Garden guide

Posted on April 5, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Biddulph Grange, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1899, Dorothy Clive garden, Eden project, Gardens, Plants, Rode hall, Trentham Gardens, VolunteerLeave a comment

What job would you do for free?

I’d volunteer for a job as a garden guide if I was looking for something to do. There are several beautiful gardens in this area. Rode Hall, Trentham Gardens, the Dorothy Clive garden, Biddulph Grange garden or further afield I would love to work at the Eden Project in Cornwall. I don’t actually know enough botany but I would try hard to find out their Latin and English names, it would be embarrassing to confuse my Aqualegia with Calendula or Gerbers. I would enjoy the exercise and chatting with people who enjoy nature including the birds insects and mammals that thrive in beautifully tended gardens.

If there is no such job I would just go and do it anyway. Each season has its beauty. One inspiring book is a very old story called the Secret Garden. I can’t remember the author though.

Snowdrops

Posted on February 25, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Cold, Growing, Health, Rode hall, snowbells, Snowdrops, Spring, Staffordshire, Time, Tired, Visit, WalkLeave a comment

I went with a friend to Rode Hall today to take a look at the snowdrop walk, an annual event where people can walk round and see snowdrops growing by the lake and in the woods. Sadly we are at the end of the snowdrop season so a lot of them have finished flowering. But it was good to get out.

I’ve been hiding away recently. I don’t like driving very far as my health has deteriorated. But going out with a friend made me feel safer. I hung onto her on the slippy muddy bits. I feel like I’m teetering forward all the time. My balance is off, but I managed to bend down and take a photo of the snowdrops (galanthus ?) I know Rode Hall has lots of varieties of snowdrops and snowbells?

I got home and fell asleep, I was so tired, but I’m glad I went. Spring is on its way.

Rode Hall is off the A34 Road near Scholar Green in Staffordshire.

Bluebell memory

Posted on February 6, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged bluebell woods, Boat, Lake, Life, mud, Rode hall, Sailing, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Walk, Westport lake4 Comments

One spring a few years ago we went to Rode Hall in Staffordshire and walked round the bluebell filled woods. Hubby took his little red motorboat to try and sail it on the lake but there is not a safe place to launch it from, so I took this photo of him looking longingly at the lake, boat in the bag next to him.

He did sail his boats on the smaller of the two lakes at Westport later in the year. One day he sailed it and it ran out of power a few feet out from the shore. He tried to pull it back in with a broken branch. It drifted further out! So he took his shoes off, rolled up his trousers and waded out! As he clambered out with the boat his legs up to his knees were covered in black mud. We didn’t have a towel so he had to sit on a couple of carrier bags in the car. The mud was very smelly so we drove home with the windows wide open! He was always adventurous bless him X

Doorway

Posted on July 30, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Doorway, Drawing, Life, Memory, Prompt, Rode hall, SketchingLeave a comment

25.7.23s #bandofsketchers prompt was doorway. I’m going to try and catch up with the recent prompts, been a bit busy lately. This doorway sketch is based on a doorway at Rode Hall that I took a photo of a few weeks ago.

Boat house

Posted on May 13, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Age, Boat house, Green, Lake, Life, life belt, old wood, Photograph, renewed, Rode hall, TimeLeave a comment

There it sits, down by the lake. How old is it? Are there boats still moored inside? A life belt is still attached to the back wall as the wood gently greens and rots… .

I’ve never been down the steep steps to the shore, it’s green and slippery and there is no handrail. If I was young I would explore. The reeds and rushes are starting to grow up, and no doubt moorhens or coots will be nesting there soon. Chicks still waiting to be laid in their eggs. There are Canada geese about. Life is renewing.

Sunday beauty

Posted on May 9, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Beauty, Felt pens, Life, narcissus, Nature, Prompt, Rode hall, Sketching4 Comments

I’ve just got round to drawing Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt beauty. This was a narcissus flower I think at Rode Hall on Sunday. I was thinking of drawing bluebells but my photos were a bit blurred.

Gunnera

Posted on May 7, 2023May 7, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Dorothy Clive garden, Garden, Gardening, Gunnera, Life, Nature, Plants, Rhododendrons, Rode hall2 Comments

One plant we tried to grow in the garden was Gunnera, seen here at Rode hall. It’s a large leafed plant with a spiky surface. It grows in wet conditions and the leaves can get to 2 or 3 feet across. This was by a large pond that has a waterfall at one end flowing down a stream to the lake. There are a large variety of plants at the hall but this is a favourite.

We also noticed there were rhododendrons in flower today, which means we must visit the Dorothy Clive garden to see how that is growing.

Rode hall bluebells

Posted on May 7, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Beauty, Blue, Bluebells, Countryside, Day trip, Life, Nature, Rode hall, Staffordshire, Visit2 Comments

We finally got the weather for our walk around the grounds of Rode Hall. It was lovely, calming and peaceful. I know it’s strange, but I wondered where the musical backing track was….. But there was beautiful birdsong.

This was the last day of the actual bluebell walks, but they are obviously still there for a little while. There is a Rode Hall website and I’m sure there will be details available for visits there.

Rode hall today

Posted on May 5, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bluebells, Cold, Hail, Lightning, Rain, Rode hall, Soaked, Thunderstorm, Upset, Walk, Wet2 Comments

We went to see the bluebell walk at Rode hall today but stopped to talk to a lady that was very upset and distressed about something.

As we were chatting to her we all got caught in a thunderstorm with hail and heavy rain. We got soaked and decided to abandon the walk. Thankfully I had a discussion with someone from the hall and we can go back on Sunday. Above are pre bluebell walk photos with lowering dark clouds.

The hall is off the A34 between Scholar Green and Rode Heath:

Rode Hall, Church Ln, Scholar Green, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 3QP

Little pool

Posted on February 21, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged dam, Landscape, Pond, Pool, Rode hall, Snowdrops, Spring, View, Water, Weather, WinterLeave a comment

Snowdrops surround the dam at the end of the pond at Rode Hall on the snowdrop walk at the weekend. Some of the daffodils are already up and we saw cyclamen and Helibores too. Spring is just round the corner and unseasonably warm weather has reached us from the south. Tomorrow we are expecting colder, more normal temperatures with possible snow showers. It’s no wonder the birds and insects get confused at this time of year.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Rode hall