Sunday, May 31, 2020

7 simple pleasures this week

1. The scent of a rose

My Wedding Bells carpet rose is my favourite rose. It's scent is gorgeous and it has decided to start flowering for the 3rd time this year! We have had an unbelievably warm Autumn, which has confused a lot of my plants, and Winter starts tomorrow! I spent ages looking at the rose, smelling it and then taking photos.

The scent of this rose reminds me of my childhood in England where we had abundant roses growing in our garden. My best friend wanted to show me how to make perfume out of rose petals. So we picked every single rose in the garden and mashed the petals to a pulp with water. The smell was divine while we were preparing the perfume. But not so heavenly after a week in a bottle. My father didn't say a word, amazing.

2. A stroll around our land

We had a few days without rain despite the weatherman forecasting rain all week. So I made the most of it by going for some leisurely walks around our land with my cats Abby and Otto. My cats always come with me wherever I walk on the land. They get all excited and run up and down the trees.

3. Discovering the umbrella grass

I found that the umbrella grass patch has sprouted up again with beautiful green leaves. It has even started to flower. The seasons really are mixed up.

4. My nephew's nature collection

A few years ago I encouraged my young nephew to start a nature collection. I gave him a large shoe box with a lid and we went hunting on the land for little treasures. Now at age 10 my nephew still has his collection and still adds to it. I help him also by keeping my eyes open on my walks, for natural things to add.

On my latest walk I found a monarch butterfly which had died and was lying amongst the dried brown fallen sycamore leaves. It was just by fluke that I spotted it as it was quite camouflaged. My sister-in-law is very squeamish when it comes to insects, so she won't be happy with this find.

I also found 2 feathers, one from a magpie and the other from a pheasant, chestnuts in their prickly cases and a pine cone. I can't wait until I see my nephew again. I haven't seen him since lockdown started.

5. The first snow pea flowers

This afternoon I went to have a look at the vegetable patch and found that the snow peas had started to flower. I was really surprised as it doesn't seem so long ago that I sowed the seeds. Fingers crossed that the bees and other insects will still be around to pollinate them as the weather cools.

6. Planting more vegetables

Dad finished clearing and digging the remaining half of our enclosed vegetable patch this week, then he bought some seedlings to plant. The garden centres are now open with plenty of stock and luckily weren't too busy. We felt that it was too late in the season, with the colder weather coming, to try to grow these from seed.

We planted; celery, lettuce, curly kale, more kohlrabi and sprouting broccoli. Then protected against slugs with slug pellets the next day because the slugs had had a feast in the night on our new veggies, grrr.

7. An afternoon tea treat

I bought a box of Mr Kipling's French Fancies as a treat this week. They are imported from England and I found them when I was doing our grocery shopping online. They are little petit fours made of light sponge and icing. They went perfectly with my Twinings English Breakfast tea. Yum!

What things have you enjoyed this week?

Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Rose x

Edit: Post linked to "My Corner of the World" at the Photographing New Zealand blog

15 comments:

  1. Lovely, simple joys :)

    I've been enjoying sunshine, time at home and drinking a cup of tea outdoors!

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    1. Hi Louise, Welcome to my blog and thank you for commenting. This is one more simple pleasure for me :) I am glad that you have been able to enjoy some good weather at home. Drinking tea outside in the sun sounds great! Rose x

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  2. I forgot to say in my first comment, thank you for the recent comments, glad you have enjoyed my posts! I've followed you.

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    1. You are very welcome. I am off to visit your blog again to have a look at your latest post. I love your photos. Rose x

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  3. Hello Rose! I had to giggle at the rose petal perfume....I do remember doing the very same and discovering too late that it starts to be very pongy after a few days! I imagined I'd discovered a grand new way of making my own perfume haha!!
    If you or your nephew have a bit of space, then a nature table is a lovely way of seeing and appreciating all those beautiful finds. We changed it up every season with a new array of eggshells in spring or cones in winter or leaves in autumn, along with some appropriate felted and handmade objects. It's lovely that you have started the nature search with your nephew - so many children have little connection with the natural world these days, dont you think?
    Thanks for the lovely tour of your simple pleasures!

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    1. Hi Evi, I also giggled at your perfume making story :) It is funny how children's minds work.

      I tried to display my nature finds, in what I thought was a safe place, on top of the piano. But last night my cats, Abby and Otto, discovered them. They were very interested in the butterfly (by interested I mean they batted it around). And Otto enjoyed chewing on the prickly chestnut case. So I had to put them away. Unfortunately my sister-in-law isn't impressed with the nature finds (too creepy), so my nephew keeps them safe in a box in his playroom.

      I agree with you about children now-a-days not connecting with the natural world. My nephews favourite pass-time is playing Minecraft on his iPad and would do that all day if he was allowed to, sighs.

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    2. Thankfully your nephew has an aunt to keep him inspired with the natural world! Good for you!
      I hadn't thought of cat issues not having any and I see your problem....oh dear perhaps a box is definitely a better option!!

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  4. Oh, I so enjoyed visiting you. Thanks for visiting my blog so I could stop by yours. I never knew what that grass was called. I think some showed up in my yard last year. I'll have to look see if any flowers if that's truly what I have. The afternoon tea fancies look delicious. Have a great week. :)

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    1. Hi Peabea, Welcome to the Happy Ramblings blog and thank you for commenting :) I am so glad that you enjoyed your visit here. I wanted to link back to your blog, but I can't figure out how. I will need to ask Google. I Hope that you have a great week too. Hugs Rose x

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  5. How awesome to have so much land to wander! I love your photos, there's a lot to enjoy if we just look :)


    Feel free to share at My Corner of the World

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    1. Hi Betty, thanks for dropping by and leaving your lovely comment :) I am trying to make the most of wandering the land at the moment. It won't be long before Mr Young Neighbour will be putting his cattle and electric fences on our land. This will be good to keep the grass down, but because I have a pacemaker I can't go near the electric fences.

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  6. Thanks for being a part of 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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    1. Hi Betty, You are very welcome. Thank you for hosting. Hugs, Rose x

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  7. Your corner of the world is beautiful! Love the photos.

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    1. Dear Veronica, thank you :) and thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I am off to have a look at your blog now. Hugs Rose x

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