taking anything of our own, but Mr Bufo's quiches are well worth the carrying. We managed to park at Romsey station all day for just over £2, so when we were finally dropped off again at about 9.30 in the evening, it was just a quick drive home - and a lovely day!

We'll be doing our usual end of season trip to Cleeve Abbey soon, and the year will be over before we know it!

Christmas is coming ...

We've sent the few cards we do - or those going by post, anyway, in the hope they will arrive before or despite the impending strikes. This year our chosen charity in lieu of buying commercial cards is Southampton Hospitals Intensive Care Unit.

We've sent, or organised, such presents as we give - not many, and mostly cash to the under-eighteens.

Festive food is on order, and the non-perishables already to hand will be taken tomorrow to where we are spending Christmas so there is less to take on 23 December when we transfer ourselves there for the holiday.

So here are two of the pictures from this year's card. The third was from part of an exhibition and whilst I'm sure it's fine sending to the few friends who get a printed card, I don't feel it would be right to put it on the internet, even though the photo is Mr Bufo's - as are these - and the notice in the gallery said photography was allowed. As always we have chosen only from pictures taken during this year.

The stone 'face' is on the beach at Porlock Weir, and caught our fancy on our post-lunch stroll in the spring.

Those who know Cleeve Abbey will recognise the inspiration for this early 20th century carved pew-end in Old Cleeve church. The mandorla containing the Virgin Mary and Christ-Child, and the motto 'Porta patens esto nulli claudaris honesto' - loosely translated by Elsie J Oxenham as 'Gate open be to honest folk all free' - appear high above the entrance arch of the early 16th-century Abbey Gatehouse. 

So all that remains is to wish everyone reading this the very best of the season, and may next year bring everyone, if not what they wish for, what will be right for them.

(The goose might be getting fat, but we're not having one this year...!)

Flat Out Rainbows

No, it's not the Christmas card again, but the curtains at my new flat. I suddenly saw them in the mirror, and realised the similarity...

We are loving our little 'weekends away' - though some of them are 'midweek breaks'! - to the flat. It is very comfortable and relaxing, and we have the added bonus of rainbows that appear at certain times of the morning, when the join in the glass of our balcony, or the corner of the balcony upstairs to our right, become prisms. Was it one of the Pollyanna books where an invalid has rainbows in her room from a prism hanging in the window? 

We had an 'out' yesterday, to see one of my favourite places, Cleeve Abbey, and on the way, had a splendid lunch at he Luttrell Arms in Dunster. The Luttrell family, in the person of George Luttrell, played much the same role at Cleeve as EJO gives to Sir Antony Abinger.

Here he is, looking very much a younger version of the man EJO describes as Sir Antony:

And of course, no visit to Dunster would be complete without calling into 'Home Coming' - this is an Aladdin's cave of a shop and we had intended to get Mr Bufo some new slippers there ... this time they had some rather nice Blue Faced Leicester wool, so I indulged.

There are 6 black and 4 speckled tweed balls, so I should get a reasonable jumper out of them.