Celtic Summer: Ham House: Nowhere To Hide:At Edge Of Day.

With the Midsummer passing by, I found this ancient verse on the pleasures of this  season.

" Summer has come, healthy

and free,

Whence the brown wood

is bent to the ground.

The slender nimble deer leap,

and the path of seals is smooth.

The sun smiles over every land-

A parting for me from the brood

of cares;

Hounds bark. stags tryst,

Ravens flourish, summer

has come! "

Anon  10th Century.

C cccccccccccccccccccccccS

On Thursday 19th June D. and I revisited  Ham House, a National Trust property near Richmond, Surrey.
Once again, we were struck by the ornate nature of the walled topiary garden.

There is, to my eyes something comforting about an ordered patch
and flowers are always easy on the eye.

Finally this little label made me smile.

C cccccccccccccccccccccccS

Last Wednesday ( 25 /6 ) D. and I made our way once more to the nearby wetlands at Coombe Hill.

The last time we were there, due to the severe gales the bridge/ walkway to the Grundon Hide had been destroyed. We wondered what the current situation would be.

As you can see from the bottom image, the walkway had not only been repaired but had in fact been elevated.

What then of the actual hide?

Alas, as you can see only the frame-work remains. However, the view from the end of the walkway, is still splendid.

The real bonus of this place are the wonderful wild flowers.

and of course the way-marker pointing the way to our drinks at 'The Farmer's Arms" pub !

Cheers everybody.

C cccccccccccccccccccccccS

Last night ( 28 / 6 ) D. and I, together with K. and J. were fortunate to be at Stroud Subscription Rooms, to see Edge of Day, a tribute to the Late Writer and Poet " Laurie Lee ."  from Johnny Coppin and friends.

Johnny can be seen dimly in centre, stooping over the keyboards, whilst to the right and standing was our narrator , who beautifullywith proper accented voice, read extracts and verses from Lee's books and poems.

This was an extremely tasteful production  with music that complemented the readings and  the breathtaking photographs of the area, both now and in sepia times, which were overlaid on the big screen.

I cannot praise this venture strongly enough. It really got to the heart of the matter and as both D.and I areGloucestershire born and bred and  have   lived  in the Stroud area for over 16 years; it really resonated with the pair of us.

June 26th was the centenary  of Laurie Lee's birth. Read more at this special website:

Laurie

C cccccccccccccccccccccccS

Well the World Cup has reached the knockout stage and the excitement is increasing; whilst in spite of all the puff Glastonbury has also raised the spirits. The sunsets and sounds have been memorable.

July beckons and luckily the sun still remains with us.

So have a good week ahead and promise me that you will be kind to yourselves.

Cheerio for now,

Ck.