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Wednesday 7 May 2014

Blissful bluebell birthday!


On 5th May 1944 this little girl was born so in 2014 she reached her 70th birthday!  What a different world she sees in the twenty first century to that which surrounded her when this picture was taken!  At that time the UK was still at war, food was rationed and times were dangerous and difficult (and photos black and white!) but of course she knew nothing about all this all she cared about was having her mother's love and affection which she had in plenty.  How times have changed - perhaps more rapidly than in any previous 70 years it's hardly surprising that some of us can't keep up with it all!  I had intended to link this post with the last one and talk about all the changes I have seen in the past 70 years but then I thought you might prefer to join me in my birthday celebrations instead?


I chose to spend my birthday walking in the bluebell woods near Eype on the south coast near Bridport and to have lunch at the quirky little cafe at Down House Farm.  What a wonderful way to spend a special day - I can honestly say it was the best birthday ever!  Join me on my day out if you fancy a walk in beautiful countryside.

  
Having parked the car we set off on our walk through the village and then along the South West Coast Path - sometimes the sun came through and sometimes not as we made our way along the cliff tops - not getting too near the edge remembering what had happened to the coastline during the winter!




After about an hour we reached the cafe we were headed for - it was only just mid-day but we decided to eat whilst the going was good and the cafe garden not completely full of others out on the Bank Holiday in the fine weather.

Here is the cafe hidden amongst the plants.

It was hard to chose from the extensive menu...

...but we both chose the fish pie with salad and very tasty it was too eaten in the sunshine of the pretty courtyard.

After lunch we set off for the woods - I loved the way these pretty harts' tongue ferns curled at the tips as they unfurled as did the bracken fronds we noticed too looking for all the world like little sea horse tails I thought!


Our path led along here and we were thrilled with the bluebells we saw but another couple walking the opposite way said that they were even better further up the path.

And indeed they were!  I had never seen quite so many and all that indredible blue which is so difficult to capture and the faint perfume filling the air.  I got a bit carried away with the camera!




We walked for miles and always there were bluebells with an occasional glimpse of the sea a different blue.


They were of course our native bluebells not Spanish ones which are quite different and not this amazing colour see here for more on bluebells and how to tell the difference.

Some were flowering in the open as if they too wanted to enjoy the distant views.


And here and there a crab apple with its lovely blossom - in the distance you can see Golden Cap - not so golden in this picture as the sun wasn't shining on it at that moment - the highest point on the south coast of England.

Back into the woodland again and still the ground was carpeted with the bluebells.




Pure santosha - a walking meditation!



Until eventually we left the woods to come out onto a narrow road which we then followed noticing the number of different wildflowers growing in the verges.

 I noticed bluebells, cow parsley, buttercups, primroses, violets, red campion, purple bugle, yellow deadnettle, periwinkle,and celandines to name but a few.  Unless on foot one rarely notices just how many flowers there are alongside a road.  Somewhere however we must have taken a wrong turn and we came out onto a main road which we had to walk along for a while till we were able to get back onto a footpath - not to be recommended on a Bank Holiday Monday or at any other time I dare say!  Scary with no pathway and no verges either!

We reached home about 5.00 a little later than I had expected and I hastily set forth to ice the Half and Half cake I had made the previous day.  Half and Half cake since my favourite is coffee walnut sponge which Mr M doesn't care for so I had made up a sponge mixture and put half of the mix in one sponge tin and added walnuts to the remaining half to use in the second tin.  When cooked I cut each one in half to be sandwiched together with coffee icing for my walnut one and chocolate for Mr M's half - I'd never win a prize for my cake decorating skills and certainly not if done at great speed whilst waiting for the kettle to boil!


We enjoyed a well earned sit down with our cuppas and a slice of cake each - no candles but a little silver Happy Birthday plaque which I have had for years - no expense spared here when it comes to birthday celebrations!!!

Reaching 70 seemed to me to be more significant than any of the other "Big O" birthdays or even the 21st that had come before - not sure why.  It is definitely not the beginning of the end but bonus time which I intend to use to the full and it is with a positive feeling of new beginnings that I am moving onward and I thought how lucky I am to have reached my three score years and ten and be fit and able to walk for hours, to have my birthday in May the lovliest month of the year, to live in this wonderful part of the country with places like this if not actually on my doorstep then near at hand and to have Mr M who had his 70th years ago fit and well enough to be able to join me on my walks - lucky girl eh?!

Thank you all for your comments on my previous post - I am glad I am not the only one who finds computers a complete mystery!

35 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to you. Looks like you had the most wonderful day.
    Julie xxxx

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  2. Happy Birthday! And what a fabulous way to spend the day. Our bluebells aren't as extensive as that, but lately with the rain on them, the scent has been delicious, but I just can't get a good photo. The dog is getting used to me clicking away, but when I get home to the computer, the blue seems to have disappeared into the green - how does that happen! So lovely to see the drifts properly in pictures :)

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  3. Happy Birthday Jane, so glad you had a lovely day! :)
    v x

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  4. A very happy belated birthday. Your photos of your day are exquisite.

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  5. Such beautiful pictures! I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday.

    Penny
    x

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  6. Happy birthday to you and what a wonderful day you had thank you for sharing it with us xx

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  7. it all looks quite delightful Happy birthday Jane!

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  8. Happy Birthday Jane - what a fabulous walk!
    Thank you for taking us along with you!!

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  9. Congratulations! So glad you had a lovely day, and the cake looks delicious!

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  10. What a perfect day! I had a similar day when I reached that milestone too!

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  11. What a beautiful way to spend your birthday! Those bluebells are absolutely gorgeous :). Happy Birthday to you!

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  12. Happy Birthday, what a blissful day, exactly the kind of thing I would choose to do too. I love the half and half cake, that's the kind of thing I'd do too. I'm glad you had such a lovely time, and I loved hearing how happy you sound. This post is wonderful. And the first two photos are absolutely beautiful. CJ xx

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  13. I am enchanted by your photos of bluebell woods. England must be full of them since I've seen photos on other blogs, too. They grow here, but not in such glorious profusion.
    Happiest of birthdays to you. I love the idea of bonus years - what a great way to look at life. You spent your day just as you chose and that's lovely. The half and half cake is a great idea for my beloved doesn't care for nuts in his cake either, but I like the crunch. Have a wonderful year ahead!

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  14. A belated Happy Birthday to you! Your photos are beautiful, a walking meditation indeed. And may I say, as a 62 year old, I always had you, in my mind's eye, as someone a bit younger than me - your attitude and outlook keep you young, like my other 70- something friends who I regard as my contemporaries. Great that you had such a wonderful day, and many many more of 'em! Lxx

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  15. Very happy birthday. What a memorable way to spend it.

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  16. A very happy belated birthday Jane, and congratulations on your significant birthday. I'm not that far behind you, and your and many other friends of the same generation make this time of our lives rich and interesting and not something to be shied away from. Have a great year!

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  17. Happy Birthday, Jane - and many more to come! The bluebells this year are stunning, aren't they. What a greta way to spend the day.

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  18. Well, Birthday Girl what a lovely day you had! Many Happy Returns!

    Those bluebell woods are gorgeous. I can just see you taking one snap after another!

    Jeanne
    x

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  19. Happy birthday.Its my big 70 next January.I can't really believe it because inside my head I am still 40.Pity my body doesn't feel the same!!Love the photos.

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  20. Happy Birthday! Next January 26th I will turn 70, too...But I think I will not have such a lovely walk in mid-winter!

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  21. Lovely pictures, happy birthday! I envy the fact that you were able to sit outside and eat...its still too cold in Scotland for that! I totally love the idea of your half and half cake <3

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  22. Happy Birthday. What a lovely day you had, blue bells and cake :-)

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  23. Happy Birthday - what a lovely day you had and the cake is a masterpiece of creativity - it is like a 'Jack Spratt' cake and you have given me the idea to make a similar one - coffee for my DH and chocolate for me - as I dislike coffee but he prefers it to chocolate (is that possible!!) The bluebells and wild flowers are beautiful in May - we are just home from Scotland and all the flowers you mentioned are in our woodland garden up there as well as along the verges. Your photo is so cute was it a Christening dress you are in - I don't think I have many photos of myself so young. It is my big 60th birthday coming up this year in July and I have felt quite apprehensive about the milestone as the years seem to fly by now and I want to hold on to more time to enjoy all those little pleasures of life like your walk in the bluebells.

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  24. It looks a wonderful day! Let's hope Ceredigion produces some equally beautiful photohgraphs. Those bluebells are gorgeous by the way so I'm not surprised you had to keep the camera going.

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  25. Happy Birthday Jane! Indeed you are blessed with such lovely surroundings and good health. Your photos are beautiful, I so envy all the walks you take. I am sure I would be 10 pounds lighter if I were to have such beautiful destinations that you have. The cake looks so tasty, sounds delish. I hear you on the '0' thing... I felt proud of turning 50, and accomplished some 'great' things for myself. Just having turned 60 a few months back, again I felt a resurgence of ambition. So many enjoy your writings and photos. thank you for taking the time to do these things for us.

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  26. So sorry I missed your Birthday! Belated Birthday wishes to you Jane. Such a wonderful walk you went on through those bluebell woods and coming home to a lovely home made cake. A perfect birth day. x

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  27. Belated birthday wishes! I am sorry I missed this post and do hope you had a wonderful day, it certainly sounds like you did.

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  28. Belated Birthday Wishes to you! What a lovely way to spend your birthday, walking through the English countryside when it is at it's best!!

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  29. Happy birthday to you - sounds like you had a wonderful day - you can never have too many photo's of bluebells!!! I am ten years younger than you and I could not do the walk you both did - I cannot explain how inadequate that makes me feel - before having my children we were both walkers and used to fit in at least one good walk a week but as soon our oldest child was born that all stopped when it was impossible to carry him when he got older - he simply didn't enjoy the experience - subsequently my husband still walks - he has just bagged a few munroes during our holiday on skye - and I am overweight and riddled with arthritis - I don't want sympathy I just want to say a big WELL DONE

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  30. Sorry I pressed publish my mistake!!! Love the half and half cake xx

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  31. Happy Birthday!
    Wow! Your photos are spectacular. Your day sounds wonderful.
    The bluebells remind me of Texas bluebonnets. Stunning, just stunning to see so many carpeting the woods and ground.

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  32. Happy 70th Birthday, Jane! Wishing you more lovely walks like this one for many years to come. Thank you for taking all of us with you on your special day. It's truly been a pleasure to walk with you through the woods. Beautiful bluebells, I can see myself getting carried away with a camera if I was there. Absolutely love your cake for two - what a brilliant and sweet idea. Perfect birthday!

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  33. Happy, happy Birthday! And where and how better to spend a special day. Those bluebells, wow! We've seen a fair few here but nothing like you've photographed. Wishing you a wonderful next decade x

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  34. Well, I'm only one month and one day late (and sorry for that) in wishing you a very Happy Birthday. I agree 70 is a real milestone and I am sure when I get there (just six more years) I will feel the same. 30, 40, 50 and even 60 were no big deal to me and I've enjoyed them all. But 70 seems like a really big number. I am very happy for you that you had such a lovely day to celebrate this wonderful achievement of having lived all these years. Things certainly have changed a lot in our lifetimes haven't they! I hope your first month of a new decade has been just as wonderful as this particular day you celebrated it.

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