I am Anne. I live in Bristol with my husband Bill our grown up daughter Angela and two cats Heidi and Tilly. We also have four sons two daughter in laws and two grand children. I am a retired nurse. I started this website to give more information for visitors to the South West of England and South Wales. I already run a blog which has become quite popular. The Platinum Line
In England we are slowly emerging from lockdown. If all goes to plan, after three dry months, we will be able to buy a drink in a beer garden from next Monday and from May 17th pubs will be able to serve customers indoors again, The pub is a British institution and although I am not a great drinker I have missed being able to chat with friends over a glass of wine or two. This week our walking group went for a walk around central Bristol to learn more about the history of some of the historic pubs and make plans. Continue reading “Historic Pubs of Central Bristol”
In England we are allowed to travel again so on Easter Monday Bill and I visited the small town of Warminster in Wiltshire. The army has a large presence nearby and much of Salisbury Plain is used as a firing range. It derives its name from the minster church of St. Denys which was built in Saxon times in a loop of the River Were.
It is St. Patrick’s day on March 17th, a time to celebrate all things Irish. I have visited southern Ireland several times over the last fifty years and seen enormous changes. I first visited Dublin about 50 years ago with a school friend. It was during the troubles and we felt uncomfortable speaking with English accents.
Continue reading “A virtual walk around the ring of Kerry in Southern Ireland”
This seems to have been the longest winter ever. In England we have been in lockdown since Christmas. We have not been allowed to stay overnight away from home and visits with friends and family have been restricted. I think we would all love to sit in the sun with a glass of wine and chat with a group of friends. My grandson has not been able to go to school and is missing his pals. Continue reading “The roadmap out of lockdown”
Goodbye 2020: A year spent mainly in lockdown. Welcome 2021: Will our lives return to normal and can we meet family and friends again?
2020 has been a strange year for shopkeepers. In March all nonessential stores had to close in England. Although most stores were allowed to reopen in July footfall is still down in the shopping centres and malls. Customers are worried about their jobs, many have been put on furlough or on reduced hours. Others prefer to shop on line rather than risk catching covid or wearing a mask. Continue reading “Autumn in Cabot Circus Bristol #thursday doors”
We have had an Indian summer, warm weather in September and our gardens are still looking colourful. As most indoor activities are cancelled due to covid 19 we have been exploring the local area.
Now that lockdown has lifted we are able to travel a bit more. We decided to rent a small cottage on a fishery farm near the village of Sheepwash in north west Devon for a short break. The farm proved to be run mainly for tourists with alpaccas and Shetland ponies as well as fishing ponds that had been dyed an impossible shade of blue. Continue reading “Sheepwash doors/Thurday doors”
This is my first flower of the day post for May so what could be more suitable than May blossom. In late April and early May hedgerows and fields in England are filled with the delicate white flowers of hawthorn. The hawthorn (crataegus) is a native tree associated with celtic folklore and especially with May day and the start of summer. Continue reading “Hawthorn and the story of the May wishing tree #ffotd#ff17”
Aquilegia which has the lovely folk name of grandma’s bonnet is a flower I associate with the cottage gardens of my childhood. I am sure I did not plant them but one Spring much to my suprise my borders were covered with the delicate nodding flowers. I received a lot of undeserved compliments from neighbours. Continue reading “Grandma’s bonnets or aquilegia #FOTD#FF16”
