Today’s guest picture comes from my brother Andrew. On his permitted walk, he revisited a blue bell wood that he found unsatisfactory when he photographed it on a walk not long ago and found it much more satisfactory today.
We had another sunny start to our day and the neighbourhood alfresco coffee morning team enjoyed their physically distanced but socially engaged conversation while taking in some rays.
I joined them for a while and then went off to look round the garden to check on developments.
I found a stunning tulip just opened…
…and another one developing a hint of a tint.
The lamium seems to add more flowers every day and is obviously enjoying the chilly mornings more than me.
And this qualifies, I think, as a colourful corner.
I am hopeful that an anemone, which has been unfurling at an amazingly slow rate over the past week, will open fully soon. Curiously, it likes to turn its back on the sun, and as it is at the very front of a border, it makes it hard for me to get a good picture of it.
Mrs Tootlepedal was busy as ever and after her coffee and conversation, she got the last of her potatoes planted out.
Rather annoyingly, she decided not to buy too many seed potatoes this year, but with hindsight, this was probably not the best decision that she has ever made. The way that flour is proving hard to find though probably indicates that she should have been planting wheat anyway!
We are out of homemade blackcurrant jam, so I am keeping an eye on the blackcurrant bush and hoping that it will have enough berries on it to make a few pots this year. It is looking promising at the moment.
I took a pictures of these cheerful tulips and went in for lunch.
After lunch and some creative time wasting, I went for a cycle ride. The sun had disappeared behind some grey clouds and the energetic east wind meant that I was back to riding in my winter jacket again.
I didn’t need the warmth too much as I cycled up to the top of Callister with the wind behind me, but I was very glad of it on the way back. It was miserable battling into the cold, cold blast coming straight up the road towards me. This stretch of my ride had much of the enjoyment of being repeatedly hit in the face with a wet fish.
It took me 33 minutes to cycle the six and half miles up the hill and even pedalling furiously, I could only knock two minutes off that time on the way back down into Langholm. Hard work.
I pedalled along the river as I passed through the town and was pleased to see a couple of old friends, though the oyster catcher was scooting away from a dog walker…
…and the gull was looking round to see what the fuss was.
I cycled through the town and out of the other side, taking the main road north until I got to the road junction where this memorial is sited.
I visited the church at Teviothead where he was minister on a ride earlier this week.
(You can hear a 10 inch shellac 78 rpm recording of his poem set to music here.)
Opposite the memorial, new life was to be seen.
And across the valley, I could see the preparations for a new forestry plantation.
The four miles home, gently downhill and with the cold wind now behind me, made me forget the hard work into the wind and I ended up feeling, slightly erroneously, that I had had a very enjoyable 21 mile ride.
Before I had gone out on my bike, I had mixed and prepared some rich dough and put a dozen tea cakes to rise. When I got back, they were ready to go into the oven. They came out looking quite inviting, flatter and more suitable for toasting (the proper destiny for a tea cake) than my last batch.
I spoke to my siblings courtesy of Zoom and then, as the sun had come out again, I went out into the garden to enjoy the evening sunshine.
I noted the Esau and Jacob of the starling world on top of Irving’s holly tree. (Gen 21.11)
I used the last of Mrs Tootlepedal’s mince and a tin of tomatoes to make an unsophisticated but enjoyable pasta sauce for our tea.
We have so settled in to the gentle rhythm of the lockdown that it will come as quite a shock when we suddenly get choices and have to make up our minds where to go and what to do….if we ever get to that time.
In the meantime, there was no flying bird of the day today, just a perching chaffinch. By way of variety, you can have him looking down,,,
..or up.
Take your pick.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Wonderful colours in your garden and those tea cakes looked delicious.
Excellent looking tea cakes again.
I’ll have the second one down on the right please 😃
It’s not pleasant riding into a headwind as we know.
My normal ride is typically five mls of uphill into a headwind apart from the odd time when it’s a north easterly.
Five miles of uphill into a wind is hard work but you should have a north easterly at present.
I am sorry but I ate that teacake already.
The tea cakes look very good!
I haven’t tried growing currants here, yet. I’ve only eaten dried currants, but enjoyed them. Sounds like they might do well in a barrel planter. Today or tomorrow I hope to finish the new chive bed. I did a lot of digging yesterday.
I am listening to “Scotland Yet” and have bookmarked it.
The tune is very rousing and and always gets the crowd joining in the chorus with great enthusiasm. Good for you for doing a lot of digging.
The chaffinch is a very nice substitute for the flying bird. The bluebells in your brother’s picture are breathtaking. Sorry about that windy bike ride.
The color of the anemone is exquisite. How long has this plant been in your garden? I would love to order some if I knew the name😉.
I’ve been reading about the beginnings of Ornithology in the US all winter and just received a copy about the life of Henry Dresser (Henry Dresser and Victorian Ornithology). Judging from your interest in birds you probably would enjoy it in case you haven’t already read it. And he would have loved your photos!
The anemone is anemone coronaria Bordeaux. An unfortunate name in these times but a lovely flower. You give me too much credit with regard to birds. I love looking at them and taking photographs of them but I am very ignorant about them and couldn’t be called an ornithologist at all.
The wind was a pain in the saddle!
That anemone is a beautiful color. I’d like to have a plot full of them.
The same goes for those bluebells. I never see them here.
I would think you could get more seed potatoes, or maybe there is a run on them as well. I haven’t heard.
They tend not to sell seed potatoes as late as this. I love the anemone but it is a bit tender for our garden so doesn’t do as well as it should.
Sometimes I forget that you’re earlier than we are. Seed potatoes are just being thought about here.
The red tulip has interestingly shaped petals – very pretty. The river shots look chilly.
Exciting times in our household: tonight my husband gave me my “lockdown” haircut. He’s more used to wielding zip grinders and welders, so the clippers were an interesting diversion. All in all, not too bad a result!
You are incredibly brave!
A beautiful colourful corner! I feel incredibly smug at the moment as I managed to track down some yeast this week. I am now rationing the flour… Those teacakes look like the real deal!
Yes, it would be galling to find oneself in possession of yeast but completely out of flour.
A beautiful garden for relaxing in.
It is and I do a lot of relaxing these days.
Wonderful teacakes, lovely blog, up or down I love a chaffinch.
You should have seen the tea cakes when they were toasted this afternoon. They were heaven.
If we ever….those of us who have gardens to relax and while away the time in are the blessed ones now.
We are indeed.
I didn’t understand much of it, but the record was a wonderful slice of history; good use of evening light.
A grand pub singer’s tune.
The chaffinch looks good both ways
Well done with the tea cakes.
Lovely to see the colors we are not yet experiencing. The lamium is interesting. And the cheerful tulips remind me that somewhere a squirrel has planted them in my yard, but as yet nothing has bloomed. Nice of the chaffinch to give you a choice. Both good.
I hope that you get some colour soon. We have been having unusually fine weather though it is still giving us chilly mornings.
We are finally starting to warm up, I think, more consistently. Lots of green things emerging…
That is good.
Tulips – love them especially that ‘posh’ one! Never tried growing anemones but if they look like that the bulbs will be in my shopping basket when we are allowed out again! The chaffinches are sweet little birds and you’ve really captured their little characters. The teacakes look delicious and worth a cycle ride to work up an appetite and use up some calories too!
I have actually managed to lose a little weight this month so I am very happy about that.
Well done- mind you you do keep very active and must have a strong will to only eat a couple of your delicious looking teacakes at a time!
It is the only way.
I like the chaffinch looking down at us. 😊