Gardening in 1965 and Stonehenge in 1976

I walked to the bottom of my garden today - the first time since mid-December. With snow and ice and some flooding from the rain it did not entice me out there at all. I made a mental note of all the pruning and weeding and tidying that will need doing in February and March and then decided to cut back the tops of the frost damaged roses. In the cold wet weather the buds just rot and don't look nice at all.

I came indoors and my thoughts drifted back to my very first garden in 1965. When we purchased our first house there was just a lawn and 2 apple trees so we set about producing some colour with flowers. In those days Alan had a passion for Dahlias so he did his bit and I raised seeds and planted around them. I was none too keen on the Dahlias as I do not like Earwigs but they did create a good show with many measuring 12 inches across. They can be seen here slightly faded as the photos have been scanned from transparencies.





Whilst thinking of old photographs I thought I would include these 2 of Stonehenge in 1976. The interesting thing here is that at that time one could just park the car and walk around the site, sitting and touching, picknicking or whatever. Not like today where everything is fenced off and one can only look from a distance as well as paying an entrance fee and driving into an enormous car park. One of the downsides of mass tourism.



My children can be seen here with Jane 'holding up the pillar!'

Shapes and Shadows in June

I drive past this church fairly often and one sunny day last June decided to stop and take some pictures. Just felt right in the midst of the dark days of winter to revisit here. We are visiting St. Paul's (Bentley) Anglican church situated just at the back of Pilgrims Hall.

I was particularly taken with the shadows today

Say No to Snow and Yes to Tea

Picture courtesy of the Daily Mail

including information taken(in my own words) from an article by

Tony Rennell in same newspaper

In the fourth week of snow and ice and sub-zero temperatures my thoughts turn to the pleasing and warming effect of a cup of tea. Also reminding myself that in hot weather hot tea is the most thirst quenching drink I know and cooling to the body too.

Tea is something I grew up taking for granted, but not so since I have learned a little of the history of how tea was first brought to England. It would be far too much information to relate here but thought I would try and give a few snippets.

Apparently in the UK alone we drink 150 million cups or mugs of the liquid a day. We have a Scotsman called Robert Fortune to thank for this. Fortune was a seeker of the exotic, an explorer and student of plants just like his Victorian contemporary and fellow botanist Charles Darwin. As Darwin went on to try and discover the key to life (it is not my intention here to challenge that fact) we can thank Fortune for bringing us this pleasurable and relaxing nectar.

Camellia sinensis, tea, was his favourite species and the closely guarded secrets of its origins where what he sought, found and then stole eventually benefiting us all (well that is as long as one likes tea!)

According to Sarah Rose in her new book he pulled off the greatest theft of trade secrets in the history of mankind. At this time all tea was grown in China, its sole country of origin, which had a monopoly on the trade. Apparently for two centuries this was not an issue. The Chinese picked the tea, roasted it, blended it, kept the best of the crop for themselves and sold on the dregs of their Pekoes and Souchongs at a handsome markup. The British lapped it up even though it was at this time an inferior brew that they were getting.

To supply the demand the London based East India Company exchanged the Opium grown on its plantations in India with tea from China. This began to fail when China began to grow its own Opium. The British response was to begin trying to grow its own tea in India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, which resembled the tea growing areas in China. However this was much more difficult than expected as for centuries the Chinese had zealously guarded their secrets of its cultivation. Early attempts to grow tea in India were a disaster. The directors of the East India Company knew they had to get someone into the heart of the tea growing areas in China to learn the secrets and to get hold of the right seeds.

They contacted Fortune and sent him to China travelling in disguise.He was already acquainted with China having been over there for a Royal Horticultural Society Expedition where he returned with various flowers that are still to this day adorning flower beds here.

On his return journey he shaved his head, wore a pigtail and Mandarin clothes and managed to pass himself off as a Chinaman. He even sipped tea the Chinese way from a porcelain bowl without milk and sugar and called himself Sing-Wa. He eventually managed to get himself deep into tea growing country. The first important fact he discovered was that Green tea and Black tea were the same plant but differently processed, one fermented the other not. He also found that the Green tea intended for Britain had a dye added (a form of Cyanide) as the Chinese thought the British wanted a much deeper colour so people were in effect being poisoned.

When he eventually managed to acquire all the plants he needed he had them meticulously shipped to India but on the journey an official broke the seals to take a look and they ended up going rotten. Fortunatley Fortune was continuing with his exploits in China and began an even more arduous journey that was frought with dangers. The area was beset with Warlords and peasant uprisings against the Emperor. However he did not give up. It was in one of the local temples that the Monks introduced him to more tea secrets. The importance of water on the boil but not over-boiling, and using pre-warmed cups and larger leaves for better flavour.

Finally he brought all his years of gardening experience to bear on the shipping of the seeds to India. He also brought away Jasmine and Bergamot plants (which the Chinese used for flavouring), as well as ovens, woks and spatulas and special rolling tables and began a small tea industry in India.

According to Sarah Rose, India's Himalayan tea industry would outstrip China's in both quality, volume and price. As a result tea was no longer just a drink for the rich.

If you want to read the complete and fascinating history behind these few lines then the book to read is:

FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA: Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink by Sarah Rose.

In closing just a few hints on making a perfect cup of tea, first taught to me by my Grandmother.

The water should be freshly drawn each time (to do with oxygen) and the kettle must be properly boiling. Warm the teapot beforehand and use a good loose tea (I use Assam) one teaspoon per person. I was always taught to put the milk in first and not too much. Sugar is added to taste at the end.

For your information, Black tea which is Britain's favourite brew, gets it's flavour and colour from a natural oxidation process following the initial drying and rolling of the leaves. Green tea is made from leaves which are heated after picking to destroy the enzymes that cause oxidation, then rolled to release their flavour.

Oolong comes from China and Taiwan, and is a cross between Green and Black and gives a taste somewhere between the two.

White tea is the world's rarest. It is made from the buds and young leaves of a special tea plant variety grown in the Fujian province of China and can only be picked for just a few weeks of the year. Reported to be much better for one than Green tea. (I don't know, I have never tasted it)

Behind My Life

I do not make New Year resolutions but felt it wise to remind myself of this poem and share it here with you.


Behind my life, the Weaver stands
And works His wonderous Will.
I leave it in His all-wise hand
And trust His perfect skill.

Should mystery enshroud His plan
And my short sight be dim,
I will not try the whole to scan,
But leave each thread with Him.

Not till the loom is silent,
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unfold the pattern
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads were as needful
In the Master's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern which He planned.

Author Unknown

The Snow Today

We are in our third week of severe weather with more on the way and no end in sight at the moment. Numerous airports closed, others with cancelled flights, difficult travel with many standed on the A3 road to the coast over night after a large truck knife jacked blocking the road.

Thats the downside of this cold spell caused by a front from the Arctic blocking the milder weather from the Atlantic. The upside is that it is extremely pretty and picturesque for those of us who are able to go out and enjoy it. So if you would like to enjoy it with me then we begin with a few scenes from the garden beginning with the above showing the birds enjoying it too.

We have left the house and are making our way to the park virtually at the top of the road.

We have turned left and now do a right into the park just to the right here.

This field used to be a minature golf course where we spent many summer evenings in years gone by. Now it is a wild flower meadow.

We now have a couple more fields to walk around (I like to walk the perimeter)

How well these newly planted Dogwood, in the formal area, contrast with the snow.

Back home and it is snowing again

And still snowing as darkness falls (3.50 pm) although you cannot see it here

Praying in 2010

Ring Out, Wild Bells

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

This poem written by Tennyson so long ago is still appropriate for today, my reason for posting it here.

So Happy New Year to all who visit as we look ahead into 2010

Sitting here at my desk this first morning of the new year I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God through yet another year. I am particularly thankful for the opportunity afforded me to see the new year in, in the way that we do.

We began at 7.0 pm meeting next door with about 30 neighbours who are part of our house church set up. We ate a delicious meal together - either chicken or salmon served with a six vegetable cheese topped crumble,roasted tomatoes and new potatoes, followed by a delicious mix of deserts.

This was followed by a mixture of silly party games. We were divided into teams and given a roll of Christmas wrapping paper, a few decorations and a roll of cellotape with which to make something resembling a Christmas tree! The one seen here was the most elaborate but they did not win as they 'stole' other bits and pieces from around the house to enhance their ensemble. Very good effort though.

Here we see the winner!

Our team did not do well with our tree - our roll of cellotape did not work - you know the type, you just cannot find the end! However we did manage to make a tripod stand with the cardboard inside the roll of paper.

As we moved later into the evening with games over, we moved into a time of waiting on God for new revelation for the new year before a time of praise, worship and prayer. We were so taken up with exhalting our Saviour we were totally unaware that we had moved into 2010 until about 12.10 am. After a time of hugging and greeting each other it was time to go home.

For me the end of a blessed time was to momentarily revisit the old year by phoning my dear blogging friend Sara in California.

The Cards I Like to Make

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Ours was good but not quite as planned. Our son was over both Christmas Day and Boxing Day when he and I managed to fit in our traditional game of Scrabble - he won on both days! Janie and family were set to come over for Boxing Day but Oliver and his Dad were sick so Janie drove over with Rebekah for lunch but did not stay the day, wanting to get back to the family. It was unavoidable but such a disappointment not to see Oliver over Christmas, especially as Janie is back to work on the 4th, her maternity leave having ended, which obviously means there is not the opportunity to see the Grandchildren so much.


So what does one do between Christmas and New Year? My intention, yet again, was to do lots of 'house keeping' on both my computer and blog. Have I begun yet - no! Have I had the long walk planned for every day - no! We began on the two days immediately after Boxing Day with two really good walks but the weather deteriorated into constant torrential rain which has cramped our style somewhat as rain and COLD together is not conducive to walking. What I have managed to do apart from getting up late is make some greetings cards.

This one I made for my 90 year old neighbour. I think she must have been celebrating too much as later in the day she was screaming down the phone and laughing and giggling that it was the best card she had ever seen!

This one for a friend who has undergone extremely invasive back surgery over the Christmas period and is at present in constant excruciating pain.

The rest for birthday or anniversary celebrations

Instead of getting distracted with numerous other things I now plan to at least do some housekeeping on my blog - a new blog roll for a start and then maybe get to begin with the sorting and filing of masses of files and photos. I wonder if anyone remembers that this was a task I set myself last January - I am trying to forget that!