"Lord, Miss Elizabeth! did you walk here?"

I did, a good five miles on foot along the old road, grown over with ferns and lady's smock. Everything has greened out over the past month, despite the drizzle! I love being able to walk from one town to the next, especially when it's not along the main road. Sometimes it's nice to get away from noise and cars and often there's not a soul up here. There are many shortcuts across the fields but some are hardly used so the stiles are really grown over. 

These old walls are collapsing inwards - it makes me wonder how horses and cart could've scarce fitted between them. There's a stone slab that interrupts it - where they used to put the milk urns - and hawthorn 'bread and chesse' in the hedges. Nice to imagine how things were over a hundred years ago, I wish I could go back and take pictures!

...  especially, as now great care has to be taken to ensure the avoidance of electricity cables!

(title quote courtesy of Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice)

Spring garden

Yesterday was a miracle because it actually wasn't raining! 

Although chilly, we had many sunny intervals and it was more pleasant to work in the garden than the house. Glad to see quite a few rhododendrons out, seeing the bluebells off.

Gardens are nice because you have a sense of time standing still, nothing to interrupt the age old cycle of planting, growing, harvesting. Not that there are many vegetables this year, as the deer come over the wall and eat everything! We still have cabbages though, and some broccoli. Lots of apple blossom!

Flyaway hair

Hello! 

My day today was spent tying my hair in to knots, quite literally. I decided to try my hand at hair braiding; I'd like a neat way to keep hair off my face at college - and I love these Victorian/Edwardian styles! It puzzles me how they used to do their hair so intricately in those times, without hairspray or bobbles, just ribbon and pins! 

After several dismal attempts I finally managed to do half a decent braid... I'll keep practicing a bit each day - I'll promise you some picture tutorials!

 

Admittedly, this is much harder than it looks - 

I may need a great deal more hair pins before I manage to get the hang of it.

Cho would like her hair doing too svp!

Warm weather

   Sometimes, I believe that the simplicity of a sunny day is enough to cure anything!