COLLETT PARK IS GORGEOUS!

As I was on my own today, it was a short walk around the park and town.  Collett Park is known as the jewel in Shepton's crown and with good reason.  It is beautifully looked after, with lush lawns, a flowery bandstand, duck pond, mosaic shelter, play apparatus, a cafe, plenty of benches, plants and trees...

Getting out early in the morning is always a pleasure.  A brisk walk in the fresh air is so good to clear the head, ready for the day ahead!  It can also be a social time, as there are loads of dog walkers, who are always ready for a chat!  Today I bumped into Will and Cathy, friends who own Great Ostry Framing, out with their dog - I have pictured them above waving goodbye...

A good friend of mine, who unfortunately is no longer with us, adopted a rescue lurcher when she moved into a house near the park, so she could make new friends! It certainly worked, as whenever I walked to the park with her, we stopped to talk to loads of her doggy walking friends!

A few weeks ago I bought some David Austin roses in different shades of pink.  I planted them in my front garden and as you can see from the pics above they are now starting to make a show... 

WET BOOTS TODAY!

It was great to get back to my early morning walks!  Today my companion was Belinda, who was telling me the trials and tribulations of trying to be an author, especially with computers! 

It was a grey, but warm day, with that really fine rain that gets everything really wet! Once we were away from the roads, onto footpaths through fields, my boots became squelchy and Belinda was wearing the welly boots, decorated with white flower designs, that she wore through the mud at Glastonbury! See a pic of them, among the clover - below bottom right.  She had washed them out, but unfortunately they weren't completely dry so we both had wet feet... 

With our summer of sunshine and showers, everywhere looks so green and overgrown.  I know from my garden the weeds need constant attention! They were working on the hedges and the pristine bowling green at The Shepton Bowls Club - see below top pics.  I love looking at the allotments (pics below), to see how they change from season to season and how productive they are... 

 

My favourite photo of the day is this beautiful rose, complete with rain droplets...

BUNTING AND ROSES!

No sun, but still warm and humid today.  Jenny and I did a quick stroll around Shepton and ended up with a bit of retail therapy in Aldi!  I found an electric grater/slicer which I have been looking for - ideal for making salads.  It also had the added bonus of having an attachment for making sorbets from frozen fruit, which sounded very inviting in this heat!  I didn't have enough money on me, so I went back later in the day and bought it...

Jenny is extremely busy in the salon this time of year.  The sun and heat makes everybody realise that they need some grooming and help to make themselves beach ready!  She is also doing some forward planning - there is talk of 'supper clubs' and 'girls' night out' with healthy food, drinks and beauty activities!  Watch this space! However, this means that she has no time to write posts on this blog at the moment...

We decided that June is the month for bunting and roses.  On our walks we have passed fabulous roses in people's gardens and have had a smell if we got close enough!  And in the shop windows we saw silk roses, rose designs on vintage fabrics and even a modern version on a picnic bag in Aldi (see pic top left)!

Bunting is everywhere in Shepton!  The High Street has red, white and blue bunting all over the place.  Many of the shops also have it in different colours to look festive as June is the month for festivals!  This weekend there is one in Collett Park and at the end of the month is the famous Glastonbury Festival.  There is also the fact that this weekend is the Queen's Official 90th Birthday!  

'Roses - Pink' - Mixed Media - 30cms x 30cms

As I have had roses on my mind, I was inspired to do this artwork...

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

Today, June 1st, is the meteorological start of summer, although you wouldn't believe it by the weather!  It was windy, grey and damp...

We didn't have long today, so it was a walk to West Shepton going the other way round!  We went past the football club which, I must admit, I have never seen before - don't think they figure in the football league!

May and June are such good months for lush, fresh greenery, blossom and flowers - both wild and cultivated...

I love roses and have just bought 5 David Austin roses to put in my front garden. They are all beautiful shades of pink and I am so looking forward to smelling them, as they are specially cultivated for their old fashioned rose fragrance.  I have some white ones in the back garden and when they are in bloom they always look and smell gorgeous...

I saw, on tv last week, David Austin meeting the Queen at the Chelsea Flower Show. They are both 90 this year and both still working!  In the early 50s, David Austin set out to develop a beautiful rose and he is still doing that today, only now it has developed into a world renowned rose breeding family business...