Midsummer: Why midsummer? Here in the northern hemisphere summer has only just begun (1 June according to meteorological terms, 21 June in astronomical) so midsummer should surely be mid to late July? However, it actually refers to the summer solstice and is regarded as a very important holiday in the Scandinavian countries – 24 June this year in case you are interested.
Tourists have arrived now in their hundreds. Usually during this month the Ludlow Arts Festival is held, but due to economic reasons there isn’t one this year, a shame as I always enjoy the outdoor Shakespearian play. However there is a Fringe Festival so all sorts of odd things are going on around town.
The lime trees are fully in leaf now and you will notice that the benches are quite crowded today.
Date: June 14 2015
Weather: sunshine, cloud, thundery
Temperature: Warm (18°C)
Time: 13:30 – 18:00 PM
We’re going on a slightly different ‘walk’ today as it is the Secret Gardens opening and, as many of you will already know, I crave a garden so how can I resist a nosey into the backyards of my fellow Ludlovians? You may recognise parts of previous posts as the route covered some of the same ground, just not around the river.
Millennium Green is very busy. Children paddling in the water (on Ludlow Beach) many others sprawled on the lawn where some arty thing is going on. I couldn’t quite make out what was being built, but it was sure colourful.
And I can show you a different view of the river as I am in a garden which backs onto it. A bit too close for comfort in my opinion as this river does flood on occasions.
Some of the lovely summer blooms I encountered.
My final stretch is along Mill Street this time where I find an interesting statue and more evidence of the love of flowers people living here seem to have, as more containers line the front of their houses.
The Cardinal has decided to have a photo project going throughout 2015 – a blogging event, a monthly photo challenge. Find a location near your home, take somewhere between 5-20 photos and post them in a gallery in your blog. Continue to do this every month. The idea is to capture all the changes: the seasons, the weather, different times of the day, some night photography perhaps?
TRAVEL WORDS 
Hmmm, 18 degrees and it’s midsummer. Here today it was 16 degrees in mid-winter and boy was it cold – rainy, foggy and not very nice.
Are those purply blue flowers in the first gallery forget-me-nots? They look like the ones flowering in my garden right now.
Green Alkanet – forget-me-nots finished now. These plants are much taller and the flowers much bluer. I wouldn’t say 18 degrees is warm, but it’s better than the 13-14 we have been having lately
They look similar. I guess temperature is a relative thing.
if you look at a previous month then you will see some forget-me-nots 🙂
https://smallbluegreenwords.wordpress.com/tag/monthlyphotochallenge/#jp-carousel-9965
They are much paler in colour than the ones I grow. So pretty though. I love how delicate they are. Mine are growing in with nasturtiums and the orange and blue together are gorgeous.
The flowers say it all! I love the two garden pictures with the wrought iron seating the best. It might not be very warm outside, but it is certainly colourful and beautiful 🙂
That’s a wonderful garden. I want it!! Hidden away down the side of a house that you can’t even see from the roadside too. I love the secret gardens tour.
It sounds like we both have garden-envy 😉
Some very vibrant photos here Jude, and nice to see Ludlow growing into Summer.
It’s the 21st on Sunday, so after that, it’s back to darker evenings already! I hope we get a ‘real’ summer this year, I’m getting so tired of dull skies.
Regards as always, Pete. x
Thank you Pete 🙂
I love the late evenings, after ten last night before the bat came out! After a fabulous day too. Bit cloudier today and windy, but still warm.
How can you stand it? Doesn’t this make you yearn for your own garden?
Well, I know we can’t afford a house here with a garden so I’ve reconciled myself to that. But yes, a garden is a priority.
Thank you for taking me round Ludlow – it looks so pretty. I think a lot of hard work has gone into those gardens.
I think so too Elaine – some of them are on very steep slopes!
Gardening on a steep slope would be very tiring – a flat garden is the one for me. 🙂
I am in full agreement 🙂
What an ever changing and colourful corner you live in Jude. I was intrigued by the shape those lime trees have been pruned into, and I agree about the worry of living so close to a river…
it’s a little quieter than it usually is at this time of year without the arts festival – that draws in the crowds, but there is always something going on here.
England has so many lovely places to explore. Back in the 50’s I did not see much of UK before I whizzed off to NZ drawn by what I thought was the love of my life. Ah those heady days of my youth!!!!
I saw more in 1990 when I went back for a year.
Did you see the photo I posted especially for you? Chocolate mint – bottom right of the second gallery. I would have loved to have bought it for you, but I know how restrictive the Aussies are about foodstuffs [heehee…]
Thanks Jude I rather think the customs police would swoop on it. I will have to find one over here
Very nice! It’s so “England”. Oh, I’m feeling all nostalgic now. 😦
On another note, I’m looking forward to the solstice so our days start to get longer. 🙂
Grrr… your winter’s are so short (and generally warm) unlike ours 😦
Hoo yeah! That’s a large part of why I moved — first from Canada to England, then to here. Now, if I can just manage to emigrate to a tropical paradise on the equator when retirement rolls around …
People put a lot of work into those gardens! Lovely selection of shots.
Thanks Cardinal, they really do. Some beautiful planting.
You know, you’re going to miss this little town when you do go. It really is delightful. I know… no beach! I absolutely love a poke around at Open Gardens. And I’ve never yet managed to make it to an outdoor Shakespeare play, though they do have them at Durham (I think!) I’ve never lived 🙂
You could be right Jo, but it is a town for oldies and I wonder what will happen to it once the next generation have gone. Most young people still have to leave Shropshire to find work as it is a very rural county. And I need a new place to explore 😀
A town for oldies? Budge up! 🙂 🙂
Very picturesque. It sounds like a lovely walk and time to be there.
Years ago, I’d just bought a house and soon after received a letter to be part of an Open Gardens weekend. I declined as the garden was entirely the work of the man who I bought the house from, and I had no idea what many of the plants were. 🙂
Oh, that must have been a lovely garden. Did you become a gardener?
Well, I know more about gardening now than I did before. 🙂
😀