Brodick Castle Walled Garden

Published on by Catherine18 Comments

This week’s Six on Saturday features Brodick Castle’s walled garden on the Isle of Arran, Scotland (not to be confused with the Aran Islands, Ireland – home of my favourite winter sweaters!). Last year we had promised our grandson a ferry trip to Arran, but last summer’s weather was so awful that we couldn’t risk going over and getting stuck .

This year…what a difference. The sun shone during every day of his visit and early one morning, off we went. We left the car behind, and when the ferry berthed in Brodick we caught the local bus to the castle (gone are the days when we would walk!). We had arranged for a taxi to pick us up for the return trip in time to catch the late afternoon ferry, but in hindsight we should also have taken a taxi on the outward trip. I hadn’t been on Arran since before the pandemic and had forgotten the long trek uphill to the castle (made so much harder with the heat that day). My knees are still in recovery.

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What Are You Doing, Gran?

Published on by Catherine15 Comments

‘I’m trying to take a photo of this little flower, but it’s hanging its head down.’
‘Does this help, Gran?’ he said, slipping his little hand under the flower and turning it upwards.
‘That’s perfect, thank you.’
‘What’s it called, Gran?’
‘It’s a Hellebore and it’s meant to flower in winter’.
‘But it’s summer, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘It’s all mixed up, Gran’.
‘Yes, dear, so am I.’

Hellebore Harvington Yellow

‘Can we take a photo of this one? It’s hanging its head down too.’
‘That’s a lovely idea, thank you.’

Fuchsia (variety unknown)

There’s no Six on Saturday from me today. There wasn’t a single day where I was able to take the camera into the garden. I could tell you of each day; the wind, the rain, and the days when I had to be elsewhere, but it won’t make any difference. No photos this week.

Instead, I thought you might like to see these two flowers and the sweet memory that goes along with them. The little hand belongs to our youngest grandson, now 6 years old, and full of wisdom. The shots were taken a few weeks ago, so you can judge just how early that pretty hellebore is. The plant has four flowers on it now. How strange.

I won’t be joining you next week, as one of our grandsons is coming to visit from the US. Now seventeen, this will be his second independent journey across the pond to see us. I hope he manages to navigate Dublin Airport, I don’t think he’s been through that one, even with his older brother & parents.

Have a lovely weekend!

Catherine x

Rushing into August

Published on by Catherine24 Comments

This is a very quickie post today. Too much to do, too much happening! Why is retirement so busy?!!

It’s been another dry week here, a mix of sun and cloud, not too cold, not too warm, with light winds. That’s suited me, but even so, I couldn’t get into the garden until late on Thursday.

But on with Six on Saturday!

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Colourful July

Published on by Catherine25 Comments

I’m back again for Six on Saturday now that my visiting family have returned home. The house is quiet except for the whirring of the washing machine as it deals with the mountain of towels and the heaps of bedding outside each bedroom door. I’m doing my best to ignore it all, because the garden is calling me back.

The garden is heavy with colour right now, but individual plants, and in particular, the roses, are damaged by the heavy downpours of the previous week. I haven’t had the time to get round everything with pruners to tidy them up, but before my family returned home, my daughter and my 14 yr old grandson son spent an afternoon in the garden deadheading the roses. Alas, more heavy rain has thundered down since then and now I’m having to repeat the process by myself.

Here’s my selection of six photographs for Six on Saturday.

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Sweltering

Published on by Catherine25 Comments

It’s just a quick post from me today as I’m heading out to a Family History Event. It’s been a hectic week, and tomorrow my daughter and her family from Aberdeenshire will be arriving for their annual July visit. I know they are hoping for better weather than we had last year, but I think there might be rain from Monday onwards. Today, it’s going to be hot, or perhaps ‘sweltering’ might be a more descriptive word; perhaps it’s best that I’m going to be indoors for much of the day!

Before I have to rush off, here’s this week’s Six on Saturday!

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