Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: June 2022

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Mosaic Monday #182: Bluebells, Tulips, Wisteria - oh my!

Lengthy vacations deliver many blessings, including dozens of photos! This will be my fourth post about our April trip to the UK, and I calculate three more will be required to cover the subject thoroughly! So, let's stop dithering and get right to it!

One of the numerous aspects I enjoy about the home of my in-laws is the proximity to farm fields and woods. I often go for a walk, and can always find something to photograph. I believe the plant at left is a type of Lamium, and it carpeted the woods with its soft foliage and purple flowers peeking out. Here are just a couple of the other blooming plants.

Birds twittered from the hedgerows, and I was tickled to catch this European Robin in song. Check out the video.

On May 15, I wrote about my raptor experience. The post on May 22 covered our visit to Broughton Castle. Both of these excursions were made from a rented cottage in Long Compton (a village in the Cotswolds). On the day we arrived, this cake greeted us, a delicacy home-made by the landlady. Apparently, this is one of her specialties - every guest who made an entry in the guest book lauded her baking!!!

The same day as the raptor experience, we stopped in Stow-on-the-Wold (Holy Place on the Hill). We popped into a few shops, including a bottle shop. Just reading the labels of the beers was entertainment, such as the Marshmallow Porter shown below. Seeing the Tiny Rebel beer was especially amusing since Man with Hat had dressed up as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for the Winter Carnival Parade this year! (No, we didn't buy it; we slaked our thirst with coffee and cake at a nearby tea shop.)

Wisteria bloomed everywhere we went; some of these vines must be nearing their 100th birthday (or more).

Sometimes (ok, almost always) the choice of our lodging hinges upon a pub within walking distance that sports a reputation for good beer and delicious food. In the case of Long Compton, the Red Lion fit the bill - less than 5 minutes to walk there, and we savored the meals (and the beer!) enough that we went two nights in a row!

England is a photographer's paradise; the Cotswolds are particularly picturesque. A profusion of spring flowers (especially coming from monochromatic Montana in April) doesn't hurt!

I have written before about church kneelers - January 19, 2018 and July 12, 2018. It is hard to resist taking a picture of every one in a church - and we visit A LOT of churches!

Spousal Unit knows I love a good garden, and it is a favorite activity for my in-laws as well. So, no surprise that Kiftsgate Court Gardens appeared on our itinerary. As you can see on the brochure cover, "3 generations of women gardeners" is part of its marketing campaign. "Our garden was created by my grandmother Heather Muir in the twenties, continued by my mother Diany Binny from 1950 and now looked after by myself and my husband.

"The gardens are a delight for all the senses and there is always something of interest to bring you back time and again. The upper gardens around the house are planted to give harmonious colour schemes while the sheltered lower gardens recreate the atmosphere of warmer countries.

(I was surprised and delighted to see a whole field of Camas (left in collage above), since I have only rarely seen this plant in the wild in Montana. Camas provided one of the most prized root crops, and many tribes fought for the right to collect in certain meadows.)

"The newest addition is a contemporary water garden providing tranquility and order in contrast to the exuberance of the flower gardens." Anne Chambers

The Gardens had more than one reflecting pool!!! Only the idea of keeping my family waiting tore me away from photo after photo!

It is quite common for people to visit gardens for a particular feature; on this day, the Bluebells were the main attraction. Maybe the few pictures below can give you a taste of their motivation! Mother Nature bestows such spectacular gifts!

**** I will be out of town for the Fourth of July weekend; Mosaic Monday will return on July 10. If you live in the US, I wish you a classic holiday with parades, fireworks and a picnic!

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." Nelson Mandela

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Mosaic Monday #181: A Bigger Boat

As the family planned our vacation to Grand Cayman, the men finalized the details of a deep-sea fishing trip. 8 hours on a boat. Hmmm. Not my cup of tea!!!

But they seemed to have a good time! They all had plenty of turns in the "fighting chair".

And came back with enough tuna for more than two meals!

Check out the videos - the men also pulled in some barracuda, but they are not recommended by the locals for eating.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat." BRODY, JAWS

So, what are the ladies to do? Go to the spa, of course! And enjoy the tuna! (with plantains, and rice and beans)

December 2012 treated our family to Grand Cayman diving for the first time, and Man with Snorkel booked our dives through Living the Dream Divers. It's hard to grasp that we have known the owners, Gary and Liz, for 10 years. We felt an immediate affinity for them, since they are originally from the UK. But it goes beyond that, to the way they treat their clients, like family! They have watched our kids grow up, and we have witnessed the growth of their business. I will write a little more about that in a future post!

For the Fiance, this was his first time diving after he achieved his certification - a special moment! Man with Go Pro did not take any photos the first dive - the emphasis was on making sure the "kids" had a good experience - even for our children, it had been five years since they had been diving! (Spousal Unit and I, having arrived a couple of days ahead, already had two dives under our "weight" belts!) So, the photos I share below were taken over two days and several dives. Enjoy!

Check out the video of the Green Moray.

I am obsessed with Porcupinefish. Maybe you can see why in this video.

All this hard work (!) diving makes everyone hungry.

And puts big smiles on all the faces!

"The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul." ROBERT WYLAND