tarviragus

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Previous 20

Jul. 3rd, 2009

Detour to China

::no animals!!::

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Jul. 2nd, 2009

Lost in Peru - a piece of my heart

Sometimes life is so rich and full of wonderful experiences that you are filled to overflowing. Trekking in Peru has been one of the most amazing adventures. The country is dazzling, full of colour and texture and excitement. The people are just so delightful and friendly. With our guide and our incredible porters we were able to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. To have experienced star-filled night skies in the mountains, walking in cloud forests, through Inca tunnels, up and down long, long Inca stairways, seeing beautiful brow of the jungle flora and fauna and coming across Inca sites will fill my mind for years to come. In the end I think it was the achievement of being able to do all this at altitude for which I will be forever thankful.

Tags: holiday, machu picchu, peru, summer

Jun. 16th, 2009

A Long Way from Home

::travel is beckoning::
::I shall not argue::
::new horizons in spite of myself::
::or perhaps because of my self::
::it will be adventure::
::it will be different::
::it will enfold me in itself becoming another gossimer-like layer::

Posted at 05:11 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

May. 29th, 2009

A May Walk with Friday

sorry about this last one but it is Friday's idea of the perfect end to a perfect walk.

Tags: flowers, friday, may, spring, walks

May. 23rd, 2009

Festivities

::Mersea out and about::a beautiful spring day::

::a food, drink and leisure festival::

::the WI ladies selling their wares::

::some of the ladies from our local church, St Edmund King & Martyr::

::and here's where I spent an afternoon of hard work dispensing tea and coffee::And meeting Musings from a Muddy Island a fellow blogger:: And Sue from South Woodham Ferrers who is a nurse in the local surgery who I recognised after 20 years!::

::and my reward for all the hard work - one of those pretty cup cakes with a cup of tea when I got home::
::How can you not love a British traditional festival?::

Tags: festival, food, spring

May. 21st, 2009

(no subject)

A walk starting in the woods on a beautiful spring day. The usual checking of the map. Bluebell carpeted woods. Undulating landscape - quite unusual for Essex - viewed from quiet lanes. Delightful cottages with picture book gardens. Ancient brickwork barns. A lake with a stop for tea and biscuits (it must have been three o'clock). Then the long walk back along a tree-lined disused wartime airfield road. Absolutely perfect.

Tags: flowers, spring, walks

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May. 11th, 2009

Bagging a Munro

Here are a few images which I hope you will enjoy from my visit to Cove hill walking, bagging a Munro - Ben Lomond and enjoying the wonderful flora and fauna amidst the beautiful landscape that is Scotland:
:

Tags: scotland, spring, walks

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Apr. 18th, 2009

donna Hay raspberry scones with cream

Donna Hay magazine Spring Issue 23

raspberry scones with cream - just the thing to feast on after a few hours working in the garden. Delicious with cream or just by themselves. They are very quick to make.

Tags: donna hay, scones, spring

Mar. 28th, 2009

Growing Together

To cheer up a rainy spring morning I took a trip out to Smythes Green at Layer Marney to Growing Together which is an unusual plant nursery and garden school who have just re-opened their farm food shop.

Friday seems very keen to see what I bought

Some sweet little daffodils and a cheery auricula, a tiny blue flower,
a ball of purple twine, some pastel ribbon for
wrapping Easter treats for friends and family and a bluebell scented candle

Oh yes, what Friday was really interested in, as usual, was to slope off with the box

Here is the booty from the food shop: sun dried tomato bread,
chocolate brownies, some garlicky olives and for Sunday Lunch tomorrow
when my dear daughter is coming round to eat with us, her favourite
vegetable: celeriac and for us all to enjoy some potatoes which I will roast in
the small tub of goose fat.

Now the basket is planted up the question is where to display it

Friday seems determined to get himself photographed

I like them here in the hall but will settle for the windowsill

Friday, in the meantime, has settled for the doormat (this he hopes might lead on to me opening the door and taking him for another walk).

And this afternoon, the house is cheered up, I am cheered up and the weather has cheered up too.

Tags: flowers, friday, garden, spring

Posted at 12:52 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

My Morning's Meditation

::a debate rages in my head as I walk along the field edge::
::time to quieten it with a meditation::I try listening to the day around me::
::the sound of the wind::now gentle::then fierce::
::seagulls, seemingly a rough noisy crowd, cry out to each other::
::then raucous din from jays, in the spinney on my left, as they terrorize the smaller birds::a blackbird cries out, 'get out, get out, get out'::

::I need to listen more closely::there are small sounds too::
::a raindrop::a blue tit::then a beautiful crescendo from a warbler::
::a large bird of prey is disturbed by my presence and sweeps low over a field of newly emerging wheat::then what is that::a pheasant crouching in the green wheat, but those black tipped ears are unmistakably a hare::he becomes aware of me watching him and stands up before bounding away::
::cattle lowing in the distance::the sharp call of a pheasant::
::a flutter of wings as pigeons scatter::

::as I turn for home I become aware of colour::
::the brown field, newly sown with beans and echinea not yet sprouted, is a multitude of shades as the light is thrown this way and that by the texture of the earth::
::as I leave the field there is one more thing to meditate::a dead tree against a deep blue rainladen sky::bright orange and yellow lichen and verdigris against the silver grey skeleton::

::as Friday and I trudge up the lane towards home there is a final treat::nestled in the spinney behind an oak tree amongst the ivy covered floor is a mound of wild primroses::and those voices that threatened my day are well and truly calmed::

Tags: meditation, spring, walks

Mar. 25th, 2009

Walking around East Hanningfield

::no lambs but foals::
::flint churches and angels::
::lunch in a pub, no photo::
::the salt path to Maldon::
::primroses::

Tags: spring, walks

Posted at 12:04 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Mar. 18th, 2009

A Daffodil

Everything seems intensified as the sun brings life to the sleeping world.
It's time to put on your gardening gloves and enjoy the Spring sunshine.

Mar. 8th, 2009

A Letter

Magically find yourself at http://www.tarviragusknits.blogspot.com for my ten M's (not all knitting related).

Enjoy and ask me for a letter if you would like to make a list of your ten things beginning with the letter.....

Posted at 03:27 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Mar. 1st, 2009

Sermons, The Devil and The Black Sheep

::a sermon for Lent::

::be a good flock::exercise the discipline of self-denial::

::what price salvation now::Black Sheep::

Tags: baking, chocolate, cup cakes

Feb. 22nd, 2009

An Essex Walk

It was a beautiful day for my second walk with the Mersea Island Footpath Group. We set off from Braxted:

Complete with rucksack, boots and sticks

the catkins were already out

and the quiet lanes were a joy to walk.

There were many beautiful buildings and well kept farms.

We skirted wonderful English woodland.

And were delighted to see Fair Maids of February (snowdrops)

Decision time at the crossroads

I presumed this was used at the Millennium as it looks across a stunning view of the estuary

A new layed hedge with snowdrops beyond

The weather was glorious

Double trouble

An ancient byway used by walkers and riders

Keeping the good work up by stopping for lunch at Wickham Bishops in 'The Mitre'

Um, well we don't all have to plant flowers

But that looks like great fun - we resisted!

We didn't resist this (and it's not alcoholic, I was just so excited I got camera shake). This apple juice was just the best. We were enticed by the display in front of Nigel and Clare Lane's house and popped in for a tasting. You can find them at Great Totham and there website is here at http://www.hillholmejuice.co.uk/. I'll definitely be popping back for more.

A reminder that Lent is just about to begin. Lots of lovely memories were brought back to my fellow walkers when we came across this almost out Pussy Willow.

So get your walking boots on - it's just so great out there.

Feb. 11th, 2009

Donna Hay - More Chocolate

::double chocolate eclairs from donna hay simple essentials 'chocolate'::

::baked by my son Toby. His first attempt at choux - and without the aid of a piping bag::

::double chocolate::double delicious::

Posted at 01:07 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Feb. 7th, 2009

These boots were made for riding

I am really getting frustrated with riding. Cherry is so hard to ride. It is physically hard on me and mentally tiring. You have to push her and push her until she finally gets going and then she isn't straight and you can never rely on getting a canter or keeping it going. Then I'm worn out and instead of some lovely, elegant riding it all seems like a red faced Thelwell cartoon with legs flapping about, arms flailing and all deportment lost.
I can't face riding Tarren again even though I have been assured he doesn't habitually buck. Bella is being ridden by a friend of mine in the dressage and I see no point in us sharing a ride and competing against each other on the same horse.
Things seem bleak and I'm at my wits end to know what to do. In the meantime I shall continue to ride Cherry and hope that getting used to each other might settle the situation down. Physically I can cope but mentally I'm not sure I want the battle and the problems with riding seem a good metaphor for how I feel about life in general too. My answer is to 'be still' and let it all unfold as it will.

Tags: dressage, riding school, winter

My Postman delivered a bag of dirt

At first I thought someone was trying to threaten me.
Why else would they send a bag of dirt?
Then the mist began to clear and I remember some time ago sending off for some new rhubarb crowns.
I hadn't imagined them arriving quite like this.
Especially when I was envisaging:

This is Timperley Early and the new crowns are Red Champagne.
The Timperley is already bursting forth and they bring with them the hope of lovely Spring days.

Posted at 10:52 am | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Jan. 31st, 2009

A Lesson Worth Learning

Having used a schooling whip to tap Tarren and paying for it with weeks off riding, I found myself at the stables again with an issue about whips. I certainly felt I never wanted to use one again and for my first lesson back on Bella I didn't have to.

However, this week I was trying Cherry and the instructor tried to get me to hold a whip but I stubbornly refused believing I would be able to get her going using my own steam. Well after several terrible attempts to get her to canter I was just about to give up when I learnt my lesson. I turned Cherry in and asked the instructor for the whip. Amazing, I didn't have to do anything with it, just held it over my leg and the whole lesson was transformed.

I don't like whips, I have only ever, ever given a horse a soft tap with one to back up a leg aid and would absolutely perfer never to have to have one but today I had to admit that without it that horse was just not going to do anything.

Now, is it going to be Cherry, Tarren or Bella for this year's dressage challenge? Watch this space.

Tags: dressage, riding school

Posted at 01:33 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Jan. 14th, 2009

A New Year, A New Seed Collection

This morning brought a lovely parcel of seeds through the post. The promise of things to come. Radishes, beans, tomatoes, basil, lettuces and so many more lovely vegetables and some flowers, too.
At the end of the month I will begin by sowing some tomato seeds in the conservatory and some salad leaves in the greenhouse. That will cheer up this winter gloom.

Tags: gardening, winter

Posted at 01:16 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend