CRUISE OF A LIFETIME !

We had the most fantastic holiday! Now of course, I've had to come down to earth, but I'm enjoying picking photos for a new blog!



Our first port of call was Bergen, Norway. It is reputed to rain 360 days of the year in Bergen, and yes, we managed to pick a really wet one! However, we got around, well kitted out and more or less waterproof!

Bergen is a very pretty town, with a lot of history behind it. In the 18th Century it was one of the important ports in the Hanseatic League, trading fish, furs and other things across Europe.




We found the Fish Market at the harbour, mostly specialising in shrimps, crabs and other shellfish, plus cod and haddock.




Old Bergen still exists, although mainly for tourists now. The warehouses and trading buildings still stand, each with a narrow frontage and stretching far back.




Between the buildings are narrow alley ways (you could hardly call them streets, although they did have names!) which led to further little shops and squares.




We found these little shops far more interesting than the "posh" tourist shops along the harbour. There was also a much-needed cafe, which sold coffee and delicious cake!

There was a lot of walking for me around Bergen, but I managed it without complaint! A shuttle bus (of which more anon) took us back to the ship.

Next blog, when I have a bit more time, I will show you pics of the ship, and more pics of some of the wonderful places we went to.

My new header is a view of the mountains I saw early in the morning as we sailed up the peninsular of Svarlbad (Spitzbergen) towards Longyearbyen, our next port. The mountains were spectacular, incredibly beautiful, and I fell in love with the Arctic!

HAPPY ASSOCIATIONS

Tomorrow I will be off and away on the high seas for two weeks. So I have left you with a couple of photos taken in our garden this week of unintended combinations



The first is a little orange welsh poppy that peeked through some lovely dark heuchera leaves.




And the second are our pink climbing roses tangled up in our orange honeysuckle! Couldn't reach to prune them, ands anyway they are tied in firmly with the honeysuckle, so I left them! I think they look rather lovely.

See you all in two weeks time!

OH! I DO LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE !

Just for fun I've dug out some very early photos, taken, of course, by my Father. My grandparents lived in Herne Bay, a seaside town on the Kent coast, so this was my first introduction to the sea. However, beaches are dangerous places, and it being all shingle at Herne Bay, not too attractive! So here I am, feeding the ducks in the park. Note the leggings, sweet little coat, etc. About 1935 or 1936



Another seaside place we went to frequently was Cromer, another seaside town on the Norfolk coast. Could be decidedly chilly there, but for those brought up in Herne Bay, like my Mother, it was nothing. (Both Cromer and Herne Bay faced north, across the sea. Nothing between them and the North Pole,it was said!) 1936,I think

However, I was apparently good at shrimping!



And shopping. Don't you love the fashions!




By 1938 I was old enough to start modelling for my Father!



in 1949 we went to Southwold, a lovely little town on the Suffolk coast. This is a rare photo of my mother, plus me and my sister.



In 1950 I was a sulky teenager, interested in boys, but heavily chaperoned by family! This is a family and Friends group at Cromer. I rather liked the boy at the back, but he wasn't in the least interested in me, though I passed muster for the odd visit to the fair, etc.!



And lastly, in 1954, more or less grown up, me, my friend Margaret and my sister at Herne Bay standing in the sea. Can't think who took the photo unless it was my Aunt or Grandfather who we had obviously gone to visit.




Next time I see the sea I will be on it in a VERY large ship!

STATUES

The end of our garden tends to get a bit wild, if we are not careful! We inherited this little statue when we moved in 17 years ago. At the time, he held a sort of old and battered sundial, which we took off as it was likely to fall off. He now lives coyly down the end of the garden, overlooking the pond.

I rather like statues in a garden. Large ones look best in large gardens, but I have seen some lovely ceramic and stone items, features, call then what you will! Trouble is, Mr. G loves redesigning the garden, so any features we put down are likely to be moved around. Like the little boy in the picture. I rather liked him where he was before, as the ivy was growing up him, it looked really good.



But the pond end is looking great this year. The Hostas are magnificent. usually they are dinner for hordes of snails and slugs, but I think the very cold winter we had last and this year has killed them off. Praise be! I'm sure they have a place somewhere in creation, but I do not like them in my garden!



The swans in the park are still there. I do hope they stay. There are three goslings around, but I always seem to miss them. Canada Geese are wonderful parents, and I have every expectation they will raise their goslings to maturity. there are also young Coot, but I haven't seen any young Moorhens yet.

IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY ?

The Park authorities regularly go round the edges of the paths with weed killer, and I can see the point of that.

But did they have to go round the beautiful tree trunk?? Admittedly it is the tree trunk that they cut off 20ft up from the ground, and they haven't gone round the 'living' trees, but it looks so awful. And unnecessary.




They've gone along the edge of the culverted stream too. I suppose the lad was given the sprayer and told to do the edges!!




And they've gone along the bottom of our fence where our garden meets the park. They do this all along the boundary, but there are only 4 houses which have the hedge behind the fence, and they kill all the lovely 'weeds' growing there. The ones with fences behind the hedge don't suffer, and the grass etc just grows naturally.

It will all grow up again, you can't keep nature down, but it does make a messy looking place.

However, parts of the park are lovely. these are gorgeous blue irises by the lake. there are wild yellow ones growing at the muddy side, but they are a bit difficult to photograph.

BITS AND PIECES ROUND THE PARK

The two swans that arrived on the lake a few days ago are still here, and look very settled. However, it has been fiendishly difficult to get a photograph of them together, but there are definitely two, and they look pretty much identical! Taking photos with a dog on a lead is very difficult, and I don't always take my camera with me. When I don't, I can guarantee there will be something I wanted to take!




This is the view we see as we come out of the gate from our garden into the park. On a fine weekend you have to be careful not to get hit by flying golf balls, as we are directly opposite the third green! However, it has all been looking very nice since the grass was mown, and the sun shone!




The May (Hawthorn) trees are in full bloom, this particular one looks really lovely by the lake. Yes, that is my dog, Max, standing mournfully at the extent of the lead, waiting for me to get a move on!




The variegated holly bush sends out lovely little pink new leaves.




And despite being snowed under, walked over and sledged on in the winter, the pansies have made a great show down by the bandstand!

The weather has turned quite cold again, but I really must get out with my camera again soon! You are probably all wondering if I ever do anything but walk round the park! Well, yes, I do sometimes! ;)

OUR PURPLE PHASE !

The alliums have come out en masse plus the aquilegias, so we have a purple patch!




I love them close up, the tiny flowers are so intricate.

We have two visitors to the Park - two swans are on the Lake! I do hope they stay. The last two were driven off by vandals, one was shot, and the other pined. Swans mate for life. How can people be so wicked? I will take my camera next time I go down there so you can see them. Not that swans are rare or anything, but they are so beautiful.