Friday 13 April 2012

Blossom and perches

'our' tulips
This week has been fairly quiet and the weather has been changeable so outside chores have been an on, off, then on again affair. When the sun has come out it has been warm-ish in sheltered spots but we've had short sharp rain or hail showers as well.

ornamental cherry
The tulips are now starting to come into their own; both those we've planted and others that we 'inherited'. The little Reine Claude [greengage] tree has finished flowering and now it is the turn of our pear, ornamental cherry and edible cherry.



Buds are showing on our apple trees. It is a little cold and the bees, barring the bumbles, have been less in evidence so we may not get any fruit -- we'll see; they are only young trees after all.

young black cherry
Katinka's mad kitty brain has led her to decide that sleeping in the V-shape made by the cap on the old bread oven chimney is perfect. She has an obsession with heights.



She eyes up lofty positions, makes a chirriping type noise and proceeds to clamber to the very top. More rat up a drainpipe than cat....

Shadow, not to be outdone in the 'interesting places to kip' stakes has decided that the deceased and yet to be disposed of standard box is suitable. Watching him settle is hilarious!

Shadow's 'comfy' perch
 


Yesterday we went to lunch with friends Tim & Gaynor who have a house in the next village. Four teachers round a table made for some lively discussion on how we'd like to set the educational world to rights! Gaynor is a fellow blogger and it was lovely to catch up with them. She had made slow cooked pork with lentils and a yummy carrot cake for dessert. What with a salad as a starter and a cheese board too, we were so well fed we didn't bother with supper!

18 comments:

the fly in the web said...

I can just imagine Shadow settling round that trunk...he has an air of 'what a clever boy I am' about the whole thing!

That lunch sounds delicious too...

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Fly - you should have seen him circling before he settled! :-)

it was!

Jane and Lance Hattatt said...

Hello Niall and Antoinette:
How lovely the blossom looks and we do so hope that it will not be taken by a late frost of which we have had several here.

Shadow looks to be wonderfully settled in the pot. Cats really do choose strange places to sit and sleep.

Gaynor's lunch sounds absolutely delicious - making us feel quite hungry as we write this.

Kellemes hétvégét!

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Jane & Lance - no real frosts so far, so fingers crossed. It would be lovely just to get a few fruits on our young trees this year.

Bon Weekend to you too!

GaynorB said...

We both enjoyed your visit. I'm still pondering the name of the 'big picture' man. It will all come flooding back to me when I get to school on Monday!

In fact Tim is eating the leftovers for his dinner tonight!
I shall be having something really exotic - soup, washed down with a very nice Vouvray! :0))

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Gaynor - nothing wrong with a good soup; especially with a nice Vouvray :-))

Kathy said...

I love the new header and your photos are gorgeous. Cats are so very idiosyncratic about where the will sleep or just survey the world. :-) As for the lunch. my mouth is watering, even after my healthy salad....

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Perpetua - thanks!
We don't mind Tinka's climbing too much but do sigh when she has "scaled" the bookcases yet again and leaves a pile of pushed out books in her wake...

LindyLouMac said...

How lovely to be able to meet up with other bloggers. By the way have you noticed that some of the words are hidden by the gorgeous photos.

MorningAJ said...

Lovely photos. I have a few flowers appearing in my garden now - but it's still quite cold.

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Lindy - There's a few in our area, some permanent residents like ourselves others with homes here so we get to meet up now and then which is lovely.
how odd! page is not displaying any obscured text just now when I checked.

Niall & Antoinette said...

@AJ - still quite cold here too, have had the woodburner on again.

Vera said...

Your garden looks lovely, and so is the cat in the pot. The only pots we have are the ones which are housing the young olive trees, and which are big enough for the chickens to sit lay eggs in!

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Vera - Like the idea of olive trees as chicken roosts :-)

Cuby said...

The lunch sounded amazing, all that lovely food and great conversation what could be better? Shadow looks so comfortable by the tree in her flower pot.

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Cuby - he does doesn't he? And it won't last long as the deceased standard box will be gone soon and I haven't decided what I'm going to put in the pot instead.

Jenny Woolf said...

Yes, you would think Shadow might choose something else - what is all this about cats loving comfort? :)

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Jenny - welcome :-)

Yes we have 2 somewhat eccentric beasties. What you can't see is that there is a mulch of small pebbles in the pot. Cat logic is completely incomprehensible!