Some memories of April 2020

There are projects to collect people’s memories of these strange times. I have only referred to Covid-19 indirectly on this blog. Looking through my photos for inspiration for this post, I found a post mark and two photos recording a mystery in the garden.

Postmark with more than one purpose

The postmark is perhaps of some historic significance. It shows the three sentence instructions from the UK government, which were in force for several weeks. On 10^th March they were replaced by:

Stay Alert. Control the virus. Save lives.

The mystery concerned a camellia, which hubby had bought at a supermarket just before the lockdown was announced on 23 March. He planted it in a bigger pot, using the soil it had arrived with and home-made compost. (Kitchen waste from the compost-caddy and  weed-free garden waste rotted down with  horse manure from the local stables.)

Very quickly lots of dicotyledons appeared. We waited until the mystery plants revealed their identity before weeding. The question is, had the seeds passed through the horses’ digestive systems?

Mystery plants

Trefoils

 

(They were clover seedlings.)

Curiosity can be good for the mind!

On the Hunt for Joy – Week 20 – Let a child decorate

Cee Neuneer’s On the Hunt for Joy Challenge this week is Let a kid decorate. Being British and perhaps old-fashioned I have changed the title from kid to child!

Sometimes it is impossible to prevent children and young people from making their mark somewhere. Around the village decorated pebbles have multiplied. Many youngsters must have been busy!

This time my photos are of sandstone rocks on the beach. A few years ago the two rocks used to be one. I can remember the time we went to the beach and found that a large rock had split during a storm. The subsequent storms and normal tides have separated the two parts of the rock. Here in Britain we have been encouraging our key workers in the National Health Service (NHS) by clapping at 8pm on Thursdays and with rainbows displayed in windows.

The artwork on the rocks is by person or persons unknown, although someone called George may be a suspect. (The flat rock has a face with that name lightly scratched on the surface.)

Rocks on the beach

Graffiti

For the NHS

The bee is a local symbol and it just happens that today (20 May) is #WorldBeeDay.

A local walk

After several weeks of taking my daily walk around the garden and street– I devised a route of about 220 paces and repeated it for 30 minutes or so – we went for a local walk. Our planned route was impassable due to a closed footpath, so we found an alternative one in a different direction. The quiet lane we had chosen was popular with dog-walkers, joggers and cyclists!

I had forgotten to check the week’s challenge topic for #wildflowerhour, so I took lots of photos. (It’s carrots and peas. That’s all right; there were different species of vetch and some possible carrot-family members.) This post is not really about wild flowers, but the views on a very clear day.

The path we intended to take used to be known as Lovers’ Lonning. The one we actually took is now known by that name. We didn’t meet anyone on it.

The busier road back into the village was less popular with non-vehicular traffic than the quiet lane.

Cow parsley on the bank

Path under construction

Bluebells along the lonning

Low tide

Towards the fish garths

Sycamore trees coming into leaf

The fish garths are constructions in the sea, which were used centuries ago by the monks to trap fish. They are just visible in the low tide photo at the left hand side and are in the centre of the penultimate photo. (Clicking on the images expands them.)