I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud……..

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

This poem is by William Wordsworth.
I had to learn it at school and when-ever I see this annual display of Daffodils at Pegwell Bay I am reminded of it.
There is something about the last verse that I find particularly moving.
Does it touch a chord with you as much as it does with me?

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Tea at The Ritz

Last year, for our 40th Wedding Anniversary, our daughters Janet and Sharon presented us with the experience of having Tea at The Ritz.

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So, on Wednesday (yesterday) there we were, dressed in our very best (ties, jackets must be worn) to partake in the experience of Tea at The Ritz.

The taking of photographs is not allowed in the Ritz but plenty of people were snapping away. I did get this shot of the interior before we were advised not to do so. I took one of Mae but it was without flash and hurried so is blurred unfortunately.

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The surroundings are opulent (how the other half live!). The Tea is a never ending supply of sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), cakes and scones with jam and clotted cream and the best Earl Grey Tea I have ever tasted. The tea pots were replaced at frequent intervals (A large pot per person – I never got to drink half a pot before it was replaced) so the tea is always fresh and hot. A pianist was tinkling away in the background. As you would expect they cater for your every need. Even a visit to the bathroom with it’s proper cloth towels and hand lotion is just…. well, just ’so’.

In the evening we saw the Musical ‘Hairspray’ with Michael Ball (very good) and stayed in a hotel in Piccadilly for the night. We had decided that after such a unique (for us) experience it would be a shame just to get on a train and return home.

Thanks Janet and Sharon. It was a brilliant experience and a memory to cherish.

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Beach and Bond and Jelly Babies

Mae and I took a walk around Broadstairs Harbour this morning.
It was a lovely day although the wind had a biting chill to it.

I took this image with my ‘point and shoot’ digital camera.

We sat on a promenade wall and listened to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and against the sea wall.
I was prepared to sit there for most of the morning but the cold concrete eventually seeped through our trousers and we had to leave.

We went home via Tescos and took them up on their offer of a DVD of the James Bond film ‘A Quantum of Solace’ for £7.00 – it would cost more to see it in the cinema!

So it was a day of Beach, Bond and Jelly Babies.

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Flowers For Mother’s Day

Mae, the mother, was given a lovely bunch of Spring Flowers for Mother’s Day (or Mothering Sunday if you prefer) – but not from me I hasten to add.

So, I had to photograph them.

I love the delicacy of the colours:

But you can also indulge yourself in the colours of a Daffodil:

I know Mae gets a lot of pleasure from them – and so do I.

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A Bird in the Hand…….

Well, almost the hand, is better than one in a bush.

I have been nurturing a friendship with our Robin recently and he is now willing to take food from me.

It really has taken a long time to build up his confidence as initially he would only watch from a distance but gradually he got closer and closer and now comes to me almost straight away.

He only ever takes three pieces of food (it has dead insects in it) before flying off.

I am hoping to get him to sit on my hand but that will take a bit longer. Until then I am happy with the acquaintance I have with this lovely little Robin.

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The Daffodil on Parade

The Daffodil standing sentry outside our back door (see previous post) has now opened and a glorious sight it is too.

It was in the shade though so ………….

…..I had to wait till midday when the sun was shining from behind it to get my next two pictures.

It was worth the wait.

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Dew on the Flowers

Lots of dew on the flowers first thing this morning so I tried to capture it with my camera.

I, as usual, do not know the name of this flower – Mae planted it but has forgotten what it is. Typical!

It didn’t take long for it to evaporate.
There are some lovely little flowers out this time of year.

And finally – a lone Daffodil standing like a sentry waiting to open.

I wait with anticipation this Daffodil opening up.
You will see it too, in due course.

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Pfizer Wind Orchestra’s Free Concert

Yes, that’s correct – FREE!
The Pfizer Wind Orchestra are giving a FREE Concert on Saturday 4th April 2009 at 4.30pm at St. Mary’s Church, Sandwich.

Come along and enjoy good music such as: Holst Suite in Eflat; Les Miserable; Dam Busters March; and American Patrol

I look forward to seeing you there.

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The Hungry Fox

Just by chance this evening as dusk was falling I glanced out of our patio doors and saw this cheeky fox in the back garden.

I was surprised to see him and took a quick shot with my 18-55 zoom lens. He lingered so I quickly switched to my longer zoom lens and through the double-glazed patio doors managed to get several shots, some not too good, as he wandered around eating what I can only presume were the crumbs I had put out for the birds.

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He eventually looked my way…………

……..and slowly walked away.

The light was failing and the glass in the patio doors is none too clean (a job for the spring!) so please excuse the rather poor images.

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Do The Little Things

Today is St. David’s Day – the patron Saint of Wales.

David was a Celtic monk, abbot and bishop, who lived in the sixth century. It is said that David lived for over 100 years and that he died in 589.
His last words to his followers were said to be “Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.”

‘Do the little things’ (‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain’) is a well-known phrase in Wales

An apt thought for today.

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