We Had A Early Start,

I dropped Diana off at work at 04.00AM

arriving home I played with a few photographs and posted the blog, towards midday back out to pick Diana up from work and drive here, Coombe Wood, just outside of Croydon, as it happens we were here a few weeks ago and said that we would return when the rhododendrons were in flower,

and here we are, 

looking at the pool at the entrance to the gardens,

whilst Diana looked on,

looking back towards the weeping willow,

Diana took one of me on her telephone, 

Diana was using her phone,

to take a few photographs, 

just here some of the parks gardeners had cleared away the overgrowth, so it was easy to see the small natural waterfall,

not so here, 

we both liked these, they really did look like they were made from crepe paper, 

we walked to and through the rockery, 

on the other side some ornamental onions in flower, in the distance,

some of the rhodendrens were now in flower, 

a couple of poses from Diana,

the first ones we looked at were a lovely red, these the more usual purple, 

next as we passed them,

some pastel shade of pink, 

fading to white,

slightly darker mauve I guess you would call it, 

the blooms,

huge, 

with plenty more still to open,

and as you can see some were the size of Diana's head, 

well I just had to!

we always know when we are getting near the yellow rhododendrons, as their aroma fills the air,

a few more pale pink blooms,

then this huge tree, 

covered in blooms,

looking back,

as we walked past it, 

we were now in the valley by the steps, 

we went a different route this time,

and found our first all white blooms of the day,

not a blemish of another colour on them,

one more pale pink bush, 

and there was the newly open restaurant in the wood, 

one more look at a rhododendron, 

before we saw this, 

as far as we could tell, 

the only magnolia in the wood, 

we made our way back to the car,

and in no time we were entering Sevenoaks, 

to go to Polhill Garden Centre, and breakfast,

and what better than a pot of whelks?

inside I started taking a few photographs,

 after we had bought some apples, plums, almond macaroons, fruit cake and some saveloys, 

a few cactus, 

and fancy pots, 

I had a quick look in the tropical and coldwater aquatic outlet there,

and took a few photographs,

of some of the fish, 

these all in the coldwater section,

specially bred, 

for their different body shapes, all descended from a normal goldfish, 

but this section,

has only tropical marine fish, 

and invertebrates, 

outside an amazingly profuse rhododendron, 

unfortunaly past its best, we went to the restaurant, but it was late, all of the meals that we were interested in had stopped being served at 3.00 in the afternoon, so home it was, I was soon out again,

past the snail mail box,

on to a number 54 bus, passing the green,

as well as This 'N' That and the Kathmandu Masala, 

arriving here, at The Elm Tree, I wanted to book a table for next weeks nature group from the Beckenham Photographic Society that I belong to, I spoke to Liam the night time manager and although he cold not put a poster up for us, 

he kindly said he would keep this area free for us, which was great news, so if anyone is interested in photographs from the world of nature please pop along next Tuesday 12th. I will be there from 07.30 in the evening, back onto the number 54 bus and home, 

the wisteria now well past its best on Foxgrove Lodge, 

in the side garden a hanger on the fence was new, 

filled with these lovely blue flowers,

in the distance storm clouds,

but I arrived home dry and starving hungry, whilst I was out Diana had prepared a huge bowl of leek, celery and ham soup for both of us, then feet up for our evening film, a real gritty drama treat,

 Angela's Ashes, the film is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, the memoir consists of various anecdotes and stories of Frank McCourt's impoverished childhood and early adulthood in Brooklyn, New York and in Limerick, Ireland, it also includes McCourt's struggles with poverty, his father's drinking issues, and his mother's attempts to keep the family alive, Angela's Ashes was published in 1996 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, it is hard to imagine the trials that families went through in those time but this film brings it all back as it was, after that we were off to bed.

As Arranged,

at 08.00AM Paul arrived, 

it was time for our old wire fuse box to be replaced, 

it was here when I bought the flat in 1983! so a new modern one it was then, 

out with the old, 

and now unused burglar alarm,

new outer box fitted, 

and tried and tested, every plug socket in the flat as it happens, £816.00 and a electrical certificate later and Paul was on his way, if you are local and need an electrician he is Paul from P R Jenkins Ltd based in Beckenham, 07973 807070, with the power now back on it was time to post the blog, a tad late today, then I decided to have another try with a photograph from my trip to Oare marshes, near Faversham, I visited there on the 22nd. April,

I will print it up when I have time, next pick up Diana form Kai's home, Diana had gone there straight from work to give Kai a hand taking some garden waste down to the tip, arriving home after a coffee and a chat it was time for our evening meal, then a Midsomer Murder, one we had not seen from so long ago we really could not remember who done it, the murders that is! after which as Diana has another 05.00AM start tomorrow she was off to bed, for myself, 

Solomon Kane, we had watched it before, but was still enjoyable to watch again, this is what I wrote the first time we watched it,

 'vowing never to fight or kill again to save his soul he tries to save a kidnapped victim by a cult, to help her he must fight the devil to save his soul, lots of action and pretty gory in some places, but enjoyable never the less', 

after which I was off too was off to bed.

I Can Not Believe It,

it is Sunday again!

so I started the day with a read and a sherry,

for our starters, king prawns on avocado with diced spring onions and lettuce, 

and a drizzle of lemon, 

for our main course gammon ham, with lashings of gravy for Diana,

sans gravy for myself, 

'Cheers!',

on to dessert, a strawberry trifle, delicious! after our meal Diana asked if we could watch a film, so a look through all of the printed sheets, it should be in tub G, and it was! so we settled down to watch,

The Pianist, it is the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, at the time Poland's most acclaimed pianist whose life is transformed during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw beginning in 1939, the film spans several years and maps his many personal trials in addition to providing the perspectives of his family, rebel factions and sympathizers, brilliantly directed by Roman Polanski, we followed that with a Midsomer Murder, and another of those wonderful Secret Gardens that we both like so much, 

this one titled The Western Highlands, image BBC Diana was then off to bed, a 04.00AM start for her tomorrow, for myself what was than Bangers & Cash? after which I too was off to bed.

Today's Post Is Going To Be A Tad Late,

 we are having a very old fuse box replaced,

so no electricity until the job is completed, I have tried in the past to post from my telephone, but trying to manipulate the photographs was just too much for me, hopefully you will call back later.

I Had Another Fairly Busy Day,

next week there is a nature photography meeting, 

for members of the Beckenham Photographic Society and anyone else interested in nature photography, we will be meeting next Tuesday the 12th. May starting at 7.30 in the evening at,

The Elm Tree, at Elmers End, I will pop in during the week to ask if we can put the posters up, hopefully they will say yes, 

next I printed off the photographs I liked from my trip to South Norwood Lakes, three were fine and I was happy with them, but the tufted duck was not quite right, so into the A3 rubbish bin he went, the spare tubs I had ordered had arrived,

so eventually all of our DVDs and Blu-rays are now in the three drawers under the television, 

there were some DVDs I did not pot into tubs, boxed sets where 50 or so DVDs were in a box, 

to put them into tubs would have taken up more space than the boxes took,

which brought me nicely up to my evening read and sherry,

for tonight my meal was a chicken korma, 'Cheers!, I followed that with a film,

Enemy At The Gates, essentially a true story of the battle of wits between a Russian and a German sniper, set against the battle for Stalingrad, the two protagonists being the Russian, Vassili Zaitsev, and his German counterpart, Major Konig, but whilst it makes for a good film the Major may not have been there, although Vassili did know the Germans had sent in a 'super sniper' as one of his comrades Morozov was killed and Sheykin wounded, both considered to be experienced, it is still not clear if Major Konig was actually sent, a great film if only for the fact it shows how bloody the battle for Stalingrad must have been, I followed that with,

 Dune, although we had watched the film at the cinema it was a delight to watch it again, but about half way through Diana arrived home form work, so a coffee and a chat it was, we then settled down to watch a Poirot, before we were both off to bed.

Another Busy Day,

for myself as Diana was at work,

I played with a few photographs I had taken at South Norwood Lakes,

the first three,

of grebes,

 

and this one of a Tufted duck, (Aythya fuligula), I will print these off today at A3 size, to see if they are suitable to put on our wall,

also today I finally finished putting our DVDs and Blu-rays into the tubs that had arrived, well except the last draw, I had run out of tubs, so more ordered, 

each tub is numbered,

or labelled, documentaries, 3D, animation, music, etc

just one more drawer to go,

of course as well as labelling each tub, I made a list of the contents of each one, so far 21 pages one for each of the tubs, it took an age! on to my evening meal,

the latest issue of Private Eye had arrived, 

'Cheers!', as I tuck into a lamb rogan josh, after my meal a film for the evening, 

Spartacus, a all time epic movie, great everything, and at just over 3 hours long, (they knew how to make movies that would keep your interest for hours in those days!), after which Diana arrived home, so feet up for a coffee and a chat as well as another from master wordsmith Sir David Attenborough, another one from the Planet Earth series before we were off to bed.

Whilst Diana Was At Work,

I carried on removing DVDs and Blu-rays,

from the covers they arrived in, I was amazed at the number of them, 

as I was doing this I was also making a list of what discs were in which tub, 

I had bought a number of new tubs to put them in, but by the time I had used them all up, 

I needed yet more for these that I did not have tubs for, more new tubs arriving in the next couple of days, at 6.00 in the evening it was time for me to pick up Diana from work, arriving home a real treat, Diana had bought some wagyu beef burgers, so that was our evening meal sorted! after which we watched a Documentary about deserts from the Planet Earth series, then another treat, again featuring Sir David Attenborough, this series titled,

Secret Garden photograph BBC the episode we watched this evening was based in Wales, in the Wye Valley, we were both captivated, it is times like this when I think our BBC licence fee that every viewer is made by law to pay, (whether you watch or want it or not) is worth paying for, unfortunately the other 99% of the fee is wasted, a real delight, after which it was a Bangers & Cash before Diana was off to bed, for myself one more from Planet Earth and then I too was off to bed.