This morning

We have had two sunny days in a row, which is something of an event so far this year.  Making the most of it, I went out in the garden this morning.  Above is the unknown fringed tulip which I didn't plant but which keeps coming back and is very welcome.

I do like a fern and my ferns haven't had much of a focus on my blog.  I have just removed the old leaves, so you can see the new growth so much better.  Above is a Hart's Tongue fern, a British native plant. Such a zingy green!

I have an English bluebell unfurling its flowers.

My Rhodanthemum Casablanca has been repotted and is still flowering - it started to flower in December.

The Japanese Shield Fern has new leaves in this lovely red colour.

Finally, here is my other fern, (I can't remember the name of it) in the border by the hydrangea.  It's a beauty!

Count Arthur Strong - 'And It's Goodnight From Him!'

After a busy day at work, I was looking forward to seeing Count Arthur Strong.  We are big fans of his brand of silliness and it is a great antidote to the depressing elements of the world we are in.  We all need to laugh and Count Arthur enabled us to do just that. He is a bit of a 'marmite' character which people either love or hate, but he has had TV series as well as radio series so there is a lot to enjoy if it's your thing.

There is a good review of the show here which gives a flavour of what to expect. I was crying with laughter quite a lot.  Steve Delaney is a master of his art and this was a real tour de force.  One of my favourite bits was Count Arthur mangling 'back behind the butcher's block' in his own inimitable way.

If you like him, the dates and venues are above.  If you don't know what I am talking about, here's a taste of his comedy (talking to a life insurance salesman) on Youtube and here is one of the fan favourites from one of the TV series (Flying Lesson).

Plants in mid April

While it is tulip time, there are other plants flowering now and bringing colour to the garden.  Above is Clematis Blue Dancer, which has long elegant flowers.

This clematis is Frankie, which looks a deep purple here but is lighter in real life.

Of course there have been tulips and on sunny days, they have opened up fully. Above is Ballerina.

Here are Brown Sugar (and Ballerina in the bottom left.)

Ballerina has such an elegant shape and a fresh lemony scent.

Brown Sugar in a pot, giving a lovely splash of orange.

Apple blossom from my little patio James Grieve.  I am not sure how well this will do this year (or at all) because when we repotted it earlier in the year, it was infested with vine weevil grubs and had lost a lot of its roots.  We shall see.

Erythronium Pagoda which has grown into a good clump now.  

Tulip Ronaldo in a pot, just starting to flower.

Here it is in full flower and looking lovely.

Self sown primulas under the patio table.  There is also a self sown hardy geranium leaf too.

Finally, Magnolia Susan and the lilac tree have been flowering too and I always enjoy seeing them together. The scent on a sunny day is lovely.

Oh What a Lovely War

 A couple of weekends ago we went to Hull Truck Theatre to see Oh What a Lovely War by Black Eyed Theatre .

There are some very quick trailers on Youtube here and here .

The show itself was originally created by the cast at the time in 1963 and interspersed with songs from the time of the First World War.  However, it is (sadly) all too relevant today and the implication is that despite all the wars and conflicts since, the human race has learnt very little from its mistakes. If you would like to know more about the show, here is a link to a Wikipedia entry. 

The cast were all multi-instrumentalists and singers and they really earned their money. The show was moving, thought provoking and intelligent.  While the action was going on, which was extremely slick and well-choreographed, on the screen behind were projected the horrifying numbers of people killed in the various WWI battles.  Our one slight criticism is that the ladies' voices didn't carry so well we missed some of the lyrics from the songs, but none of the cast had microphones which added to the intimate feeling of the show.  

It was definitely a memorable afternoon. There are a couple of reviews of the show here  and here which give a flavour of the show as a whole and this particular revival.  The remaining dates and places on the tour are here.