Happy Days

This last week has been a very happy one. We have been out and about enjoying walks in our lovely part of the country and also indulging in a couple of meals out.


I am going to share with you some of the highlights of our week and hope you enjoy the photos.


On Friday we needed to make a trip to the M&S superstore at Hedge End, now I am not a great lover of going shopping, but when we go to Hedge End we try and combine it with a meal out in a lovely pub we know down that way - the Brigadier Gerard at Horton Heath.


As we pulled up at the pub we were stunned by the beauty of the floral displays, in particular the tulips - such a wonderful riot of colour.

The food was excellent, with my Slimming World weigh-in in mind I chose a seafood salad which was delicious and my DH chose a beef madras. However I couldn't resist one of their lovely cappuccino ice creams but did syn count it so hopefully not too much harm done.


I am sure our walk in Stoke Park Woods on the way home probably helped as well. Thirty plus years ago we lived adjacent to these woods in our first home as a married couple so decided to re-visit old haunts especially as it is bluebell season.


I did show you some of the photos from this walk on my last "Five on Friday" post but here are a few more. We were so lucky to see the roe deer, she didn't seem too worried about us and only scampered off for cover when we got quite close to her. We also loved watching the thrush breaking open a snail, we used to see them do this all the time at home but they are a rare sight these days.

I feel a bit guilty because we also went out for a meal on Saturday as well, this time just to a pub a little way out of town which is situated on top of a hill. Each year the swallows return to this location and again we had fun photographing them as well as enjoying another lovely meal. I also couldn't resist taking photos of the owner's Airedale as he peeped out of the back of a land rover, he looked so sad as much to say "why am I stuck in here".

We have also been back to St. Mary Bourne twice this week for more walking, we are lucky that this village is only 5 miles from home and it is so nice to get out of town and enjoy the countryside. I love the cloudscapes in the first three photographs below. 


It was lovely to see the family of ducklings, at first I only spotted Mum sat on the bank beside the stream and it was only when I looked again that I spotted the ducklings around her. They then took to the water giving me an opportunity to take more photos, they did swim off very quickly though so just took a couple of hurried snaps.

We are loving our walks since I took semi-retirement at the start of the year, it is great to have time together to explore and we have taken more notice of how quickly the countryside and nature changes from week to week. I achieved my 1 stone weight loss last week, only a tiny fraction of what I need to lose but that was my first milestone, I am sure the walking is helping so we plan to keep up with the exercise. However I will be working for three days this week so will have to wait for Friday before we can venture out again.

The swallows are back (and other random Springtime photos)

How lovely to see that the swallows have returned to the UK, we have a pub close to us which is situated on top of a hill out in the countryside and the swallows return there every year to nest. You know that Spring is well and truly here once the swallows are back. 

Here are a some more photos taken this week when we have been out and about, the weather has been lovely and everything is greening up and growing apace, we returned to walk part of a route that we had done a week ago and things have grown and changed so much in just that short time. All this walking is really helping with my weight loss as well - 12.5 lbs in 4 weeks, I am well pleased with that and hope I can maintain the momentum.

First bluebell of the year that I have spotted, there should be lots more soon.

Couldn't resist taking this lovely cottage with its flower edged path.

It was a long way away but great to see that a tiny duckling has hatched.

I love seeing the sparkle in this stream as the sun shines on it.

This field of rape seed will be completely yellow in a few days time.

And last but not least, I have told you that I used to spend a lot of my school holidays staying at my Great Aunt and Uncle's farm in St. Mary Bourne, well here is a photo of the farmhouse, I would love to look inside it again to see what has been done to it - so many happy hours of my childhood spent here.

Apologies, this post is photo heavy, I get a bit carried away and can never decide which photos to leave out!