Sunday 1 May 2011

SUNDIALS

When last in Liverpool R and I went to the National Wildflower Centre at Court Hey not far from the Knotty Ash (no Doddy jokes) turnoff from the M62.

The place looked like it could have done with a little care and attention but its aims are admirable - especially the education of school children.

We had a wander around and came across this interesting sundial before a bite to eat.

Court Hey used to be a field belonging to Lord Derby and a house was built there by William Gladstone's brother Robert.

I bought some cornflower and field poppy seed. This was sown next day in an impoverished part of waste ground near the wood. Generally wildflowers and grasses do not like rich soil.

The second picture here shows some orange tulips and a sundial at The Nook.
The sundial is on an old piece of sandstone which came out of the wall of our previous house - a barn conversion.

The sundial came from R's father's and mother's house on Queen's Drive in Liverpool and before that her Grandmother's house.

It tells the time fairly well even though the gnomon is a bit bent at the top. Of course, with the British obsession with changing time in spring and autumn the dial has to be turned to account for the hour altering.

To the garden - now watering, trying to keep the pond level up as the tadpoles have a bit to go yet - they like cheese and leftover meat we have discovered!

Daughter and family here this weekend which is lovely but tiring for an old fogey like me.

So the garden has moved into a maintenance phase - mowing, weeding, deadheading, trying to rescue blighted goosegogs - sawfly and mildew - AND picking asparagus - ten minutes to snap and scrape the stems, steam and on the table with a little melted butter - yum!

And the swallows and house martins have still not made up their minds - or they have and have gone somewhere with a better mattress and fuller english breakfast!

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