DIARY & LINKS

Despite the rather cold and snowy early Easter and rainy weather recently, the garden has been full of Spring flowers. Daffodils, narcissus, grape hyacinths and primroses have all flowered and look so pretty. The new bird feeding station (a lovely Christmas gift from Dawn - thank you!) is attracting lots of the birds which nest in the thick beech hedge which surrounds the gardens. This hedge is looking at its best just now as the new pale green leaves burst out and the bare brown branches are softly clothed again. I planted the tubs and containers at Easter and they are still flowering with a pretty blue, white and yellow colour scheme. The stand of winter hellebores that Mum planted under the oak trees near the "shady lady" statue have been really beautiful this year.

Before long the new season of lilacs, apple blossom and bluebells flowering will be upon us - my favourite of all the special times in the garden. I just think it is a gorgeous palette of colours. I can't remember if this is the "good year" for the lilac trees or not - they follow a 2 year pattern of abundant and then quite sparse flowering.

My beautiful new aquisition for the garden this spring has been a twisted hazel bench, which I have placed under the old apple tree in the corner of the "orchard lawn". I saw it in a local nursery and learned that it is the work of a Welsh craftsman who specialises in making wooden items for gardens, using wood which has grown in a particular way. This then inspires his designs - the twisted hazel branches which form the backrest of the bench grew that way because they were intertwined with a wild clematis apparently. Of course I just had to buy it for Criannan - fascinating and very decorative!

Just some local news about the village. There are some new cafes and businesses in Wooler this year. Two really good ones are the newly refurbished Rendezvous cafe on the Peth which serves organic/free-range food and Breeze - a gorgeous new cafe plus gift shop/gallery on the High Street. Both are highly recommended and serve delicious food of a very high standard for a small place like Wooler! The word on the street is that there will soon be an Indian restaurant on the High Street
too - watch this space!

USEFUL LINKS

The Alnwick Garden | www.alnwickgarden.co.uk

The Fenton Centre | www.fentoncentre.com

Berwick Walls | www.berwick.org.uk

Lindisfarne | www.lindisfarne.org.uk

Holy Island Crossing Times | www.northumberlandlife.org/

The Oxford Farm | www.oxfordfarmshop.co.uk

Roseden Farm Shop | www.roseden.com

Tankerville Arms | www.tankervillehotel.co.uk

Barter Books | www.barterbooks.co.uk

Wooler Community Website | www.wooler.org.uk

Wooler Golf Club | www.woolergolf.co.uk

G&S Organics | www.gandsorganics.com

Accomodation for walkers| www.bestwalks.com