A Fruitful Summer

September 8, 2025 / fgrtommo / 2 Comments

Summer this year has been consistently sunny and warm. We have been able to plan on the assumption of good weather. Day after day, with only the briefest of interruptions, we have appreciated our gorgeous local landscape in clear air and sunlight. Although keeping the vegetables anywhere near watered enough has been a challenge, the fruit harvest – both cultivated and wild – has been huge.

*^{On A Local Walk To The Shops In The Sun}*

Of course, we now know that it has been the hottest summer in the United Kingdom on record. It has also been one of the driest and, for the first time in local living memory, the stream running through our hamlet has run dry for weeks on end. That is a huge concern since we also know that climate chaos is here and only going to get worse. Increasing wildfires, floods, oppressive heat and difficulties in growing food are all inevitable. But even while knowing of this impending crisis, we have loved the summer weather and, almost as much, the recent rain showers that have started to indicate the onset of Autumn and started to refill the stream.

I picked and used or froze all the gooseberries and blackcurrants. We also managed to consume, or give to friends, a rich harvest of gorgeous plums and damsons. However, the wild bullaces (like small damsons) will stay on the trees this year and we have only picked a small fraction of our apples so far.

Walking the local paths and roads, I have seen lots of buckets of apples offered up to passers-by by those with apple trees heaving with fruit. And all those walks have tended to take a little longer than usual as I stop to pick and eat the blackberries along the way. The familiarity with the local hedgerows I have gained since retirement, means I know where the best blackberries are as the summer progresses. It’s wonderful how many varieties of wild blackberries there are, each bearing different tasting fruit at different times.

The only downside from all this fruit is that I’m gaining a few pounds of weight as I turn the fruit I pick into delicious but calorie filled crumbles. Still, it’s only for a few months that I have this fresh fruit glut and then I will retreat to more parsimonious use of the harvest we have frozen. I have time to get my weight back to target by year end.

There have been many other aspects of the summer that I have enjoyed. In recent weeks we attended a lovely wedding of one of Jane’s nephews and his wife. Of course, like so many days, this was bathed in warm sun. That helped to make the event memorable and lovely. During and around it, we got to see our sons, their partners and our grandchildren – all chatting and playing together. That was an enormous treat.

*^{Looking For Grasshoppers With First Grandchild}*

Another recent event that was enhanced by the great weather was an 11-mile charity pub crawl around 11 nearby pubs. This started at our village pub (The Hog) mid-morning and, for the hardiest (not including me), ended late at night in a curry house or back at The Hog. I managed half the stops (and pints) but had the excuse of wanting to divert up to Forest Green Rovers to see my team’s game mid-afternoon (we won!) before rejoining the increasingly noisy crawl crowd. There was much merriment, new relationship making and well over £1,000 in fundraising for the MND Association during the day. I look forward already to next year’s occurrence.

Jane and I have been out and about a few times too. We went to Frome to wander the pretty streets before heading on to Bruton and the Hauser & Wirth gallery there. Frome is comparable to our local town of Stroud but is a little wealthier, has a few more independent shops and is a little more upmarket. Stroud is moving gradually to that benchmark I believe.

At the Hauser & Wirth gallery we saw an exhibition of works by Jean Tinguely and his partner Niki de Saint Phalle. We had come across Tinguely for the first time earlier this year when we visited Basel. It was good to make the connection with that short trip and the mechanical sculptures we had seen in one of the parks there. A neat touch at Hauser & Wirth was that, as in Basel, the sculptures were powered to show their intended movements.

*^{Jean Tinguely And Niki De Saint Phalle at Hauser & Wirth}*

The Hauser & Wirth gardens, by Piet Oudolf, are always worth visiting. The planting is dense and constantly changing with the seasons. Whilst many of the plants were still in full flower, others remained interesting because of their seed heads and textures. The only strangeness is the building at the far end which looks like an elevated spot from which to view the flat garden space, but just isn’t.

*^{Piet Oudolf Designed Garden At Hauser & Wirth}*

Even more recently we visited Edward Jenner’s house in Berkeley just a few miles away from us. Jenner created the smallpox vaccine which has since saved millions of lives and eradicated the disease worldwide. His house and garden are not particularly remarkable but his life was and it is well told through the exhibits on show.

For me, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the displays was how they showed the vehemence of opposition to compulsory smallpox vaccination in the 19^th century. Scepticism about, and opposition, to vaccination was, it seems, as strong then as it has become again now despite all the health gains in the meantime.

Edward Jenner's House And Garden, Berkeley, Gloucestershire — *^{Edward Jenner’s House And Garden, Berkeley, Gloucestershire}*

It’s been a very good summer. We haven’t done any a big holidays but the weather at home has helped my retirement feel like a big, comfortable holiday at home. Waking up to clear sunshine, wandering into town for the newspaper and daily shopping, pottering around the thirsty vegetables in the garden, indulging in the burgeoning fruit harvest and relaxing in the evening sun has all been very pleasant. Now, as Autumn approaches, maybe we will think about getting away for a bit…..

Sleepy Sheep In The Summer Sun — *^{Sleepy Sheep In The Summer Heat}*

Andrew Goldsworthy In Edinburgh

August 7, 2025 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

In my last post, I mentioned that, during our latest Edinburgh stay, both Jane and I enjoyed the exhibition of Andy Goldsworthy’s art at the National Gallery of Scotland. This was a celebration of fifty years of his work with natural materials such as clay, reeds and stones and even sheep poo. I thought it was a tremendous display and I’m only sorry I haven’t paid more attention to him before.

The entrance to the gallery immediately thrusts you into Andy Goldsworthy’s world of sustainable, largely transitory art, and his relationship with nature. The entrance stairway is partly covered by discarded and stained sheep wool stitched together into a stair runner. At the top of these stairs was a dramatic piece made of reclaimed barbed wire. Immediately to the left and right were canvases caked in mud and sheep droppings around a blank space where once there was a sheep lick that attracted the unknowing sheep as participants in the work. It was an arresting start to the exhibition.

'Fence' (left) And One Of Two 'Sheep Paintings' (2025) by Andrew Goldsworthy at The Scottish National Gallery — *^{‘Fence’ (left) And One Of Two ‘Sheep Paintings’ (2025) By Andrew Goldsworthy at The Scottish National Gallery}*

Many of the works were constructed by Goldsworthy specifically for the space afforded by the Gallery. For example, one room was filled with rocks gathered from 108 graveyards in Dumfries and Galloway where piles of surplus stone have built up as graves have been dug. (I confess that this was actually the only work I was not impressed by). Another room, with a lovely skylight, was hung with hundreds of bullrush stalks. Elsewhere, an entire wall was covered with dried and, therefore, cracked mud that is bright red/orange from the iron it naturally contains.

'Red Wall' By Andrew Goldsworthy (2025) — *^{‘Red Wall’ By Andrew Goldsworthy (2025)}*

The centrepiece on the first floor of the exhibition was a corridor of oak branches. At one end was a beautiful twisted collage of fern leaves and at the other a circular array of long reeds. The whole room was very memorable.

'Oak Passage' by Andrew Goldsworthy (2025) — *^{‘Oak Passage’ by Andrew Goldsworthy (2025)}*

Indeed, every room was memorable. I particularly liked the room devoted to photographs of Goldsworthy’s manipulations of sheep wool, stones, reeds and leaves to develop images of a fallen, dead elm tree. I presumed that all the photographs here were shot by Goldsworthy himself but there were other videos and photos that involved others; I wondered who they were.

'Fallen Elm' By Andrew Goldsworthy (2009 And Ongoing) — *^{Examples Of The ‘Fallen Elm’ Series By Andrew Goldsworthy (2009 And Ongoing)}*

Throughout the exhibition there were unpretentious explanations of what we were seeing and what Goldsworthy was trying to do – even the three works made from dripping hare blood and snow onto paper.

By the time I got to the end of the exhibition where Goldsworthy’s early work was shown, I felt that perhaps these might have been shown at the start to show the chronological development of his ideas. But, as Jane pointed out, that would have made the exhibition entrance less impactful. Fair point; anyway, it was one of the best art exhibitions I have seen and I recommend it to anyone in Edinburgh before very early November 2025.

Art, Gardens and a Big Anniversary

August 4, 2025August 7, 2025 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

Our time in Edinburgh – the bread on either side of our Fife sandwich filling – was busy.

We did some of the usual things with First Grandchild (FG); going to the playground, visiting the National Museum of Scotland and meeting his hopeful requests: ‘can you play with me?’.

^{Playing Cards With First Grandchild (FG)}

We also went to the Museum Of Childhood for the first time. FG loved the activities available and we liked the nostalgia of seeing the toys from our own childhoods and those of our sons. Entrance to the museum was free and we will definitely be going back with FG.

Construction Toys From My Youth Including Betta Builder, My Favourite — ^{A Display of Toys From My Youth At The Edinburgh Museum Of Childhood, Including Betta Bilda, One Of My Favourites}

FG also had a tremendous time at the Newhailes Gardens and Adventure Park near Musselburgh. This is owned by the Scottish National Trust and is a wonderful facility. I wandered the grounds while FG loved all the activities. I then joined him to build towers, and to watch him get some experience of sack and egg and spoon races.

We did spend some time away from our Edinburgh family so they could get back to something resembling their routine. A huge highlight of this was a visit to the Andy Goldsworthy exhibition at the National Gallery of Scotland. Based on reviews I had seen, I was expecting great things and it truly was an excellent display. The exhibition was so good, I’ll cover our visit in a separate blog post after this one.

Jane and I visited a few other galleries while in Edinburgh. In the basement of the National Gallery was an exhibition of work by Paul Furneaux who we know our Eldest Son admires. I liked his paintings too.

'Temple Path' By Paul Furneaux At the Scottish National Gallery — *^{‘Temple Path’ By Paul Furneaux At the Scottish National Gallery}*

Furneaux also featured in the Open Eye Gallery which is always worth visiting as was The Scottish Gallery opposite. The latter had an exhibition of paintings by Alexander Goudie who I enjoyed getting to know a bit.

Another Painting BY Paul Furneuax, This Time At The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh — *^{Another Painting By Paul Furneuax (‘Rain City’), This Time At The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh}*

One afternoon, I slipped off and went to a free show of Post-Modern art at the City Art Centre. A little embarrassingly, I got told off for taking a photo here (see below, top) – I just didn’t see the signs prohibiting photography. Otherwise, my visit was very satisfactory as previous shows there have been. I particularly enjoyed the rather macabre painting by John Bellany of men gutting fish (also below). Bellany had a separate (but not free) exhibition at the centre but I didn’t pop in.

*^{Scottish Post Modern Art At The City Art Centre, Edinburgh}*

Jane and I also visited the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art briefly to see three or four rooms of works by Louise Bourgeois, Robert Mapplethorpe and Helen Chadwick. This was mildly diverting but only Bourgeois’s spider, which we had both seen variants of before at the Hayward Gallery in London, and the famous photo of Mapplethorpe’s disembodied head (see below) left much of an impression on me.

Beyond the art and beyond Edinburgh, we also took some time out to explore some gardens. Recalling these visits now reminds me that I failed to mention in my last blog post a very pleasant hour or so spent in the St Andrews Botanic Garden during our time in Fife. It was a longer walk out of the St Andrews town centre than we expected but well worth a visit to see a rather wild and experimental garden that is investigating how gardens, and the insects that live in them, can cope with our changing climate. Semi-wild gardens, busy with insect life, can be very attractive at this time of year.

Now we travelled south from Edinburgh to the Pentland Hills and Tweed Valley to Dawyck Botanic Garden. This is a 65-acre arboretum with a lot of mature indigenous trees and a large number planted using seed collected a couple of centuries ago in America by a traveller called David Douglas. He met a sticky end in Hawaii after falling into an animal trap already occupied by a bull, but his legacy at Dawyck is impressive.

The setting is lovely with gorgeous views across heavily wooded valleys to open hillsides beyond. It would be worth visiting again in Spring when more of the azaleas and rhododendrons are in flower.

We then went on to Little Sparta, the home and garden of Scottish poet and artist Ian Hamilton Finlay whose work I have often seen in various places in and around Edinburgh including, during this visit, the City Art Centre. This year is the centenary of his birth.

The garden is in the middle of nowhere. It is both a little chaotic and very sweet. Throughout the garden are little paths and about 200 individual art works from golden heads to simple inscriptions and stone sculptures. I particularly liked the open area beyond the wooded garden which included an attractive lake.

Of course, we ate and drank well while in Edinburgh as usual. A highlight was a drink at the Newbarns Brewery and Taproom followed by an excellent dinner at Ardfern. We will be going to both (and Ardfern’s sister restaurants) again.

Our stay in Edinburgh was completed with a rather splendid lunch at Timberyard. This was with our extended Edinburgh family including ES’s wife’s parents and was to celebrate Jane and my 40^th wedding anniversary. FG provided the rubies from his toy treasure chest and then got on with some drawing, leaving us to enjoy a splendid three courses. The restaurant is a lovely space and the service and food are top notch.

ES’s wife asked what advice we had, given we have achieved 40 married years together. I mumbled something about needing patience to adjust as circumstances and each partner change at different times. I’m not sure if retirement brings a requirement for more patience. Certainly, intermittent contact with grandchildren and no work to worry about allows much more time to think about getting along than full blown parental childcare and employment ever did!

We took our time over Timberyard’s food but there was still time to take in England Woman’s Football Team winning the European Championship after extra time and penalties. It was a thrilling end to a lovely week and a half in Scotland.

Enjoying Fife

August 1, 2025 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

We have just returned from a really excellent time in Scotland. We stayed with our Edinburgh based family and then gathered them up for a few days in Fife. We then returned to Edinburgh for our wedding anniversary celebrations and a bit more time in our favourite city. This is the longest sustained period we have spent with First Grandchild (FG) (and his parents) and it was a real treat.

We decided to travel to our holiday Airbnb in Fife via The Kelpies. These are huge metal statues of horse spirits that, as legend has it, tempted humans into the river and drowned them. The story may be a bit grim but the monuments, designed by Andy Scott, are very impressive. FG was less enamoured with the Kelpies than we were but walking around them was a useful activity break before the next section of driving to a recommended cafe in Culross on the north bank of the Firth of Forth.

FG’s wife always ensures that we eat very well when we visit Edinburgh and surrounds – either through her excellent and seemingly effortless cooking, or through her restaurant recommendations. The Mercat in Culross was a cafe and homeware shop that Jane had also heard about and the toastie lunch there didn’t disappoint.

*^{Views of Culross (Top One Courtesy of National Trust Scotland)}*

Culross is a very pleasant town. The market square was small but pretty and the buildings along the coast front were clearly historic. They are preserved well enough to, apparently, be used in a lot of period films and television series, some of which we have seen. The old wealth of the town was based on coal. While FG enjoyed the substantial playground, I read up on the innovative way in which the coal was loaded onto ships via a tunnel under the water of the Forth of Firth and then up a lift shaft onto the pier.

*^{Culross And The Firth of Forth (Pic Courtesy of National Trust Scotland)}*

Our holiday home was one of four new, eco-type buildings on the Charleton Estate in East Fife. It housed us comfortably (once we got used to the limited storage spaces and the absurdly steep stairs to Jane and my bedroom) and was surrounded by a golf course and open land we could walk around. In summary, it was near ideal and a great base for discovering other parts of Fife.

I liked Fife very much. We had visited the east Fife coast once before immediately after the wedding of ES and his wife in late 2022. Then, however, Jane was ill and the weather was so poor that we didn’t appreciate the environment much beyond being impressed with the scale of the flooding and the wind velocity. This time, we had warm and mainly sunny weather.

Many of the Fife towns have an interesting industrial and mercantile past often based on coal. The usually pretty main streets of solidly-built Georgian or Victorian houses and cottages indicate a historic wealth. Around these, the landscape is clearly fertile and is dominated by agriculture – mainly potatoes, wheat and attractive fields of manure/ground cover crops such as white radish and phacelia.

The coastal towns near our base were particularly attractive. Anstruther looked a bit touristy but Elie harbour was lovely and we spent several hours there helping FG potter about, make sand constructions, search for ‘treasure’ and paddle.

Even better was St Monans. I love this place. It’s a stop off from the Fife coastal walk – some of which is walkable only at low tide. It has a great, compact, sturdy harbour, many 17^th and 18^th century cottages and several grander old houses. I particularly enjoyed the views of the church (one of the oldest in Scotland) and the walk along the coast to a windmill.

*^{Coastal Walk Route And St Monans Church}*

On the walk I saw and/or heard interesting birds including yellowhammers, curlews, redshanks and oystercatchers. I then passed a huge tidal swimming pool built in the 1930s and still popular with wild swimmers today.

St Monans has a long history of fishing and industry. The windmill was used to pump sea water into buildings with salt pans. The foundations of these buildings are still visible. Using local coal, it seems that the salt industry all along the Firth of Forth coast was huge in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries until foreign imports became too competitively priced. It was interesting to see the remains of this bit of St Monans’ history.

On top of all this, St Monans has some very good cafes and restaurants including the Giddy Gannet and the East Pier Smokehouse (which provided an excellent smoked seafood stew in a beautiful location).

*^{St Monans From East Pier Smokehouse}*

We also ate very well at the The Kinneuchar Inn in the centre of another nearby, very pretty little town (Kilconqhuar). At all these meals, FG was very absorbed with his pebbles, shells and card games and was so well behaved (with a bit of ‘management’) that we could relax.

While in Fife, we also visited St Andrews. On the way, I was dropped off in Cupar while the others went on to an adventure park and a pick-your-own fruit farm. Like so many other towns, Cupar has a history back to Medieval times and a lot of nice old buildings. However, apart from a nice parish church and a walk along the Eden River, Cupar was relatively unassuming and unmemorable.

St Andrews, on the other hand, was very grand with its ancient university (founded in 1413), its prestigious golf course, beautiful beaches and historic buildings.

The cathedral, built in 1138, is now a ruin but has an impressive location. Within its grounds is St Rule’s Tower which pre-dates the cathedral. Together they are an impressive sight and a big tourist attraction.

St Andrews Cathedral and St Rule's Tower — *^{St Andrews Cathedral and St Rule’s Tower}*

Our break in Fife had all I could have wished for. We enjoyed variety, history, wildlife, attractive British landscapes, pretty towns and great places to eat. That culinary pleasure included a very good home barbeque engineered by ES. Plus, of course, we loved spending quality time with FG. We loved seeing him enjoy the whole holiday whether on the beach, in the playgrounds or learning how to play simple card games. I hope we can do something like it again sometime.

New Quay and Grandchildren

July 16, 2025 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

There have been a number of highlights in the last month but few, if any, have beaten the times we have spent with our grandchildren. We were lucky that the geography of Britain is such that the Edinburgh-based family passed through our neck of the woods twice on their way to and from Cornwall. Additionally, we have been called upon to do a bit of ‘emergency’ baby sitting for the Bristol-based family; another absolute pleasure given that the illness preventing nursery attendance was mild.

On one day, our two grandsons got to meet each other again at our house. Seeing them together is such a heartwarming event even if the age difference prevents playing together much at this stage.

Not everyone wants children and not all can have them. But I now feel luckier than ever that we managed to have three boys. It has added immeasurably to Jane and my shared history and we would have a lot less to talk about if we hadn’t had them. Most of all though, having children has opened up the possibility and, now, the reality, of having grandchildren and enabling us to experience a whole new dimension of fascination and love. Fortunately, we have lived long enough to see and enjoy them.

Second Grandchild (SG) is less than half First Grandchild’s (FG’s) age. He’s toddling about now he has learnt to walk, loves watching FG and he smiles and smiles. Our babysitting efforts with SG are win-win-win for us, parents and SG alike; we get quality time with him, his parents can focus on work and SG gets undivided attention from doting grandparents.

First Grandchild (FG) is industrious and always wants to help. He seems to love helping with weeding, cooking, vacuuming up dead flies and almost anything that he can see we are doing. He helped me pick gooseberries and plant seedlings; his favourite phrase seems to be ‘Can I help?’. Long may all that last.

I made the gooseberries FG helped me pick into jam. That felt like a huge achievement because of the lengths to which I had I had gone to protect the crop from badgers. I pinned down netting every few inches but they dug underneath. I put rows of brick around the netting but they moved those and dug underneath. I felt I was building Fort Knox. The only thing that seemed to deter them was a sprinkle of my urine on the grass around the bush (well away from the berries I should add). Anyway, we got 3.5kg of goosberries and several pots of very nice jam.

*^{Happy Success: From Picking The Gooseberries To Producing Jam}*

Despite the very hot weather and lack of rain, I have also had a bumper crop of blackcurrants. The badgers are less interested in blackcurrants and I just need to keep the birds off them. I’ve stocked the freezer with a several kilograms, given a kilogram to a neighbour and made a batch of jam already. There are more to pick and I’m looking forward to doing – it’s an outdoor task of repetitive, mundane simplicity and exactly the sort of thing I find relaxing and therapeutic.

^{Pots Of Blackcurrant Jam – Enough To Keep Me Going For A While}

In a break from all this fruit picking and family conviviality, Jane an I visited a couple who we know from our time in London and who have a house in New Quay in Wales. We have visited there a few times previously but I don’t think I have been there since before the Covid pandemic.

*^{View On The Beach Walk North Of New Quay}*

The town, once a thriving fishing town, is now dominated by tourism. It is set between two lovely cliff and beach walks – north towards Aberaeron and south towards Llangranog. We walked both ways in much better weather than had been forecast and ate in both these towns. I loved the walks in a fresh breeze, with few other people about, and with terrific sea and cliff views. The whole stay was a good dose of natural beauty, catch up chat and good food against a backdrop of lovely hospitality.

*^{Cliff Walk To The South Of New Quay}*

Later this week we are off to Scotland to visit FG and his parents and are looking forward to that enormously. We are hoping the weather holds but continues to become a little cooler (I’m sure Scotland won’t let us down on the latter front). Whatever, it will be great to see the little one and his Mum and Dad again.

But first, a little more fill in babysitting for the not very poorly Second Grandchild; always (so far, anyway) a pleasure!

*^{SG Not 100% Well But Still Attentive}*

Outings, Outings, Outings!

June 18, 2025 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

A few times since I retired, Jane and I have resolved to break up our routines (my retirement routine especially) with more frequent outings and trips. This has resulted in short bursts of trips away from the house and we have had one of those brief bursts of outings recently. A combination of summer weather and a little more determination this time, may mean we sustain the run of outings for a little longer than previously.

*^{Hard To Tear Us Away From Our Garden This Summer?}*

Jane kicked us off by organizing our rather impromptu trip to Basel and then we had a trip to Belfast and Derry. Those were followed up by a visit to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford which had originally been conceived as a birthday treat for me before the grander idea of a weekend in Basel intervened. Then we had a day out in and around Bath and finally, before Jane headed off for a few days in Southern France with her book group, we pottered around more than a dozen open private gardens a nearby Cotswold village. I love my daily and weekly retirement routine but it has been fun to give it a jolt.

The main reason for visiting the Ashmolean Museum was to celebrate my birthday by visiting the current exhibition of paintings by Anselm Kiefer. I hadn’t heard of him until I saw an incredible exhibition of his work about five years ago and I have sought him out since.

His subject matter and resultant paintings are often dark. At the Ashmolean, we read about his early preoccupation with post-Second World War thinking in Germany and his ambition to expose some of the cultural and artistic taboos of that time. One of the first pictures in the exhibition – and the only one for which photographs were prohibited – was an image of Hitler.

'At Night The Heavy Earth Is Falling' By Anselm Kiefer — *^{‘At Night The Heavy Earth Is Falling’ By Anselm Kiefer}*

Actually, the exhibition started with some typically monumental, deeply layered works that were very recent. I confess that it was these of those on show that resonated most strongly with me. Perhaps this was because they were so reminiscent of Kiefer’s works that I had seen in previous exhibitions and were in a style I was familiar with.

*^{Paintings By Anselm Kiefer Painted In The 1970s}*

The rest of the exhibition lived up to expectations though. Kiefer is an interesting artist and a couple of his watercolours were as arresting as the larger, more obviously impactful oils. I’ll continue to look out eagerly for his exhibitions.

'The Adige' By Anselm Kiefer — ‘The Adige’ By Anselm Kiefer

'Interior' By Anselm Kiefer — ‘The Adige’ By Anselm Kiefer

We spent an hour of so wandering through the Ashmolean before a very nice lunch on the roof terrace in the sun. It was good to come across a section of the museum dedicated to its founder, Elias Ashmole, because it reminded me of an excellent book by Phillipa Gregory (called ‘Virgin Earth’) about Elias’s friend and colleague, John Tradescant, that I read last year.

*^{Section Of The Ashmolean Dedicated To Elias Ashmole}*

The museum’s rooms are full of a wide huge variety of exhibits from Egyptian mummies to cabinet after cabinet of ceramics.

*^{Ashmolean Museum: Apollo From The Temple of Zeus, Greece (About 460BC)}*

There was also a short more temporary exhibition of portraits of leaders and the Iranian elements of this show were well presented and explained. Then lunch beckoned….

We took in another dose of art during a trip to Bath. We visited a well-reviewed exhibition at The Holburne Museum of watercolours by J.M.W. Turner – another of my favourite artists. I enjoyed this even more than the exhibition of Turner watercolours I had seen earlier this year in Edinburgh. The room was a lot less crowded, Turner’s watercolours were more varied and, in some cases, more interestingly abstract. Plus, there were several lovely paintings by his friends of the time which showed how they influenced – indeed, competed with – each other.

'A Rough Sea Bearing Against Margate Jetty' By J.M.W. Turner — *^{‘A Rough Sea Bearing Against Margate Jetty’ By J.M.W. Turner}*

We had a stroll through the adjacent Sydney Gardens. Despite visiting Bath many times, it was the first time I had walked through these gardens and was surprised that they spanned both the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Great Western Railway with lovely bridges and impressive vistas. In the dappled sunshine, we could somehow imagine the mix of Jane Austen romance, toll path horses and Victorian railway steam as we wandered about.

Views In Sydney Gardens, Bath — *^{Views In Sydney Gardens. Bath}*

We had an excellent lunch at our favourite bakery in Upstairs at Landrace. We are so lucky to be able to just drop into restaurants as good as this and take home what we still think is our favourite sourdough bread.

Then, to complete the day, Jane took us down some very windy and narrow lanes into deepest East Somerset to Caisson Gardens where she had booked a tour. The sun was shining still and the gardens were a delight. Visitor numbers were restricted and so the views of the flower beds and the backdrop of the house were largely unimpeded and aspect after aspect was beautiful.

There was some interesting history too in that the remains of Somerset Coal Canal runs through the gardens and adjoining fields. This once had innovative, but ultimately flawed, Caisson Locks. The remains of the waterway now supplement ponds full of tiny black frogs, a small lake and a pattern of rivulets running down from the house.

The garden has only opened to the public recently but is well-established and is already a wonderful spectacle at this time of the year.

Less spectacular but enjoyable nonetheless, was an afternoon spent on the Box Open Gardens tour in a village near to our previous house. It’s always interesting to peek into other peoples’ lives – or at least, their gardens. We picked up a couple of ideas for our own garden and met a lot of people who we hadn’t seen for a long time. We also were able to wander around the extensive, organic gardens of the local special needs school which you can only get a glimpse of from the road. Again, the sun shone and we had a very pleasant afternoon.

We have plans for more outings. We just need to keep breaking the routine.

Belfast to Derry and Back

May 24, 2025 / fgrtommo / 2 Comments

Eight months since our last visit to Belfast to attend and celebrate the wedding of Youngest Son (YS) and his wife, we visited again a couple of weekends ago. This was a very relaxed trip with few fixed plans, no real schedule other than our flight in and out, and just a desire to catch up properly with the newly wedded couple and to see a bit of Northern Ireland again. We were helped by terrific, sunny and warm weather and, as usual, great hospitality starting with a barbeque in YS and his wife’s pretty, sunny garden.

*^{Playing Molkky (A Finnish Game Akin to Petanque and Skittles) In The Garden}*

On our first full day in Northern Ireland, we took the train to Derry/Londonderry. The train journey was very comfortable and relaxing with great views of grassy fields and hills. Then, as we passed Coleraine and Castlerock, we looked out on beautiful beaches and wide inlets before approaching Loch Foyle and the city of Derry.

*^{Coastal Views Between Castlerock And Derry}*

We traversed the Peace Bridge over the River Foyle. The bridge was funded by the Northern Ireland Government and the European Union Fund for Peace and Reconciliation. It is an unusual s-shape with two main supports. We learnt later that the shape is to indicate that the path to peace is not straight and that the two pillars represent the two sides of any peace agreement and the importance of both to enduring harmony. Derry has been a fulcrum of conflict for centuries between English and Irish and Protestant and Catholic, but the bridge is a testament to the current atmosphere of relative calm, hope and peace.

We headed into the city and refuelled with coffee at The Hang Ten Brewbar. There was further, more alcoholic refuelling in the sun at Peadar O’Donnells traditional Irish pub and then we strolled through the city to meet up with a city tour guide.

Looking Up Waterloo Street, Derry (Peadar O'Donnell's Pub On The Right) — *^{Looking Up Waterloo Street, Derry (Peadar O’Donnell’s Pub On The Right)}*

He gave a brief account of the early history of Derry including its initial establishment as a monastic community by St Columba in the 6^th century and the much later takeover of the city as part of the colonisation of the area by livery companies based in London – hence the alternative name of Londonderry. These companies, loyal to the English Crown, build the city walls in 1619. These have apparently never been breached despite a myriad of sieges and attacks since – hence a third name for the city: ‘The Maiden City’.

The guided tour followed a simple route around the top of the city walls which have a roughly rectangular layout with four original gates in each side. Between the two thick sides of the wall is a mass of clay that helped to absorb the power of cannon shot. Atop this is a thoroughfare broad enough to carry large heavy wagons.

On Derry's City Walls — *^{On Derry’s City Walls}*

Of course, the walls also provide great views of the surrounding countryside, the river and some of the more significant buildings in the city itself.

St Augustine's Church, Derry — *^{St Augustine’s Church, Derry}*

These included the pretty St Augustine’s Church (The Wee Church on the Walls’) and the First Derry Presbyterian Church. The tour ended in the very centre of Derry from which we could see all four of the original gates and could show our appreciation to the tour guide for a very informative and interesting 90 minutes.

Our evening meal back in Belfast was at the very good Mourne Seafood Bar not far from Belfast City Hall where YS and his now wife were married.

Throughout our stay, we ate very well. It is great seeing one’s offspring mastering skills I have never possessed and YS’s control of his new barbeque was excellent. He is barista trained and has access to good Belfast bakeries so breakfast at home was very good. But even better were the breakfasts at Cultura (where I had a really exceptional Italian Hash) and Neighbourhood Cafe (where I was greedy and had both the lovely fruity, minty coconut granola followed by the excellent Scrambled Eggs Rayu). The quality was reminiscent of the great breakfasts we had on our trips to Australia some years ago when YS was based there.

*^{Murals Near The Cathedral Quarter, Belfast}*

After breakfast at Neighbourhood, Jane went with YS’s wife to her osteopathy studio for a treatment for Jane’s shoulder while YS and I wandered nearby to see The Cathedral Church of St. Anne and some of the local murals. During the several times we have visited this Cathedral Quarter I had not previously noticed the distinctive cathedral spire which was, this time, shining in the sunlight. The way the spire protrudes down into the interior of the church was an interesting bit of design.

Another highlight of our trip was an outing to Mount Stewart, a large estate on the edge of the extensive Strangford Lough and now owned by the National Trust.

We didn’t go in the house this time since the weather invited us to spend our time in the beautiful gardens and wandering around the lake.

We also ventured into the woods following signs to a red squirrel hide in the hope we might spot one. In the hide we sat quietly for five minutes peering out of a large and presumably one way window. Moments after I had I whispered to Jane that this was probably all a bit of a long shot and waste of time, a red squirrel appeared around the side of the hide. It was a very exciting moment followed by 10 minutes of watching this little, shy creature poking around the feeding boxes and scampering over fallen logs. Red squirrel numbers have collapsed in the last century due to viruses and competition with larger, invasive grey squirrels, but are now beginning to revive due to conservation efforts such as that we saw. We felt very lucky to see one.

*^{A Red Squirrel; Very Happy In Its Conservation Area At Mount Stewart}*

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Belfast and to Derry/Londonderry. Belfast seems to be thriving despite some political and governmental issues. It was nice that we had an opportunity to peek at a soon to open restaurant associated with Yotam Ottolenghi. He is certainly a famous restaurateur and his investment in Northern Ireland must be a good sign for the region.

Site Of The New Restaurant Associated With Ottolenghi — *^{Site (A Repurposed Mill) Of The New Restaurant Associated With Ottolenghi And Opening In 2025}*

It was great too to see how YS and his wife live, why they enjoy Belfast and Northern Ireland so much and how they have made their home there with their rather elegant and increasingly mature dog ‘Reggie’.

We were glad we could repay their relaxed hospitality with a bit of gardening. The centre point of our effort was the retrieval of an old zinc water cistern from a local skip and working with YS and wife to fill it, and a few other pots, with herbs. YS’s new barbeque is now surrounded by these pots and is adjacent to a bit of planting that we all felt very proud of. It was not only a very enjoyable weekend but a productive one.

*^{New Planting (Just Missing The Jasmine That YS Added Later)}*

Art and Architecture in Basel

May 17, 2025 / fgrtommo / 1 Comment

I am not an art connoisseur but I do enjoy visiting art galleries; indeed, we both do. Whilst we were in Basel for my birthday, and as the weather turned from sun to cloud to rain, we went indoors to see the Kunstmuseum, Fondation Beyeler and the Swiss Architecture Museum. Each was impressive in different ways and we enjoyed visiting them all very much.

Basel Kunstmuseum (Hauptbau - Main Building) — *^{Basel Kunstmuseum (Hauptbau – Main Building)}*

The collection at the Kunstmuseum Basel is very extensive and diverse. It is housed in three different buildings. The first was built in the 1930’s and is a beautiful building from that era that is full of great art from the 15^th century to the middle of the 20^th century. The colours throughout the building are subtle and earthy, and the stairwell was as impactful as some of the art.

Inside Basel Kunstmuseum (Hauptbau - Main Building) — *_{Inside Basel Kunstmuseum (Hauptbau – Main Building)}*

We started gently in a side room where the curators had paired pieces from different genres and periods and exhibited them side by side. This was in an effort to trigger new comparisons and feelings that would not be prompted if the works were seen alone. I didn’t always see the connections in the pairings but some were more obvious and fun to spot.

'Improvisation 35' By Wassily Kandinsky — *_{‘Improvisation 35’ By Wassily Kandinsky}*

'Homage to Bleriot' By Robert Delaunay — *_{‘Improvisation 35’ By Wassily Kandinsky}*

We both spent more time upstairs amid works from the early 20^th century. Here too I had fun recognising some of artists before reading the explanatory captions alongside the works. There was representation of almost every western-mainland European artist I could think of plus many I was unfamiliar with. (I only spotted two works by English and American artists). The quality was consistently very high and here are two I particularly liked….

'Women on a Stairway' By Oskar Schlemmer — *^{‘Women on a Stairway’ By Oskar Schlemmer}*

'Illuminated Windows' By Lyonel Feininger — *^{‘Illuminated Windows’ By Lyonel Feininger}*

By the time I had finished with the 20^th century art on the first floor, I was tiring. However, as I moved into areas showing the 15^th to 19^th century art I was revitalised again by the range and quality. I skipped through some of the rooms displaying early religious work – although, not for the first time, I was astonished by the vibrancy of the colour given that most of these works are over half a millennium old.

Vibrant Religious Works In Kunstmuseum Basel — ^{Brightly Coloured 15th Century Religious Works In Kunstmuseum Basel}

My favourite paintings in this section were one by Pieter Bruegel, whose detailed crowd scenes I always find interesting, and those by Hans Holbein (the Younger).

'The Dead Christ In The Tomb' By Hans Holbein — *_{‘The Dead Christ In The Tomb’ By Hans Holbein}*

'The Triumph Of Death' By Pieter Brueghel — *_{‘The Dead Christ In The Tomb’ By Hans Holbein}*

I slowed again as we came to the 18^th and 19^th century sections and really enjoyed painting after painting. I especially enjoyed a room of Dutch still lives.

To be honest I thought I was done but there was still more early 20^th century art to see including a whole room dedicated to Alberto Giacometti sculptures (I hadn’t previously realised that he was Swiss!). And this was just the first building……

*^{The Giacometti Room, Kunstmuseum Basel}*

The second Kunstmuseum building was built in 2016 and is a radical design resembling a slightly crumpled grey box. Inside, the look is very contemporary with bare grey surfaces and art dating from 1950.

Frankly, I was sated with art by this time. I walked around the floors but found the modern art even harder to fully take in than usual, especially as not all the information was provided in English and so the backstory to the artists and work was harder to grasp. However, I did like an Alexander Calder mobile in the entrance hall and the overall ambiance of the place.

*_{Stairwell In Neubau Kunstmuseum Basel}*

Stairwell In Neubau Kunstmuseum Basel With Alexander Calder Mobile (If You Look Carefully) — *_{Stairwell In Neubau Kunstmuseum Basel}*

We didn’t make it to the third Kunstmuseum building which is for temporary exhibitions. Instead, we stopped off at the Swiss Architecture Museum. This had a couple of ongoing exhibitions on display.

By far the most interesting was that showing recent Swiss developments demonstrating renewal and renovation of buildings rather than their demolition and replacement. Not only is replacement more eco-friendly but it preserves a continuum of history. This was a theme of the European Architectural Heritage Year of 1975 and the exhibition we saw was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of that event.

_{Models of Renovated/Restored Buildings On Show At The Swiss Architecture Museum}

Some of the developments portrayed were quite small – individual houses or community buildings – while others were large and included the Kongresshaus and Tonhalle in Zurich. The museum was well worth an hour or so of our time even as laypeople in the architecture world.

Our last day in Basel was forecast to be wet and, indeed, it rained all day. We had planned for this and set off on a tram to Fondation Beyeler a few miles outside the city. We knew that the main art gallery – another very impressive collection apparently – was closed to visitors, but we were very keen to see the well-reviewed exhibition of art called ‘Northern Lights’. This was focused on representations of the boreal forest around the Arctic Circle by Canadian, Scandinavian and Russian artists.

I was particularly keen to see works on show by Hilma Af Klint. I had not heard of this Swedish artist until I heard children at a local school read about her during my volunteering to help ‘unconfident readers’. Her two works on show here was very different from her later symbolism and portrayed the eeriness of the forest.

'Sunrise' By Hilma Af Klimt — *^{‘Sunrise’ By Hilma Af Klimt}*

To be honest though, there were paintings in the exhibition that I enjoyed more and all were by artists I had never heard of before. Both of us really enjoyed a few of the works by another Swede: Akseli Gallen-Kallela. These were some of my favorites of his:

'Spring Night' By Askeli Gallen-Kallela At The Northern Lights Exhibition, Fondation Beyeler — *^{‘Spring Night’ By Askeli Gallen-Kallela At The Northern Lights Exhibition, Fondation Beyeler}*

*^{Four More Paintings By Askeli Gallen-Kallela Including ‘Mantykoski Waterfall’ (Left)}*

I also really enjoyed the last room of smaller paintings. Several were by Canadians including Tom Thomson including one of a canoe he used to row out onto lakes and which, sadly, he ultimately disappeared in, and J. E. H. MacDonald who was originally from the UK.

^{Paintings By Lawren Harris and J. E. H. MacDonald}

Many of the paintings in the exhibition gave a strong impression of the cold of the forest. Apart from a couple which showed the wind in the trees, they also had a calm, silent, atmospheric quality.

'Shore Landscape' BY Helmi Biese — _{‘Shore Landscape’ By Helmi Biese}

'Newly Fallen Snow' By Gustaf Fjaestad — _{‘Shore Landscape’ By Helmi Biese}

Throughout the exhibition, the presentation and the information provided was first class. Both of us liked the fact that the explanatory captions for each art work were on the floor rather than alongside the paintings. I wonder why this tactic isn’t employed in other galleries.

As we left Fondation Beyeler, following very tasty lunch there, we saw some filming going on in the pretty but wet gardens. Jane overheard that it was related to the Eurovision Song Contest that was gearing up for the finals a week or so later. I’m certainly glad our excellent, uncrowded visit to Basel didn’t happen to coincide with that!

Birthday in Basel

May 8, 2025 / fgrtommo / 1 Comment

Unusually, my wife Jane picked up a copy of the Financial Times (FT) a couple of weekends ago. On Saturday’s, it’s a thick paper with a variety of sections – some more interesting than others. In the travel section, there was an article on Antwerp which we visited several years ago and, alongside that, an article on visiting Basel in Switzerland. Upon reading it, Jane suggested that we book a trip there the following weekend to mark my birthday. Within 20 minutes, we were booked into car parks, flights and a hotel and were set; retirement flexibility, a bit of money in the bank and the internet on our phones makes delivering on a whim so easy!

*^{View Of The Rhine on Our First Evening in Basel}*

We arrived late in the evening, checked in to our room and ventured out to a brasserie recommended in the FT article for something to eat. We chose simply – just a beer and a burger each – but were taken aback by the cost of restaurant food. Meal prices are about twice those in our part of the UK. It took us a couple of days to recalibrate our expectations as we picked up menus in a variety of places over the next few days. The food quality was excellent everywhere but the prices were eye opening.

Other aspects of the city break in Basel weren’t so expensive. Our hotel (Hotel Märthof) was very central, perfectly comfortable and decent value. The service there was exceptional and there were some useful addons, notably including the free BaselCard which all Basel hotels provide for overnight stays and which offers half price museum and gallery entry, and free public transport.

That last perk was very useful on our last afternoon in Basel when the weather was rainy, almost all the public buildings and bars were shut, and we found ourselves wanting to kill some time in comfort. We simply got the number Line 10 Tram, one of the longest tram rides in Europe and one of only five tram lines in Europe to span more than one country (in this case France and Switzerland). It was an interesting hour or so that enabled views of misty hills and nice, green French and Swiss countryside.

Our first full day in Basel was very sunny and warm. After substantial pastries at Bio Andreas, we walked a lot and got a feel for the old part of the town and beyond. We visited the Cathedral (Basler Münster) and took in our first daylight views of the Rhine that separates the two halves of the city.

*^{View From Basler Munster: Rhine, Bridges And Chestnut Trees (Which Were All Over The City)}*

The cathedral dominates much of the south bank of the Rhine but, inside, it is of a good scale. The extensive roof has pretty coloured tiles and, while the exterior walls are mainly red, inside the walls are a muted grey/brown colour. We both liked this colouring, the lighting and the simplicity of the interior. It was also clear even at this early stage of our trip that we were not going to be overwhelmed by crowds of other tourists; nice!

We walked on to the Tinguely Fountain which was an amusing array of mechanical, moving fountains and then to the nearby Offene Kirche Elisabethen. The nave of this church was (or at least seemed) taller than the cathedral and I loved the airiness and, again, the lighting.

*^{Tinguely Fountains (Created By Jean Tinguely In 1977)}*

Our hotel had a roof terrace and so we thought that we would try that out while the sun was shining. We enjoyed a couple of complimentary glasses of fruit infused water while perched over the market place, watching the market customers choose from the pricey but high-quality fare for sale and listening to the bells of the surrounding churches. This was all very relaxing but, with phones now recharged, we thought it time to find a bar.

*_{Panorama From Our Hotel Roof Terrace}*

Jane did a couple of searches on her phone and re-consulted the FT article. This led us over the main bridge to the north side of the city where we could see seating in front of hotels and bars on terraces leading down to the Rhine riverbank. These would have been fine I’m sure but we wanted something a little quieter and offbeat.

*^{View OF Basler Munster From The Main Bridge Across The Rhine}*

Jane found a description on her phone of a ‘quirky’ bar and, despite the significant distance to it, we set off west along the Rhine. The walk was delightful. It was initially between rows of lime trees with seating along the river on one side and some substantial houses on the other. Then the walk became indispersed with small pop-up bars and DJs with portable sound systems. Finally, past some rather run down industrial buildings and cranes, we came to Holzpark, an alternative cultural centre and play-space, and the quirky bar called Landestelle.

*^{Holz Park, Landestelle Bar and DJs Playing En Route}*

Landestelle was almost perfect for us. It was buzzy with interesting looking, local people but not crowded. The staff were friendly and the music choices were unusual but to our taste. The Rhine – already wide despite still about 1,000km from the sea – was right alongside. We watched huge barges slipping past and the sight of swimmers and divers on the far bank near modern offices and imposing factory chimneys. The only drawback for me was that the draft beer was so continental and lager-like – not the hoppy IPAs we have become used to in our local pub. Notwithstanding that, we felt as though we had found a lively but relatively undiscovered aspect of Basel. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the walk back to the hotel.

Our step count merited a nice dinner. Jane had already booked us in at the Volkshaus restaurant. The weather was still warm and sunny enough for us to eat outside in a charming courtyard under a canopy of heavily managed plane trees and next to a continuous tinkle of a fountain. I was braced for the price list by this time (and I wasn’t disappointed there!) but the asparagus soup and steak frites (with the steak covered innovatively in a tarragon sauce) was top notch.

*^{Volks Haus Restaurant: Courtyard Dining}*

Much of the rest of our time in Basel was spent indoors avoiding the increasingly heavy cloud then rain. However, we had planned for that and were very happy in the Kunstmuseum, with its very large collection of art from the 15^th century onwards, the Swiss Architecture Museum and, on the Monday when the rain was heaviest, Fondation Beyeler where there was an exceptional exhibition of paintings by artists’ works portraying the boreal forests around the Arctic. More on those visits, for those who are interested in art and architecture, in the next blog post.

We had a great break from our normal home routine whilst we were in Basel. Despite the impetuousness and short notice of our trip, Jane had done enough planning to make the trip full and thoroughly rewarding. I enjoyed especially the mix of good food (once I had adjusted to the price shock), relaxed drinking, friendly and helpful people, and the impressive galleries and museums we had time to visit. It was a very memorable birthday weekend.

Spring Blossoms

April 29, 2025 / fgrtommo / 2 Comments

In the weeks since we got back from our month in Edinburgh – a month we have already booked again in Edinburgh for 2026 – we have settled into a home-based routine. This has been especially pleasurable due to the exceptional Spring weather. It has been largely sunny, the mornings have been fresh and clear and, since the clocks went forward, the evenings have been long and getting longer. It has been a lovely time to be back at home in the country and to see the trees, bulbs and perennials start to come back to life and into flower.

*^{Cherry Tree In The Local Town of Nailsworth}*

The walks into the local town for the newspaper and daily provisions have been chilly on the way in but warm on the way back. The dry weather has opened up previously muddy routes across the fields. The paths have offered views in the local woodlands and hedgerows of, first, the last snowdrops, then daffodils, then bluebells and primroses, and, now, wild garlic and cow parsley.

The bursts of white from the blackthorn and, now, the hawthorn have been terrific while the early flowering cherry trees have now been supplanted in their splendour by later flowering cherry, apple, plum and pear tree blossom.

*^{Apple Blossom In The Neighbouring Field}*

In the midst of all of this we have had a late Easter celebration with our grandchildren and their parents. The weather was kind and made the construction of my Easter Egg Hunt for the grandchildren easy. First Grandchild in particular, really enjoyed it and we all enjoyed watching him gather up rather too many Easter eggs. FG and his parents live in a central Edinburgh flat and he really appreciates the contrast of English countryside. It was so rewarding to see his excitement on the Easter Egg Hunt and on other nature hunts and adventures we had organized.

FG also loved seeing and holding the brand-new baby goats owned by some village friends of ours. I was amazed at how gentle both the baby goat and FG were.

^{Easter: First Grandchild And A Brand New Kid}

Second Grandchild was too young to join in everything directly but he too seemed to capture the vibrant atmosphere of our Easter weekend. He always seems to be smiling. That was particularly the case at Easter with so many people around including, especially, his cousin.

The good recent weather has allowed me to catch up on clearing vegetable patches. There is more to do and I need to be careful not to aggravate joint aches and pains, but I am pleased with the progress I have made. Plus, the sunny evenings are starting to beckon us out for relaxed drinks amongst the euphorbia, Judas Tree and wisteria and, soon, the alliums and salvias.

Against this Spring backdrop, there have been a few other highlights. We made a rare trip to London for a wedding (of Jane’s God-daughter) and to see and stay with some old friends of ours. The finale of a decade-long set of ‘boy’s nights out’ with mates dating back to the 1970’s was arranged to coincide with our trip to London. Apart from the hangover, it was a splendid trip and very enjoyable, particularly as we got to see our friends’ newly renovated house. It was great that the final boy’s night out was a little extravagant with a private room, silly hats and a wonderful souvenir booklet produced by the prime organizer. This included pictures of long-ago evenings together that encapsulated fading but amusing memories.

Also, back in March, friends in the village took Jane and I on an excursion to Dyrham Park. We have long admired this couple for heading out on quickly arranged short breaks and excursions when the weather looks promising. This time they took us off with them for a very relaxed and interesting time together.

We didn’t venture into the Dyrham Park house which has been renovated comprehensively recently, but the gardens were lovely. The daffodils were in peak season and the beautiful pale limestone of the baroque hall provided a great backdrop to views of the planting. The parkland around the house offers splendid views of the south Gloucestershire and Avon landscape.

I hadn’t been to the park for several years, when I went with my parents well before my Mum died, but I’m keen to go again in Autumn. By that time nature will have moved on and the trees and gardens will look very different.

Two other highlights: first a very enjoyable visit to Tetbury Goods Shed to see a band we have seen a few times called Faeland. They were on good form with an extended lineup and the lead singer’s beautiful clear voice resonating around a well-designed venue.

Second, I finally pickled the crop of shallots that I harvested well over six months ago. They have been winking at me from the string bag I had stored them in every time I went into the shed. Two years ago, I set myself a New Year resolution to do something creative at least once a month; I have failed on that. But pickling well over a kilogram of stored shallots counts as being creative for April – even if I haven’t actually tasted them yet.

Not everything in March and April has gone smoothly. My knee and ankle are improving slowly with help from physiotherapy but both have been annoyingly painful at times. Plus, a couple of weeks ago, I had a ‘fall’ (when approaching 70 one seems to call them ‘falls’ rather than a ‘trip’ or a ‘slip’ which would have been a more accurate description of the event) which wrenched my shoulder. But, overall, it has been a very good early Spring and I have appreciated being retired and so able to fully appreciate it outdoors rather than from an office window.

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