Anniversary Flowers

Jacinta decided to forego the Anniversary bouquet this.year ... but we celebrated our 23 years with a Grand Day Out instead.  Careful planning ensured the girls were catered for (it has been so difficult to leave them in recent times) so that I could be J's chauffeur for her recorder orchestra concert rehearsal in the little Suffolk village of Bentley.  

While she was tootling alternately on all four recorders (descant, treble, tenor and bass) I struck out for Groton Wood, a Wildlife Trust reserve that proved to be well off the beaten track.  It took a few wrong turns before I pulled up outside this small stand of ancient woodland just as the rain stopped and the clouds began to lift :-)  A pleasant hour was spent among Bluebells, Primroses, Wood Anemones and Violets before I came across a small stand of Early Purple Orchids.  I'm sure there must be many more to come but before they flower they are not easy to spot.  These were just opening their first buds and as if to cast the die for the rest of our day the sun broke through the clouds, lighting the rain soaked flowers for me to share with you.

After the rehearsal (sounded excellent on my return to Bentley) we had a superb meal at the Cookhouse Restaurant at Suffolk Food Hall, a farm based development on the Orwell estuary.  Great food, wonderful company and lovely views .... and a quiet table for two.  (See 'Extra' photo below right.)  The exact time of our marriage vows was marked with a kiss between courses x