Sunday stroll in Coombe Abbey

We made an early trek to Coombe Abbey. It was a lovely bright day although the sun was perpetually hiding. We came across a Mallard trying to keep her 12 adorable ducklings in line.  In the end she gave up cos people (us included) were shoving cameras at her and brood. She quickly disappeared into the undergrowth for some peace. It’s hard being a mum :-)

Along the path, we spotted this handsome Cardinal Beetle basking on I think is Dryad’s Saddle (Polyporus squamosus). Further down, among the lovely bushes was a solitaire Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula), also taking advantage of the warmth.

We headed to the hide and it was still not repaired. Grr…We checked out the heronry and I guess it has now officially opened as a crèche. I could see the heron and cormorants  chicks nearly fully grown, just waiting to be kicked off the nest by their parents  :-). A nuthatch came by to check us out.

On the way out, we spotted a Pink footed goose among the Greylags. A coot was in the process of making a nest and a pair of Mute Swans busy clearing the weeds near their nest.

We stopped by the road cos I wanted to take a photograph of this field of rapeseed . Their gorgeous yellow flowers really brighten up the countryside. They are grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil  and biodiesel. Their pollen can cause havoc to hay sufferers (moi included).

Yesterday, I took my first bus trip to Leamington Spa where I’m meeting Barbara. I was in for a very long journey. I’d to wait for about 30mins at Pools Meadow bus station for the bus to Leamington Spa.

The bus goes through the Universiti. I was surprised to see the campus buzzing on a Saturday! I’d forgotten that it was the open day. The campus was all cleaned up to impress their prospective clients. Welcome to the best University in the Midlands as voted by The Independent newspaper. The paper has, once again, ranked the University in its new universities league table. Warwick is the only Midlands University ranked in its top ten, ranking 6^th overall in the UK.

The bus rattled on through Kenilworth. I’d a tour of this quaint town on a very busy Saturday afternoon. It took me an hour to reach Leamington Spa and I met Barbara outside Monsoon. After the obligatory hugs, we checked out Monsoon.

We scoured the whole street to find an English tearoom for a proper cup of English tea, scones and cream cakes. Nada, Zilch. Where have they gone?

Since we need a place to chat badly, we nipped into the nearest place we came across. It was an Italian restaurant called Nicolini. It was busy but we managed to get a seat in the lovely conservatory.

I ordered the black squid ink spaghetti with seafood sauce and peppermint tea. Barbara had a chicken salad. We chatted about everything under the sun. Barbara looked good and she had a new hairstyle in a lovely dark auburn.

After a leisurely long lunch, it was time to do some window shopping. We browsed in M&S, East and House of Fraser. I tested some concealer from the Guerlain counter and bought a pair of black-leaf shaped earrings which was on sale.

I called Babe and he kindly ‘volunteered’ to come and get me.  Thanks darling. Anyway, he wanted to check out some accessories for his camera. Barbara needed to do some more shopping and so we said goodbye and promised to meet again. It was lovely seeing you Barbara.

We bought a standing bird-feeder to encourage the birds into the garden. We also wanted them to be safe as we have cats in the neighbourhood. I was soo excited when I saw these 2 enjoying their meal. I spotted house sparrows and a robin lurking by the fence. Fingers crossed they’ll join in.

In the garden, the tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes are out. At night, I cover them from the frost and  uncover them in the morning. In the greenhouse, broad beans, pumpkins, sunflowers, radishes, lettuces, pak choi and tumbling tomatoes are waiting to be transplanted.

The potato plants are growing taller every day. I must remember to continue covering them with compost. I’m also growing cress on the kitchen window. Lots of tiny figs on the tree and hopefully I’ll get more this year.

All we need now is a good summer.