A Seaside Walk After the Wedding

Thank you all for your good wishes, which I have passed on to last weekend`s Bride and Groom!

Despite a evening party at the wedding, with very late bed times for all, a hardy bunch of guests joined the newly weds at midday on Monday, for a walk around Hengistbury Head to blow away the cobwebs. Lots of the guests were old university friends who are now scattered across the country ( one couple even flew in from Australia for the wedding). It seemed a great idea to get together  before everyone dispersed again.

We all set off across towards the sea path......

....and turned towards Warren Hill, the highest point of Hengistbury Head.

The Natterjack Toad conservation pond is well established now, but the toads were in hiding.

Between the Iron Age Double Dykes, is an area where wild flowers can grow, protected from tramping feet.

Some of the wildlife that lives on Warren Hill. We saw sand martins, newly arrived from Africa, swooping into their nest holes in the sandy clifftops.

The westwards view, along the miles of sandy beaches stretching towards Bournemouth and along the bay to Poole Harbour.

A weary group of wedding guests, trudging up Warren Hill!

Bluebells on the hill slopes seemed paler than those in more sheltered spots.

Waiting for me to catch up........

A schooner was hugging the coast on its eastward journey.

We passed the freshwater lake in the Victorian ironstone quarry.

The little ship continued on its way.

After a wonderful walk across sandy heathland on the top of Warren Hill, we reached the viewpoint where the sands of Mudeford spit stretch towards the narrow mouth of Christchurch Harbour. Highcliffe, Barton and Milford are on the distant coastline beyond. This is the coastline that was so badly battered by this February`s Valentine`s Night Storm.

In sheltered waters, Christchurch Harbour is the place where Dorset`s River Stour and the Hampshire River Avon meet the sea.

Down the steps to the beach, and a chance to catch up with old friends.

This patient Border Collie was waiting for someone.

The rust of iron in a fragment of ironstone on the beach.

When we reached the Beach Cafe, we were all in need of a hot drink or an ice cream. We rested for a while, watching people, dogs and small boats.......

.....before we set off again, walking back along the narrow road that flanks the southern edge of Christchurch Harbour. 

Saltmarsh and mudflats are a haven for feeding seabirds. We saw shellduck, oystercatchers, egrets and numerous gulls.

The newly painted Noddy Train passed us along the lane. It is a tradition that total strangers on the little train and the walkers they pass all wave happily to each other!

With our walk almost at an end, Christchurch Priory Church came into view at every gap between the trees.

A weary group arrived back at the car park and we went our separate ways. It had been a lovely way to end the wedding celebrations. A seaside walk in hazy sunshine and another chance to be with friends and family, before we all went home and the busy excitement of the past few days gave way to a need for a very early night!

Flowers from a Wedding Day

After our son`s wedding, the flowers were shared around family and friends, so the pleasure they gave on the Wedding Day carried on well into another week. 

A village friend, who is a trained florist and loves doing wedding flowers, did the bouquets, buttonholes, the long arrangements for tables and fireplaces and the posies in ribboned jam jars on every table. She did a wonderful job and her love of flowers shone through. The rooms were alight with soft, pastel colours and the vintage feel complimented the creams worn by the bride and her bridesmaids. It was a wedding in a country venue and the relaxed flower arrangements looked like a cottage garden in bloom.

Below is one of the long arrangements in the main colours of purple, yellow and cream. The taller bouquet was my gift as Mum of the Bridegroom and the Bride`s Mum had a matching bouquet. We were both thrilled by our flowers.

Delphiniums

Scented stocks and fresia

Below are the beautiful and intricate sugarcraft posies that decorated the wedding cake. 

The Bride`s Mum made both the cake and the decorations. She has made jewellery in the past and is a talented embroiderer. Her fine, tiny sugar flowers showed another aspect of her amazing skills and the results were exquisitely made and gave the simply iced cake a real elegance. 

The cake itself was delicious. A traditional family rich fruit recipe for the lower tier and a lighter lemon drizzle sponge ( gluten free) for the top, all covered in smooth white icing and decorated with the flower sprays and a simple ribbon.

For the Bride`s Mum, this was a real labour of love.

Tree Watching 3 - Crab Apple on a May Evening, After Rain

A Tree Following Post - Part of the Tree Following Project on Lucy Coriander`s Loose and Leafy Blogspot.

The John Dorey Crab Apple is in blossom now.

On Friday evening, the rain stopped and mist began to rise from the fields. A  grey-clouded sunset sank to soft pink behind the distant trees.

A single blossom against the bark.

Oaks are just breaking bud and beeches have soft, new, lime green leaves this week, but the crab apple`s leaves have been here for several weeks and are darkening now.

Below is a flashback to May 2013, just a year ago, when the crab apple blossomed more than ever before. The tree seemed covered in a froth of snow. 

This year, there are fewer blossoms and there will be fewer autumn fruits. After 2013, this spring seems    to be one where the tree can recover after so much blossom and so much fruit last year.

On a Wedding Morning - the Garden and the Forest

Last Sunday was the wedding day of our elder son and his fiancee. Early preparations took place here at home, before everyone set off for the wedding venue, a few miles away across the Forest.

The Bride and her Bridesmaids were in the garden studio, having their hair and make up done. The Groom was upstairs, collecting his thoughts and practising his Big Speech.

It had been a hectic week, leading up to this special day. Cold and rain had given way to a day of sunshine and white clouds. I took my camera around the garden and to the Forest outside, recording this bright morning for the future.

A bumble bee enjoyed an aquilegia flower.

Woody was eating breakfast, with his friends in the background. 

The bluebells were still at their best.

Out on the Forest, wilding crab apple trees had been bursting into blossom all through the week.

Five minutes peace among the blossoms was the perfect way to begin a wonderful and memorable day!