Cytisus - Broom

This is a very sad report. The magical broom that I showed you two years ago is more magic than ever this year.
Quite unbelievable.
BUT - We had some heavy snow a month or two ago and it has spread the shrub out, so that it is overlaying other shrubs.

Sadly, it will have to go. You cannot cut Broom back to base - it will not re-grow from old wood. Anyway, they are not long-lived, so if I tried to tie it together, it would not live much longer. So - when the flowering is over - I shall remove it, with tears running down my face, and plant a replacement. The wee shrub is already waiting - sitting in its pot and looking tiny, but flowering its heart out.

On my Travels.

We set off from Northumberland on a nice morning, early (for us) and got to my cousin's near Marlbrough by 4.00. It was lovely to see V and D who are very dear to me. D is the eldest son of my 1st cousin, but is the same age as my eldest brother. Such are large Victorian families. His wife V is a darling and we are the best of friends. The next day they had invited 2 couples who had connections with the North to lunch. One had been an officer in the DLI (Durham Light Infantry) The other was a lady who was the daughter of a doctor who was known to G's father and cousin. So lots to talk about.

On Friday we went off to Torquay for a family gathering for the marriage of my eldest brother's second son. The marriage took place in the lovely old church in the hidden valley in the middle of Torquay. It was beautifully hot and the marriage was so old time. The first time I have heard someone say 'obey' for many a long year! She did give him a sideways look as she said it! Then the happy couple received communion - again a very rare thing these days.

The reception was in a hotel on the front and was soon followed by a wedding breakfast. After that there was quite a good break before the dancing and G took advantage of it to walk back to our hotel. I followed him before too long ie before the dancing got going. As it was a 12.00 wedding and I got back to my room by about 7.00 I didn't do too badly! It was lovely to see so many of my close relations, including son and daughter, at a happy event. The grandsons were not invited - the numbers game.

Next day, we said goodbye to my brother and other family members, before setting off to drive round a devious course to Ugborough. We went via Dartmouth and other places having lunch en route. At Ugborough, we found old Singapore friends of I and me, who were giving us supper and leading us to the ferry. The latter was not really necessary but meant that we could leave it to the last minute to leave. We had a good crossing, mostly in our bunks.

The drive down from Roscof to Lamor Baden was uneventful. We went by a country route as we had all day. I had meant to go via Elizabethd's village, but made an error and went down another road. The hotel she had found us was lovely. We had a suite with a view to die for. The rooms were very small but the added space of the suite made it very comfortable and there was a tiny balcony, which I used - not G though. The food was fabulous. The daughter had worked in the Waterside Restaurant where she learnt good English as well as meeting her husband. More importantly, she picked up a lot of cooking skills. Mum and daughter worked together in the kitchen and were ably assisted by Benoir who is the son-in-law and who also speaks very good English.

The morning after our arival, Elizabethd and her husband arrived to have coffee and lots of chat. I was talking to another guest when they arrived and I knew at once that they must be them! All four of us got on so well together. And of course, I was extremely grateful for Ed finding the hotel for us. (http://uk.hotel-parcfetan.com/index.php will take you to this lovely hotel and room 218 is the suite you want.) It would have been lovely to visit their home but it was not convenient this time - maybe next time we are in the vicinity.

We had 2 very hot days followed by 2 wet mornings and cloudy afternoons. The Town of Aury was seen at its best - at least, I mean the old port, not the town which was not interesting. The next morning, Vannes was wet and miserable though we were able to see how lovely it would be on a nice day. We did some serious (for us) walking along the coast trail in the afternoons.

You can walk along the edge of the sea and then next day you can drive to the nearest access and walk another bit.

The 5 days were over far too quickly and we drove back up to Roscoff, having lunch and picking up wine, ordered on the way down. We had taken a good cabin (cheap by day) so had a sleep and ate a picnic we had bought en route. We got to the kind friends who had fed us on the way out, about 9.30 so just time for a drink and then to bed. Sadly, our host was not at all well so was not able to come to the party the next day. This was a Sunday lunch in the Green Station Brasserie in Bath. It was to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of 2 more old Singapore friends. Neither G or I knew anyone bar the family (me only) but we both enjoyed meeting very nice people.

Next day we set off for the north in our air-conditioned car on a very hot day. Guess what - having gone up the M5 and M6 to Carlisle and then across, as we crossed the Pennines and turned onto the Military Road, the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped and we knew that we were nearly home!

Where Withy Brook Lives

If you come up from the main road, you drive for 5 miles on a fairly straight road (after negotiating the 2 double bends, where lots of people go through the hedge). The first part just has room for 2 cars side by side so you can overtake - but not if it is a lorry. These are only allowed for access. In the end you reach a length of single track road, the latter half of which is lined on one side by old sycamores and ash trees. The ash trees are gradually disappearing, but the sycamores will last a year of two yet. These trees run up the side of the Show Field - a very uneven area that you would never expect to find a Show on! At the end, you arrive at a medieval village green.

The Green is large and has dwellings on 3 sides, all but one of which has been there since time immemorial. The show field is to the East. North Side is what it says it is and has 9 dwellings - houses and cottages. The latter are rapidly being up-graded, but it won't be for the first time! They were all here in 1800 and had been for long before that and none are now one room only! They have lean-to's on the back and some went upwards long ago. As you come into the village, the first was a farm once upon a time. Now it is a farmhouse type building, and is a haulage business. The man who lives there is the son of a lady who was born and lived all her life here. Her father founded the haulage business with a horse and cart going to Hexham on market day, along a road that is now only partially traceable and partly lost in a huge quarry. The family were in the Parish in the 1800 census. The old lady's husband still lives in a cottage in the middle of the Green. He is about 85. The next house up is quite big (comparatively). Further up there is another farmhouse. In amongst them are cottages.
Across the west end are a brand new house and a small cottage of the same sort of age as all the rest, which belongs to us. Then, set back a bit, behind a tall stone wall is our house. From the Green, you just see a grey square building with 2 large windows. It is the 1740's addition to a bastle house. These were fortified houses, built to keep the stock down below and the family upstairs, with a pull-up ladder, for when the Scottish Reivers came marauding, raping and thieving! It is a bit different now, with its "new front" put on in about 1620!!!
The south side of the Green has 2 farm houses and 2 cottages. These were originally 6 one-roomers, one of which was the Pub at some past time!
Once upon a time, there was quite a large population (comparatively speaking), with shoe makers, a school and chapel as well as the church. The dentist came and set up on the Green every now and then. Think he probably just removed teeth!
Nowadays, there are 5 properties that are let, which does not make for a settled population, in such a small place. Currently we are lucky that they are all nice people except one who we never see. But it has become a commuter village, like so many. Two of the farms are still functioning and the haulage business. The saving grace of the place is the Show. This pulls everyone together once a year. Nearly everyone helps in one way or another and lots of lovely people from round about come and help too. Having lived here for 27 years now, I am considered to belong! Because we are in the Manor, we are expected to play the appropriate part! The old timers call me Mrs.... in spite of all my efforts to make them use my Christian name!
What else do we have here? One Victorian post box, in our garden wall. One church which has been there since the 13th Century, but Victorianised by a vicar in 1860. Very much loved by many but supported by a tiny number. A WI Hut, which is falling to pieces. A mobile library which I have not seen for some time, so it may have stopped. 3 wind turbines up the lonnen (track). Except when the farmer is driving about or the RAF are low flying and when there is no wind (rare) we have silence. At night, apart from bad light pollution to the SE, we have wonderful stars on a clear night. No through traffic - the road stops outside our house.
There is the odd evening, particularly in the summer, when you can go outside and listen to the silence - only broken by the baaing of sheep. That is magic.
There are moderately good walks and if you go up to the top, where the turbines are there are fantastic views - The Durham hills to the south, the Pennines to the West, Cheviot and Simonside to the North and nearly to the sea to the East. However some of this may sound, I love it here and would hate to have to move - though I know the time will come when we cannot manage here any more. But I know I will never get G to move!

Pointing of the Front ended

The lovely lad, full of many pints of tea, has completed the pointing of the front of the house. As he has done it very well, G has decided that the north side should be re-done too. So in about 4 weeks, scaffolding will appear there and it will be returned to the state that was intended by the builders in the 16th century.

The West gable has these pretty windows. The upper was added in the 1960's but the date of the lower is any one's guess - inserted into a wall 3 foot thick. The whole gable needs repointing but the bit the wee lad has done was the worst. The colour of the pointing will change as it dries. It was only done today.

Pointing the front of the house and other matters

Just a few jottings.

The main (oldest) part of this house was built of stone in the 16th century. The original mortar was the right, sandy mix for stone. At some time in the 20th century, it was repointed with a hard cement and in about 1930 an even harder mix was used round the front door and window, when they were enlarged. The middle strength has done the most damage. It was put on to cover the stone in many places and level the surface. When done like this, the rain can penetrate under the cement, especially with sandstone as in this case. Then, when it freezes it expands and loosens the cement and damages the stone. As more damage is done the worse it gets, because more rain can get in. We have known for a long time that it would catch up on us, and the time has arrived. The damage to the stone has reached a serious proportion.
A lovely young man (38 yrs old), arrived for work at 8.45 on Saturday morning, and started to remove the offending stuff. A lot of it almost fell out and he made good progress, despite a prickly pyracantha overlapping the work area and a climbing rose. Then he reached the first window and found the very hard stuff. He had to use a machine to cut it out and then chisel against the stone. A slow and painstaking job. He didn't get any tea cos I was out till lunch time. He did get some then, and a very big mug kept for the purpose. He thought it was great.
He was back again on Sunday, ending up by clearing up as much as he possibly could and putting his bits and pieces away as tidily as possible. He won't be back till next Saturday. Easter week he has holiday so he will be here all week. Tomorrow, the scaffolding arrives, and we have to make sure he makes it wide enough, despite the Pyracantha - which I have cut back quite hard - on one side and a Lonicera nitida and Holly on the other.

On Monday I made my way to the Leisure Centre in Gateshead. Sounded easy. Decided to go up the bypass almost to the Angel of the North then turn down into Gateshead. Next thing I knew I was whisking over the Reddiheugh Bridge into Newcastle! I kept my head and managed not to get lost. Found my way to the Swing Bridge and popped over back into Gateshead and soon found the Leisure Centre. A large number were gathered for the Inaugoral Meeting of Northumbria in Bloom. Most of the judges and lots of entries. Had a good meeting - the Chairman of a village which won a Gold Medal in last summers National - Britain in Bloom - gave an excellent presentation. A chap from Green Flag told us about that. Green open spaces are their speciality. We overlap somewhat. If anyone wants to know more about it, just ask in the comments.
After a 3 course lunch given by Gateshead Council, I set off for the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle for a hearing assessment. Got there an hour early, so had a read while I waited. The assessment showed a small loss at the top of the range. This effects the clarity of what one hears, so combined with my tinnitus, is the reason for my not always hearing properly. Far from a hearing aid though.
That'll do for now, so see you, diary, in a day or two.

Gardening today

This morning, I had to go to the surgery to see the District Nurse, to have my ear syringed to get rid of a bit of something (she said skin) that could foil a hearing test that I am to have on Monday. After that, I went to my favourite garden centre. There are others around that many would think much better. Plants yes, but acres of other things. This one has some of these other things, but not too many, and far more plants and garden extras. I was led astray from my carefully written list and got some crocus in flower - the mice have eaten so many of ones in the garden. These will go out there and I will buy some corms too at some point. I also got a few tulips for the same reason. I went to the garden centre to buy 2 new things for the ends of my hozes and some JIP 3 and Vegetable seeds, having procrastinated over filling in the order so long that now it is March.
This afternoon, I used some of the compost and some seed compost that I already had. I pruned the Abutilon Nabob that G had wheedled out of the Head Gardener at Wallington, cutting it very hard back as they had done in the past. This meant that I had lots of pieces about 3 or 4 feet long. I cut the ends of, about 4-5 inches long, trimmed them, removing the leaves and any flower buds and pushed them into the compost in a 3 inch pot. 12 of them are now in a propagator on the shelf in the greenhouse. It does not work any more, so no heat, but there is a cover, to stop drying out. It has a lovely dark red flower. I already have one young plant that I repotted today - a nice single stem. When it is tall enough it will come into the Conservatory, to replace the more mauvy, lighter one that has been there for years. If todays cuttings take, they will be sold for the WI or some other charitable concern and I will keep one as a replacement.
When I was in Wales last summer, for my brother's 60th birthday, I was given some Fuschia cuttings by a specialist, in who's barn we were staying. All of them took. Mostly they have reddish leaves and wood but one is variegated. Of the red ones, one is going to be grown with 2 horizontal branches, as it is already doing naturally. One will be a standard - again heading that way naturally. The rest will be bushes. I had already pruned them the other day, but today I potted them on into bigger pots. They will go out in the frame later on and be planted out next year. After that I shall just have to keep my fingers crossed. We are much colder and exposed that their Welsh home. I may keep the standard in a pot/container.
I did not get anything done outside today because it was blowing a gale yet again. When is it ever going to stop for more than a few hours?

What is Christianity?

I have been thinking about what makes a Christian. There are all sorts of things that one might say - a loving person. Someone who works for others. Someone who goes to church. Someone who forgives. Someone who loves their neighbour as themselves.
There is one type of person who is NOT a Christian - someone who says that unless you do as I say you are dammed. A tiny child is drowned. The parents are not married. The child's spirit belongs to him. The "crime", as seen by the priest, of the parents is their "crime" and nothing to do with the child. But, because the parents are not married, the priest refuses Christian burial to the child. In order to obtain that burial, they have to marry. THAT IS NOT CHRISTIAN.
Jesus said "let the little children come unto me" and other things about children that made it clear that they were beloved by him above all.
Then there is the saying the sins of the fathers will be visited on the children to the third and fourth generation. As I see it this is talking about something quite other than an immediate 'sin' like bearing a child out of wedlock. It has to do with inheritance and things like sexual illnesses.
One thing that does not make a Christian, is to do something that is not Christian in the name of Christ, like the priest who would not bury the baby.
I pray that I may do Christian things. I would like to bring the comfort and light of Christianity to others, but fear that it is beyond me. However, if I can make someone stop and think, then I have achieved something. God bless anyone who reads this blog.