Once last autumn....

Dear Thathu,

Once, last autumn, we went for a walk...among many afternoon walks that we do.

That could happen anywhere in the world, but it was not anywhere. It was just 5 minutes away at a park near our house. I know that where you live there is hardly any empty space where you can take your daughter for a walk and here I am blessed.  Indeed, really blessed. There are several parks nearby where mine can play and walk and run. And no, there aren't any dangerous dogs around. At least I haven't come across any.

It's gorgeous and quiet. And in the afternoon autumn sunshine, it is just perfect. Bedford is a small town but it has ample places for children to run around and play. But because there are many small parks, they are not crowded at all. Far from it.

I walked towards the setting sun with her running in front of me. The golden leaves spread in multitude around my feet. The trees had shed most of it, but there was enough left on the trees to enjoy the change of colours. I walked without a care in the world. Just smiling at her chattering away. It was one of those mother-daughter moments - in Blissful Bedford. 

Here are some photos of one of those days...

enjoy! And with our shared love of poetry, my friend, I leave you in the good care of Keats. 

To Autumn

John Keats, 1795 - 1821

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, 
  Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless 
  With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees, 
  And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; 
    To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells 
  With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees, 
Until they think warm days will never cease,
    For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? 
  Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, 
  Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep, 
  Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
    Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep 
  Steady thy laden head across a brook; 
  Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
    Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? 
  Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, 
  And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn 
  Among the river sallows, borne aloft
    Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; 
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; 
  Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
  The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft, 
    And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Stollen, snowflakes and shopping

Dear Thathu,

Yes, It's that time of the year. For Shopping, Stollen and Hot Chocolate with loads of whipped cream. And smell the roast chestnuts. And walking on the High Street, with the lights twinkling around and listening to the sound of "It was on a starry night"! 

Don't you miss this? 

I love winter. And December. And mince pies. And all those things that come along with Christmas. And especially, yes, especially Stollen. My only problem is to decide where I can get the best stollen and to be frank, I tend to vary from year to year. Some years, I love the Stollen from Marks and Spencer. (Yes, we have a branch in town). And other years, I love the Stollen from Waitrose. (Yes we have one in Bedford). Or some years I prefer the ones at Sainsbury's. (Yes, we have one too). 

I must confess this year I got some from John Lewis. And sadly, we don't have a shop in Bedford. But they do have one in Milton Keynes which is just next door. So there.


Well, here are some shop windows from Bedford. I just love walking down the High Street, window shopping.

And here is especially for you,

Falling in love a year on - with Bedford

It's been a year since I last posted on this blog. It's one of those things. I started with good intentions, taking up a challenge from my friend Thathu, in the Maldives, to blog for 30 days about the place where we live. Mine lasted 12 days and I fell by the wayside.

Well, in my defence, I did better than her. She only lasted a few days. 

So I thought I will take up the blog again this year. Let's see how far I get. :-)



Dear Thathu,

It has been a year but my love for this town has grown immensely since then. I have discovered new places, new walks, moved house and fell in love with the town all over again.

It's one of those English towns that grows on you. When I have friends visit me, they don't find anything special about the town at first. "It's just another town", they laugh at me, in a polite sort of way. But then after a few days, they too admit, it starts to grow on you. Slowly but surely. Like the mist rising from the distance, it creeps on you, hugs you, embrace you and before you realise it, you are enveloped by it. Yes, that is Bedford for me.

My jasmine plant. Yes it is massive and in the evening in summer, just to lazy by it, lying in the hammock is just bliss.  The fragrance is just mind-blowing. 

And not too far from where I live, the beautiful walkways near the Priory Country Park. 

'I Watched a Blackbird'

I watched a blackbird on a budding sycamore 
One Easter Day, when sap was stirring twigs to the core; 
I saw his tongue, and crocus-coloured bill 
Parting and closing as he turned his trill; 
Then he flew down, seized on a stem of hay, 
And upped to where his building scheme was under way, 
As if so sure a nest were never shaped on spray.

THOMAS HARDY

Torvill & Dean in Bedford - The pretend ones.

Dear Thathu,

Today we went ice-skating. Well,  ice falling for most of us but for a few minutes staring at the Ice Rink from a comfortable distance, I could pretend to be Jane Torvill.  It was at the Bedford Swan Hotel where they have an Ice Rink. I stared at the skates, wishing I could do a Triple Salchow or a Death Spiral. I suppose one could always dream. I had always loved watching figure skating and the dance competitions - I remember as a student, sitting on the edge of my sofa and watching on TV when Kurt Browning did his first quad. Of course I have seen actual skating programmes since then but I think nothing has been so dramatic for me than that moment. 

Today the person who had most fun was Sarah. They had these seals where kids can learn how to ice skate by pushing them around. 

The Swan Hotel is a gorgeous hotel dating to 18th century and it has a wonderful spa, the Lotus Spa.  It is truly amazing.

I know most British people want to holiday in the Maldives. So break the tradition, be unique. 

Come and holiday in Bedford with your friends :-)

Gardening in Bedford

Dear Thathu

Today is the day our gardner comes and does the garden. He is getting on a bit now but he is the most amazing gardner I have ever come across. He is dedicated, hardworking and has an amazing wealth of knowledge. His name is Tony and you can see his eyes light up when he talks about the various plants - the daffodils in spring, the yellow roses in summer and even raking up the leaves in autumn. I think the only season he is not quite so happy is winter because he doesn't have much to do. He does the garden maintenance, the lawn, everything. Sometimes he finds empty little birds nest and brings them for Sarah so that she can learn about the nests. He helped me with my tomatoes last year and all the veggies that I grew in the fruit cage would not have survived without him.

Bedford has a fantastic climate. Ok, I know. I sound like the woman in the Tourist Information Office. But it is true. It isn't particularly windy and it doesn't rain like in Wales. We have had a fabulous summer this year and we did escape all the flooding of last winter. So see, there is no reason not to come and visit us.

Have a peep below. Still not tempted to visit Bedford?  

All photos of my garden 

The Glory of The Garden

Our England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.

For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You will find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all ;
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dungpits and the tanks:
The rollers, carts and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.                                 

And there you’ll see the gardeners, the men and ‘prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise;
For, except when seeds are  planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.

And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come.

Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:–”Oh, how beautiful!” and sitting in the shade,
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives

There’s not a pair of legs so thin, there’s not a head so thick,
There’s not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick.
But it can find some needful job that’s crying to be done,
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,
If it’s only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hand and pray
For the Glory of the Garden, that it may not pass away!
And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away!

- Rudyard Kipling- 

Kiddies in Bedford

Dear Thathu,

I am sorry I have been falling behind in my blog. I went shopping for a dress for Sarah. She has many parties to attend and as you know children grow very quickly. 

Someone once asked me where can I go for good kids wear in Bedford? And whether I go to London to shop for Sarah.

The answer is No. 

Bedford maybe small but it has its gems. Of course there is the usual High Street shops for kids - Next, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, TK Maxx etc. And then there are the smaller boutiques which often have real cute pieces. 

My favourite is Miamee Boutique.  They sell gorgeous kids wear - Kate Mack, Biscotti, Sarah Louise you name it. And at amazing prices too. They also have a Facebook page.  Check it out.

Art in Bedford

Dear Thathu,

I was walking in town today thinking of what I should write about that might just entice you to visit us (apart from the fact that we have a Thorntons here) when I realised that I had it right in front of me.

The Art Centre and Gallery, Bedford.

It is a fascinating place even for someone like me who cannot draw a cat. I love browsing around there, buying little things for Sarah for her creative work. At the back of the shop is an Art Gallery where various local artists display their work.  Bedfordshire has a vibrant Art Community and you will fit in very well. Check this out.  

So I had to come back and dig up these :-)

Artwork by Thathu

Of course we have various other places like The KILN that does fantastic little creative workshops for kids.  

Tempted?