Easter poem

To celebrate this Easter I have written a poem.

Easter (the real meaning in 2013).

Eating chocolate and watching tv.
Staying inside, warm and snuggly.
Easter Sunday,
What a fun day,
For anyone hungry or quite lazy.

by Izzy B Silver

Woolhope Dome and Broadmoor Common, Herefordshire.

Mistletoe detail

Crocus and daffodil

Today I went on a circular walk  through an area known as the Woolhope Dome and across a Nature Reserve called Broadmoor Common. We used a pub called The Crown as the place to start and finish our walk. The food there is great and so it is also where we had our lunch. This also means the 12th century church, visible from almost all points along our walk, signposted for us where we had parked our car. 

Broadmore Common, which we crossed at a part of the walk, is a species rich and valuable grassland common. We saw sheep and lambs, cows,  Canada geese, common geese and hens whilst on the walk. 

An easy and interesting walk, with many sweet bridges, stiles and kissing gates, it is well signposted and is 6.5 miles in length. Free leaflets with maps are available from local tourist information centres.

Various views from walk 

Apple orchard crossed on walk

One of several duck ponds

Snow and newborn lambs, Good Friday, Malvern

Although it hasn't snowed now for about four day's, and even though it is sunny and warm enough to go walking in, still their is sun on the ground. Sheep due to give birth, and those with new born lambs really need to be kept inside to keep them warm and safe. These lambs have all just been born in the last few days.

Newborn lambs with their Mum's

Volterra, Easter Parade, Italy.

Volterra was originally an ancient Etruscan settlement called Velathri. It is situated in an elevated position in some of the most picturesque countryside in Italy, and much of it's ancient city walls and gates still survive.

It was on the Monday immediately after Easter Sunday that I visited it in 2011. On that day each year there is a parade, with musicians and folk dressed in historic costume. I did take pictures, but they are on a memory card I have misplaced.

Roof detail in Guarnacci Museum

We visited the Guarnacci Museum, which features many alabaster works of art. There are other museums in the town, and an art gallery also. The area is famous for its alabaster, sourced locally and there are many workshops and bargain sculptures and pieces can be bought in the many specialist gift shops.

Garden with Wistria flowering as seen from city walls

Also well worth a visit is the Piazza dei Priori, with it's Palace designed by Maestro Riccardo in 1239. The lions on it were added later in 1472 when the building became the local court, and seat to the Captain of Justice.

Volterra is also the place I enjoyed the best Italian meal I have ever eaten. It was in a little cafe, which had a shop selling pasta and oils, a covered area for eating in on the narrow street and a boar's head over the stores door. Try and find it if you ever visit.

Hellebore and Daffodils

Hellebore

The snow still hasn't gone. A blanket of four or five inches still covers everything.

On close inspection my hellebore and daffodils have still survived.

Hellebore are also called Christmas Roses, and come from the Balkan region of Europe and so are quite frost resistant.  Some purist prefer the white type, but I like a bit of colour so the brighter and more purple/red the better.

Daffodil, or Narcissus may seem very ordinary plants to us these days as the bulbs are so cheap to purchase an.d once planted flower reliably ever year. They once were prized for their great beauty, which is why they share name with the character Narcissus, from Greek mythology who was so obsessed with his own beauty that he drowned in a pool as he stared at his own reflection. For me though the cheery yellow of the common varieties reminds me of childhood and the scent is delightful. 

At least the cat's seem to have finally got used to going out in the snow.

Daffodil

My two cat's being brave.

Snow in March- inspires poetry.T

 It is still snowing here, which although beautiful is rather annoying, which has inspired me to write this poem.

Snow in March

A white Christmas
A child's delight
Virgin, pristine, pure
Most festive sight

But March is almost over
Cold still your lying there

Tank Quarry clock tower

A suffocating blanket
Of beauty and despair

Beneath you flowers try to grow
Searching for the sun
Please melt and then reveal
Their colours bright and fun

By Izzy B. Silver

Populina Castle and the Eustrian burials in Barritti

Eustrian burials at Barritti

A gecko on one of the burials

Populina castle

One of the most interesting places I visited in Italy were the Eustrian ancient burials at Barritti and Populina. The history is quite fascinating and we were taken into one of the largest burial domes, which was incredible to see. The dome was divided into different rooms and so spacious it felt rather more like a very dark home than a place of burial.

My children also found the burials great as everywhere you looked there were geckos sunbathing, which my children would try and sneak up on a photograph before they scuttled off, which is quite difficult but fun.

Barritti is on the coast and has fantastic sandy beaches and sea views, whilst Populina is on the hill above. Populina has a sweet little church, a street of interesting little shops and a castle. The castle was an absolute bargain, only two euro's to get into and the views from the top were staggeringly picturesque.

View from the top of Populina castle

Arran, in sunshine.

Highland cows near Lochranza

View across Broddick Bay

 Arran in is the news at the moment because the terrible snow has cut of the electricity there for five days so far. Arran is a beautiful island on the west coast of Scotland. I have visited there many times, mostly in the summer. Here are just a few pictures of the island in sunnier times.

Broddick Castle

The gardens at Broddick Castle

Glenashdale Falls, Whiting Bay

View from Holy Isle to Lamlash

The moon over Whiting Bay

Whiting Bay

Pisa, Field of Miracles, Italy.

Cemetary

Duomo as viewed from Baptistry window

Leaning Tower of Pisa

 Still snowed in, and thinking about summer sun and holidays.

Possibly the best tourist attraction in the world is, in my mind, the Field of Miracles in Pisa. Normally when you visit these places you have heard about and seen on tv they never live up to the hype. Pisa, and the Leaning Tower, and the Field of Miracles where the tower is,  is the opposite. It was so staggeringly beautiful that I actually cried.

Every aspect of the buildings in the Field of Miracles is so intricate and ornate. The doors as you enter the duomo in particular were striking. In one of the panals you see the devil being cast out of heaven, and his wings are so detailed and real looking you expect them to be soft to touch.

If you ever get the chance to visit Pisa do spend at least one day just in the Field of Miracles.

Miracle Mosaic insida Pisa Duomo

Pulpit detail

Romulus and Remus statue

Stratford upon Avon

View across River Avon

 In autumn 2012 I visited Stratford upon Avon for the day. It was a beautiful if rather chilly day. The town is rather quaint and olde-worlde style. Down by the river there are statues both modern and ones made to celebrate the life of Shakespeare. Much of the buildings are Tudor in style, and there are various exhibitions and outlets dedicated to Shakespeare. 

My favourite places there however was the magic store, where wands, potions and various Ministry of Magic posters. It's like being in Diagon Alley, but with out the Harry Potter Experience price tag.

Where are we?

Lady Macbeth

Hamlet

Shakespear statue

British Camp, Malvern Hills

Steps near summit

Not a rabbit

Friendly dog

 British Camp hill, reservoir and paths are my favourite areas to walk in the Malvern Hills. The views are all staggeringly beautiful, and there is so much variety. So many different paths to chose between and everyone offers you something different.

Unfortunately someone hacked this entry and wiped it out, so I am re-entering the few pictures I hadn't already deleted from the day. Quite annoying.

The "not a rabbit" it actually a mis-shapen heather. It looks so much like a rabbit that I spent about five minutes creeping up on it to try and get a picture. Finally I realised the reason it hadn't moved was not because of my incredible stealth, but because it wasn't an animal. I did feel daft.

However if you are in Malvern and only have one day to walk, visit British Camp. For more pictures look at my other blogs, as many of them are of the hill, reservoir and woods at British Camp.

Tulips, just to cheer you up.

Snow stuff

Snow on a fir tree

Snow on a Buddlia Bush

 Apparently the Eskimos only have four words four snow. Most of the snow we have had this winter has been light dry stuff and has been quite pleasant to go walking in. This snow though is heavy and damp and is holding on to trees in heavy blankets which are dragging down branches, and in some places have pulled branches from trees and bushes. Very beautiful to look at but very cold.

It was late afternoon here before the snowplow got through to clear the roads.

Spring, where have you gone?

Icicles

Snow plow

A very British phone box