Reflecting on my week #114

The wool that I told you about last week arrived, and is just as pretty as in the picture. I’ve still no idea what I’ll make with it, but that’s a whole other project. Isn’t it pretty?

It was a chilly start to the week here and walking to work was more of a challenge than I’d like it to be. Strangely though walking home was less cold, and preferable to the morning walks. MOH had his first appointment with the consultant, and while that went well they wanted some blood (again) and that wasn’t quite so successful and he’s going back again to give them some more this week.

After a few days not giving him so many errands or jobs, I made the most of it on Thursday and he did well. I could get used to having a house husband (I couldn’t - I wouldn’t want to go to work either!), he’ll be back at work this week and hopefully the consultant will also give him some news, and treatment, to lessen the pain, and to get the little kidney stone out.

We headed out to another new-to-us garden on Saturday, this time Nymans in West Sussex, another National Trust garden. That’s two in two weeks, and both first time visits for us. It was a little foggy on Saturday though, but that made for an atmospheric walk around the gardens. We stopped for lunch, and will be back again when the weather’s nicer to explore some more.

Our visit did provide our first snowdrop viewing of the year though. MOH tells me we have some out in our garden but i’ve not ventured out there for a bit, so I’m taking his word for it. It’s funny to hear him describe them - he’s still learning plant names - but we’ve also got cyclamen flowering, and some geraniums which are bucking the seasons. There’s much to do in our garden, but, perhaps not just yet.

Next door’s work is continuing. The scaffolding’s still up (note the orange ladder) but there’s progress with deliveries and multiple workmen, during the week. Another good thing about MOH being home! Saturday morning was a hive of activity, and new tenants moving into the rented flat next door too. And yes, I was that neighbour who needed to get out…

This weekend through our meals we’ve given a nod to both Burns Night and to the Chinese New Year, with haggis on Saturday and Kung Pao prawns yesterday. There’s a bit of haggis left and my plan is to concoct some kind of haggis, lentil and vegetable ‘shepherds-type’ pie, which MOH keeps wrinkling his nose at, but I’m confident will at the very least, be edible!

We’ve started to watch the docu-drama Chernobyl, based on the real life events. MOH watched it on the plane to/from Barbados and thought it so good he bought the DVD, as he wanted to watch it on a proper sized screen. We’re three episodes in, and it’s shocking, as we obviously knew it would be, but probably more so with the real stories that are told. It definitely makes you think, and makes you wonder about comparatives to current events.

Stay safe peoples.

A visit to Blickling looking for snowdrops

We spent the weekend in a wet, sleety and snowy Norfolk. Looking at the weather forecast before we left I chose to leave my bike at home, and I think that was the right move as I'm not sure I would have gone out on it and if MOH had persuaded me then I think I'd've got very cold, very quickly. So without a bike ride to do, we needed something else to do on the Saturday. 

We'd been meaning to drive over to Reepham to visit the Panther Brewery for a while, and looking on the map I realised the Blickling Estate was relatively close by, so a plan was quickly formed. When I realised they had snowdrops, the plan was firmed up and we were in the car and heading east in the grey, murky day.

We'd been to Blickling a few years before, in March 2014 in fact,  and looking back it's amazing to see the difference a month makes. Before we could look for snowdrops, I had to stop and marvel at the bare, but gnarly wisteria. And wonder if a quicker-than-before return visit around May could be managed. I'm sure it will look magnificent in full flower, don't you think?

They have a bit of project going on in the walled kitchen garden, and so keen for a bit of walled garden we set off to take a look. I didn't remember it from our last visit, and it turns out that's because it was all grassed over, but since 2015 they've been working on it, along with plenty of volunteers. The difference is amazing, and I'm thinking I could do with the same army of volunteers to help tame my allotment.

 I was so keen to see what was going on there - I'll share more from there another day - that I marched straight past (but not through) these little beauties nestled under one of the magnolia trees. 

Snowdrops always amaze me.

They look so delicate, but clearly are made from hardier stuff, as they'd have to be making their appearance at this time of year. The ones at Blickling have a little way to go before they're fully out, so if you're heading there in the next few weeks you could be lucky and see them in their full splendour.  If you're in Norfolk and looking for somewhere else to see snowdrops then Walsingham Abbey have a lot, I hear. The Norfolk Mag has a useful article of the 9 best places to see snowdrops in Norfolk, which is well worth a read.

Wisteria and magnolias, Blickling really does deserve another visit. This magnolia looks like it's going to have plenty of flowers in a couple of months, let's hope the weather doesn't trick it.

After exploring the walled kitchen garden we headed across the formal gardens and up to the Temple, mainly because I love the idea of having a room far away from the house just to take afternoon tea in. The daffodils which we saw on our March 2014 visit were already growing and there was an odd one or two in bud, but they've a little while yet before they flourish into a yellow carpet. 

Next up we headed towards the Orangery, this time I wasn't able to replicate the reflective photo from before but we did have a peek in. There were plenty of citrus plants, but not too many fruits. I'm pleased with the photo below taken through the glass, I discovered that by having my phone right up against the glass, and with some careful positioning around the condensation on the inside of the glass I was able to take some pretty clear shots. 

Around the back of the Orangery there were more snowdrops and some beautiful yellow hellebores, which were stunning, as were the faded hydrangeas, alongside some fiery dogwood stems, which I'm also saving for another day.  

As we headed back towards the house and the formal garden, I couldn't help but stop and admire the new growth of this bush, with its lush green stems seemingly making a bolt for the light. I'm not sure how long it'll survive though, as, ssshh, all the bushes around it had been given quite a crop. This one almost had a rebellious and relieved smile about it. 

With the house now in view, it's easy to see just how impressive Blicklings grounds are, and once again we'd only scratched the surface of it. But it was February, and pretty bleak at that, and so exploring further afield would have to wait until the weather warms up.