As we enter week three of our new forum, I hope members are viewing the posts and comments and enjoying them. Please add your own comments we would all love to hear from you. If you want to look at previous posts, some are shown in the related posts column on the right hand side. Others can be read by going to the second line at the top which says Local Societies and then Welwyn Garden. Click on Welwyn Garden and you will see all the posts and comments since the forum began.
Happy reading !!
The sun is shining today and we have received another interesting issue of The Wire edited by Ian.
On our walk today we observed butterflies, and how quickly the crops and wild flowers were growing, after a pause in our walking schedule for a few days.
Alongside the narrow brook forget-me-nots are growing in profusion, they are a glorious sight but also a source of puzzlement. They grow so well at this site, but at home in my garden I have struggled to attain such abundance Any tips?
I hope all our members and friends are all well and enjoying the warm weather.
Have other people noticed how the week-end supplements are gradually becoming thinner and thinner. There really is a limit on how many "wear at home" articles the fashion writers can think of, menus have to be pared down as important ingredients are missing and travel is at a standstill. Travel writers have been urging their readers to look to the future and indulge in some armchair travelling while others have encouraged reflection on past holidays.
Last year we were fortunate to spend a short break in Bruges, the sun shone, it wasn't too crowded and the beer very nice! It is a place full of history and charm, and the canals add to Bruge's picturesque nature, how lucky we were then.
I too was looking at BBC Sounds - thre is some interesting material. Our walking book club (meeting via skype at the moment) is reading The Bell by Iris Murdoch this month. Such an interesting choice - I first read it many moons ago and thoroughly appreciated the second read. In May our book choice is The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre. a very different book!
We have discussed comfort reading in a related post. Yesterday I decided to indulge in some comfort listening. I found BBC Sounds on my laptop and from a wealth of material, selected a dramatisation of Wind in the Willows. It was a perfect antidote for the difficult weeks we are experiencing. An escape to the world of Ratty, Mole, Badger and of course the indomitable Mr Toad. Wonderful !
We started our third jigsaw yesterday and have ordered another 2 - just in case! The present jigsaw is of the inside of an imaginary stately home (or dolls house). And the second one was the inside of a quirky book store which I loved. I belong to a walking book club: we are still reading the chosen book and have a skype get together to discuss them, which works very well.
Today I plan to start a 1000 piece jigsaw that will keep me occupied for a while. Yesterday I completed my second round of contacting those of our members who are not online. I tried to contact everyone, and for those who had an answerphone I was able to leave a message. I had a delightful conversation with one of our members who was also a jigsaw fan, and enjoyed hearing from others about how they were passing the time. Gardening was frequently mentioned and sorting photos and watching Netflix also cropped up in conversation. As well as the opportunity to catch up on reading.
In discovering new pastimes, I am grateful to Ian for his weekly edition of The Wire, with interesting information and even poetry, congratulations Ian on such an erudite read.
It is true that even as we walk the same routes on most days, there is always something new to observe. On our walks round the outskirts of Potters Bar we have observed the way in which the farmer has been rotating his sheep. At first they were in two fields closest to our footpath, and then moved over to two further fields before coming back again. Yesterday he had put his cows in the sheep field. Fascinating stuff !!