Lockdown week 4 - Saturday

Today was beautiful but windy. I pruned a pelargonium plant and took cuttings from it, sacrificing this red flower, which I put in a vase. I love the colour, which is slightly more winey than it looks here.

The later daffodils are still blooming. I disapprove of the colour orange and won't have orange flowers in the garden, but one or two daffodils with some orange petals seem to have crept in. Hmm.

But I much prefer this delicate yellow and cream one.

Wallflowers and forget-me-nots. The wallflowers smell beautiful.

We walked up to the school today, and down through the grounds.

There's Ravelston House again, built around 1790. The modern buildings are from the 1960s and rather spoil the view of it, but don't blot it out completely. The house is still in use by the school and is absolutely lovely inside - not huge, but a comfortable family home - or it must have been, once.

All these grounds and quite a bit more belonged to the family. Lucky them.

This is the house from behind, or in fact from in front - this was the main entrance. Before the wood was there, there would have been a splendid view from the windows over to the sea and the hills beyond.

We, and quite a few others and their dogs, wandered through the woods.

Trees and their shadows.

And more.

It was very pleasant.

The trees are variously coming into leaf. 

I wonder if this is a natural cliff, or the result of a bit of quarrying.

And then down the hill, past what I assume was a gardener's cottage...

 
to what's usually a very busy road.

I took a picture of this street for blog-illustration purposes and just afterwards, noticed these people sitting at their front door. I hope they didn't think I was the neighbourhood spy, gathering evidence about ill-advised socialising.

And home we went along Ravelston Dykes, admiring the opening blossoms of the cherry trees. Exactly three miles today, but again, quite hilly ones. We're so lucky to have various nice places to walk.

Then, lots of happy chopping up of fabrics to make a strippy border for the second of the quilts made from my friend's late husband's shirts. I'm quilting the first while piecing the second. I'm such an addict. But it's great to have something to achieve during this strange period. I'm longing to see the family again. I can't see it happening soon.