Friday, 18 April 2014

Easter Holidays :: Part 5

Hello Lovelies,
we have enjoyed such gorgeous weather this week, it's been a wonderful treat.
On Monday there was time for some alfresco crochet......I'm finally on the edge of my latest blanket.........


The sunny weather also prompted me to get stuck into a bit of spring cleaning. My " Celebrating Home" posts have been sadly lacking lately haven't they. I still struggle to keep on top of all the housework and really ought to have a better routine.

 Oh well, at least I get the urge to have a blitz every now and then. On Monday I washed all the sofa coverings, cushions and crochet blankets. Oh, and all the hats and mittens before packing them away till Autumn. I washed down woodwork and moved lots of furniture to thoroughly vacuum and dust.

It's great having easy care blankets that can simply be popped in the washing machine and line dried. The sight of them on the  line made me smile..........


I loved the sun illuminating them from behind, making the colours glow.........


Tuesday was another gorgeous day and I was keen to go out and make the most of it. Somehow I managed to convince my boys that a walk would be fun ( not easy these days)

We headed off to a favourite place of mine Beacon Hill Country Park
A wide path led us through trees that were just coming into leaf..........



I loved the frothy appearance of the Silver Birch leaves.......


And the still open views made it easy to spot some exciting bird life.  This bird of prey was a long way away, we thought it was an owl , but now I look at this zoomed in photo I can see it's not..........

It was big and I'm guessing it could be a Buzzard ?

Soon the gentle incline gets much steeper, the trees thin out..............


And rocky outcrops appear.........


On such a perfect day you can see for miles..........


Oh look, it's Old John Tower.....a place I drew last year HERE


Did I mention how much I love high places  :0)


There were plenty of folk around who obviously feel the same...........


I think it's great that there is also a car park near the top of the hill and a smooth path to allow access for the less mobile...........


This is The Old Man of Beacon Hill, a  face in the rock face :0) ...........


As we descend the hill again I love the zesty green of the Mountain ash leaves...........



And the towering trees.........


The Bluebells are not quite flowering, and the ferns are just beginning to uncurl.........


We go and investigate the pond ..........


And find loads of tadpoles..........



Just by the car park there is a bird feeding area ( can you see the feeders strung between the trees)......


I loved watching the birds darting around and saw a sweet little Nuthatch that was too quick for me to photograph.

I did mange to get some nice clear shots of these colourful Goldfinches...........


and a Chaffinch .........


Having a little compact camera with a good zoom has been wonderful for improving my bird knowledge. Any that I see , but am unsure about I can research at home.....as I did for these cuties.

That day we also enjoyed a beautiful sunset.........


and the next day I spent some happy time playing with colourful mish-mash of fabric from my stash....I do love patchwork


simple, happy times....I feel blessed.
Jacquie x


26 comments:

  1. looks like a lovely walk, so great the sun has been shining this Easter!

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  2. Loving your posts :-) hmmmm housework always seems to work its way down to the bottom of my list although I have been decluttering today trying to make a start but then I get distracted by the internet lol. Enjoy your weekend xxx

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  3. A lovely walk, we went to Beacon Hill a few weeks ago, the leaves were not making any appearance at that point though.

    Have a lovely Easter weekend!

    Helenxx

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  4. Absolutely lovely, much better than doing housework.

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  5. Looks a great walk, I love the look of your blankets blowing in the window. Have a good Easter.

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  6. We've been so blessed with the weather just lately. the sight of your beautiful, bright crocheted blankets made me smile too- very uplifting:)

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  7. I envy you being able to climb high up. I am in East Anglia, and it is just flat and flatter still.

    What are you going to make with the patches?

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  8. Your blankets are super beautiful! I have only one so far.. but hope to get second one on the line too :)
    The surroundings and views in your photos are amazing! I felt like I went there too. Thanks for sharing the beauty of nature!

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  9. Such beautiful photos, its just a treat to have nice weather.
    Love the blankets on the line & the sun shining through all so spring like at last :)
    Have an equally lovely weekend
    Karen x

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  10. What a pleasure it's been to see this post! Your appreciation of the outdoors and the creativity it inspires is so, so clear. You are so generous in letting the rest of us have a sampling, too.

    Best wishes for a a marvelous Easter! xo

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  11. Great post. We have been watching some tadpoles over the lat three weeks and this week they are wriggling like crazy. There has been a lot of spring cleaning too. Jo x

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  12. Happy Easter Jacquie! Love your walks. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Hello Jacquie! Now let me just tell you if I was walking down a path and saw that washing I'd have to stop and admire it and even perhaps drool a little!!! It is a beautiful blotch of colour!!!

    Gorgeous photos I have enjoyed that virtual walk ....thanks for sharing!

    keep well

    Amanda :-)

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  14. dear jaquie
    what alovely post,love your beautiful walk,love the blanket on the lines,love your indoors creative.
    thanks for sharing all the wonderful moments from your life!
    happy eastern,
    regina

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  15. Beautiful photos

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  16. Lovely photos, it looks a great place to visit, and yes definitely a buzzard :)

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  17. I have been doing the same as you, blankets, covers and cushions washed, crochet blankets look great on the line... Been out walking high up on a hill... Love your photos of your walk, it looks a great place, trees looking good coming into leaf.

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  18. Loving the blankets on the line! So happy and cheerful :)
    Xx Jill at emeraldcottage.blogspot.co.uk

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  19. I love when I have aprons on my clothesline, but I'd just swoon to see afghans like yours hanging! I think I'll have to put mine out on the line instead of the dryer sometime. The colors of yours are stunning!
    Oh, and that lovely bird is some kind of hawk. (I think a buzzard is a vulture.) You were lucky to be able to photograph him (or her?)!

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  20. I guess a UK buzzard must not be the same as a Texas buzzard! The ones here are quite ugly, without feathers on their heads and necks -- since they are carrion-eaters, feathers would just get messy :( The bird in your photo looks like what we would call some variety of hawk. Here's what I'm talking about: http://nwbirdblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/turkey-vulture.html

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  21. What a lovely walk! Love the blanket.
    Happy Easter.
    Jacqui x

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  22. You have captured some great shots there, especially with the bird of prey! The weather has been fantastic and it's lovely have the smell of clean fresh crochet dotted around the house. Have a wonderful Easter to you and yours xx

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  23. Some fabby photos there and amazing close up of that buzzard, what a treat. Also loving your blankets, x

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  24. Simple and happy. Love all your photos but the ones of the beautiful blankets in the sun are amazing.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  25. Your blankets are so cheery. Are they really all machine washable? Some beautiful photos there too.

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  26. Hi,I have followed your blog for a while now but not put a comment.I LOVE your blog,beautiful pics and always interesting projects.

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