Tag Archives: gardening

The Year of the Parsnip

Posted on April 25, 2021 by BarryH

This is the Year of the Ox, to be precise, the Year of the Metal Ox. It began on 12 February and replaced the Year of the Rat. At least for the Chinese. For me, 1 March marked the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Health and humour, Nature, Photography, Reflections, Spring, Wales, Weather | Tagged cancelled flights, Covid-19, flowers, gardening, Greece, parsnips, psychology, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, spring, vegetables | Leave a comment

All change

Posted on December 15, 2018 by BarryH

Back from Greece. Very soon off to the Canadian Rockies. But before I go, a sample of the brilliant autumn in the UK this year. As a planner by temperament as well as former profession, about 15 years ago I … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, extreme gardening, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged acers, autumn, autumn colour, gardening, maples, Pontypool, Wales | 2 Comments

From Symi to my back garden

Posted on August 21, 2018 by BarryH

I’ve been experimenting with the technology to record some of the treks I’ve been doing on Symi, using a combination of apps to record routes and then create a 3D ‘fly-over’ incorporating photos taken along the way. It’s not entirely … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Uncategorized, Wales, Weather, Wildlife | Tagged cabbage white butterflies, caterpillars, drought, Eyed Hawk-moth, gardening, goldfinch, Greece, Kokkimedes, monasteries, mountains, Nimborios, photography, Pontypool, rainbow, Stavros Polemou, Symi, Symi walks, trekking, Wales, wildlife, yucca | 7 Comments

Escape to the sun

Posted on April 5, 2014 by BarryH

Apart from putting forward the ridiculous hypothesis that Jesus once visited Britain, William Blake’s poetic reference to “England’s green and pleasant land”, with specific reference to “mountains green” and “pleasant pastures” , ignores the fact that it is only so … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Grey Britain, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Reflections, Spring | Tagged Dragon Lily, escape, gardening, Greece, Grey Britain, poppies, potatoes, pub lunch, Sunshine, William Blake | 4 Comments

Greece: preparations, stay cool

Posted on March 17, 2014 by BarryH

It is now only 3 weeks before I fly to Greece. Preparations have to be made for leaving behind house and garden, friends and family. With a sudden outbreak of dry if not reliably sunny weather I have been concentrating … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Health and humour, Hiking, Mountains | Tagged American Independence, bladder infection, foreign language, gardening, Greece, Greek medical services, growing vegetables, ill health, laying paths, medical services, Record weather, summer, Symi, thistles, Tilos, vegetable garden, wet winter | 1 Comment

Brecon Beacons: waterfalls and pleasures revisited.

Posted on August 16, 2013 by BarryH

For over two weeks now I’ve been non-stop busy in the garden. The physically most demanding job has been cutting hedges because some of them are 15-20 feet high. That means erecting, dismantling (English is sometimes very strange, why not … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Wales | Tagged adventure, aqua tramping, brecon beacons, brecon beacons national park, courgettes, fasolakia, french beans, gardening, Glossop, greek dishes, Hayfield, Hepste, litigation, Mellte, Nedd Fechan, Peak District, Pontypool Folly Tower, potatoes, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Pannwr, Sgwd yr Eira, trig point, waterfall country, waterfalls | Leave a comment

Tilos: images, looking back.

Posted on August 9, 2013 by BarryH

I’m back home now and trying to sort out my garden and come to terms with the vagaries of British weather. The vegetables would have shrivelled and died if a friend hadn’t watered them for me in the heat and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Greece, Landscape, Mountains, Nature | Tagged castles, cliffs, courgettes, drought, flotsam and jetsam, french beans, frescoes, gardening, Greece, Megalo Horio, Mikro Horio, mountain spring, mountains, nature, Nisyros, potatoes, rain, St Christopher, Symi, Tilos | Leave a comment

No wild walks in Greece: taking a positive view.

Posted on June 11, 2013 by BarryH

One of the inevitable consequences of spending the last three summers trekking in Greece has been that the garden has been neglected. It’s about ¼ acre, a lot to neglect. Many people living nearby have moved as they got … Continue reading →

Posted in Pontypool, Spring, Wales | Tagged acer glade, acers, aquilegia vulgaris, fruit, gardening, growing fruit, growing vegetables, iris, soft fruit, stone terraces, vegetable garden, vegetables, Welsh Poppy | Leave a comment

Greece: on the edge

Posted on April 27, 2013 by BarryH

Apologies. The last week or so I have been rushing around like the proverbial, if biologically unidentified, blue arsed fly. Constantly under time pressure. The main reason for being in Grey Britain these days is to be with family and … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged brecon beacons national park, gardening, gardens, Garn Wen, Greece, growing season, Mynydd Garn Wen, plants, triangulation pillars, trig point, trig points, vegetables, Wales, Welsh, welsh name | 1 Comment

November Daily Blog 28: Rough-dug and ready for winter

Posted on November 28, 2012 by BarryH

Completely different feel to the day from the outset on Wednesday as if the grey and the wet of the past weeks belonged somewhere else, to another time. Blue sky and cold air greeted me as I left the house … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, extreme gardening, Winter | Tagged buses, frost, garages, gardening | 1 Comment