Dear Bloggy Pals
you may have been wondering where i have been this past quiet time? Well, since the night of the wondrous leopard pictures, life has been a race horse on speed.
We jumped on a plane to London for a family event - my
niece's Big White Wedding. We arrived a few days early and tried to
help with the preps, but also spent time exploring the lush green
tunnels of the Meon Valley country lanes. Tiny windy lanes that trickle
between rolling farmland and dark leafy forests, lit by hazy sunlight.
We stumbled onto a fly fishing place at a natural spring where you
can go and have fly fishing lessons, or just stand around making
lovely figures of eight with flying fish line, while the trout stare
unblinking from the crystal depths.
can go and have fly fishing lessons, or just stand around making
lovely figures of eight with flying fish line, while the trout stare
unblinking from the crystal depths.
Here and there a cozy pub with wonky tables serving delicious grub.
I met a friend's pet sheep - we bonded.
Friday, the day before the wedding, and the pace intensified. At one point I found myself tying knives and forks together with decorated ribbon for a hundred and fifty place settings.
Its the little personal touches that take so much time but make all the difference.
Its the little personal touches that take so much time but make all the difference.
On the day, the bride looked like a princess and she and the groom grinned happily through the whole event. It filled me up to see them, and share the joy.
We came home to a round of visitors. I love a noisy full dinner table and having everyone around. But soon we will be on our own again- with the monkeys.
Summer has arrived meanwhile and the air is full of dust and smoke haze - hiding the mountains completely from view. Today a cheeky wind promises rain, but the sky is white heat and cloudless.
We came home to a round of visitors. I love a noisy full dinner table and having everyone around. But soon we will be on our own again- with the monkeys.
Summer has arrived meanwhile and the air is full of dust and smoke haze - hiding the mountains completely from view. Today a cheeky wind promises rain, but the sky is white heat and cloudless.
So much catching up to do but its good to be back.
thanks for hanging in - if you did!
19 comments:
*snort* chuckle, laugh
or just stand around making
lovely figures of eight with flying fish line, while the trout stare
still laughing
wow that was quick - did you see before i unjumbled the photos and text?? thanks for being first up!! xx
Did you wave as you came in to land at Heathrow?
Looks and sounds like you had a wonderful time on your visit to Blighty, though you can be glad you're back in the sunshine as it's got quite a bit cooler here now.
2 weeks until we fly - hooray for some African sun!
How nice of you to share bits and pieces of your trip. It's the first time I have seen your smiling face. You are as beautiful as your words and images.
Oh hey! hi Val!
What a lovely time you had in England, i was thinking about you and k a lot and wondering how it was going.
The photos are all great, the wedding one SO sweet, but i like you and your sheep friend the best!
So glad to see you safely back home.
lots of love,
lori
welcome back val!! what a lovely wedding -- love all the fotos esp the one of you with your new sheep buddies!
i'm imagining you tying all those forks and knives together - what a labor of love -- i'm sure the bride appreciated it☺
glad to see you're home and looking forward to more posts from your beautiful neck of the woods!!
hugs and xxx
Weddings- eish! Not a fan of them myself, so much work but the photo is lovely. Glad you're back safe and sound, home really is lovely when you've been away, dust and heat and all.
Isn't it great to get away for a bit? Looks wonderful, sheep and all! The weather here is cooling fast so I will be looking forward to your summer posts to remind me of the heat!
It must have been fun to go to such a lovely wedding and getting back to London. I like your picture with the sheep. Did you learn how to fly fish? How many did you catch?
Glad you are back to blogging, looks as if you had a great time. Still cool and damp in this part of the southern hemisphere, but summer is coming.
Always hanging in and hoping for snippets of life, of lions and lambs, cutlery and porcupines.
Rob - yes i did, and i loved that snippet of English time. you are heading for some great summer sun in SA soon! great you are coming home :)
Bonnie - thanks! those sheep were very cool :)
hi Lori - yeah its good to be back. The wedding was just lovely x
Amanda - it was such fun to be part of the preps and see my lovely niece so happy x
Lauri - yes home to heat and dust after a quick glimpse of all that greenery. Wedding was good family time for me :)
Lorac - and i shall look forward to sharing your winter!
hope all is well there?
Vagabonde - no we didnt fish, but we had fun sitting in the sunshine watching the fishermen; a very peaceful scene :)
Penny - still cool and damp there hey? very changeable here still - after steaming heat for a few days - yesterday was cold and windy, but made for a nice break. Summer is definitely here already!
Kristin - thanks for hanging in. Hope to be able to catch up properly soon x
thanks for your support everyone - so nice to know you are all there xxxV
Now why did you not whizz up to the wilds of North Norfolk to have lunch with me at Great Snoring? Open invite, always. Next time, okay?
Lovely photos...you and and your wooly friend, the fly-fishing spring, cosy pub and beautiful wedding. Perfectly perfect.
Aaah, heat-white and cloudless is my kinda sky. Here it is like being shut in a tupperware box with leaks. Never mind, I just won't look out of rain smeared windows but rather drink in the paintings and colours and the little bits of Africa I have all around me....too wonderful!
Glad you're home safe and sound. The bride is gorgeous! Wow. Sounds like a great trip.
So weird to see pics of green lawns and pubs on your blog. Do you suffer from culture shock when you travel to Europe?
Lovely! beautiful bride.. all so green and gorgeous over there. And that sheep - too sweet. Don't worry, I'll always hang in to see what you have to say, whenever you can! x
It sounds and looks lovely, Val. White heat and cloudless are familiar to me here.
I`m so glad to have you back, Val! It really is a distance, in many ways, from South Africa to England, isn`t it? The different landscape, the colours, the pastimes, the weather. I loved all the pictures (the other ones, too)and your report. Next time you first visit Tessa and Rob, and your way back you make the pilot stop here!
Oh, but yes. I'd wait much longer for your return. I've been away as well therefore I'm catching up on my reading.
Look at you with the jacket in the cool English countryside! Very pretty there. Love your fly fishing description! Sometimes that is what my fly fishing amounts to... lots of figure eights!
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