Spring is Sprung (well almost :)

Well at least the snowdrops appear to have thrived on the excess of rain we have had latetly giving Mr Elwes one of his best ever shows @ Colesbourne - home of the national snowdrop collection and almost on our doorstep.

Whilst some of the trees had suffered  

                   

 and the mill stream was if full flow

Colesbourne simply exudes calm and tranquillity - even on a busy day.

Delicately interwoven are dashes of colour provided by hellebores, miniature daffodiles, cyclamen, aconites and snowflake.

Yes, I know, there will be a few chilly blasts before the 'grass is ris' but its great to see the colour slowly returning - even in our own garden.

So fingers crossed n keep smiling.

Valentines in the Vale

Adverse weather was not allowed to get in the way of our annual valentines away weekend. Well up a hill and safe from flooding we rented one of a small cluster of farm cottages at Downton near Ludlow on the Herefordshire/Shropshire border.

For a small market town Ludlow boasts some amazing architecture. Nearby arguable the best little tea shop in the country – Rocke Cottage Tearooms. 

In similar vain is Stokesay church and castle  

and this special plaque to the achievement of the church bell ringers




Above the area towers Clee Hill with its amazing views and equally amazing quarry remains scattered around the hill side.

There is no higher ground to the east until the Ural Mountains in Russia.

We also passed through the village of Cleobury Mortimer  where St Marys church spire bares a close resemblance to the twisted spire of Chesterfield.

All in all a cosy and not too damp valentines.

Water Water Everywhere

Village streams have turned into rivers and rivers into raging torrents. In many places there are miles upon miles of lakes where fields used to be, evoking memories of 2007 in the Gloucester/Tewkesbury area.

Amongst the sad spectacles have been Cameron procrastinating and portly pernicious Pickles pouring scorn on the very workers getting their feet wet on a daily basis helping those in need – which has rightly back-fired.

Having cut a swathe through public services those very public service workers still turn out willingly to help the effort, be they fire brigade, police, NHS workers, environmental health, social and housing workers!