Pyramidal

Travelling down on Thursday I am staying with my sister S and family for a few days. Today is my birthday, one of those big ones with a zero at the end. And great nephew A had his first Teen birthday this week, so a celebratory day was in order.

Appropriately the sun was up this morning and it actually felt warm - like Summer ! I wandered into the garden to feel the warmth. I am not a cat person, but next door’s kitten (a Maine Coon apparently) came over to say hello. The butterflies decided to come out for the first time this year as well - tortoiseshell, red admiral, gatekeeper, large white, meadow brown). So that was all a good start to the day.

Early afternoon we went out for a meal - which was very good. Afterwards we went around the corner to the Dorset Forge. Sculptor Martin Galbavy specialises in figures constructed out of old redundant tools, and was happy to show us around. The huge figure of a soldier is heading to Belgium then Normandy this autumn.

We then travelled to nearby Sherborne Abbey. A lovely town, and a magnificent church with some of the best fan vaulting in the country.

To round off the day this evening I walked with BiL P to a nearby farm. We could hear the young owlets screeching in the barn and in the diminishing light took a few pics of a hunting owl on our return journey.

The main image is one of the pyramidal orchids growing under the fruit trees in my sister’s garden. They’ve emerged since they stopped cutting the grass regularly in this part of their garden ( I’m not envious). I’ve added extras.

So a very good day. Bittersweet of course, but I’ve been very well looked after.

I am going to be very behind looking at blips.