Wednesday 9th November

Last night we went to a meeting down the road 'The Spirit of Japanese Gardens'. fascinating talk, though of course I knew quite a lot anyway.  Won two prizes in the raffle, and giggled with J and I about the hot tub J had in her garden.  To be truthful I did not expect hot tubs in the village but there are two!  J had gone in search of a donkey in Great Barugh, (you pronounce it Bath, but don't ask why) for the vicar to have in a service, donkeys were no good but the hot tubs were spied in one of the gardens and so they acquired one.

The Imperial Palace gardens photos taken by LS when he went to Japan a few years ago.

'Cloud' bushes

In this photo you can see an island in the water, a theme of Japanese gardens

Always a bridge, but not red, as you will find not only in this country but China as well painted bridges

But to return to the talk, he talked of the 'cloud' shaping of the bushes, the rocks and water of course, the lecturer had constructed a tea house in his garden as well.  One thing, the use of flowers is very limited, the interaction of moss, gravel and stone being more important.  LS has had problems with his moss so, carefully transplanted, the hens and the blackbirds just turf it over, so it has been netted to secure it.  The natural world is venerated in Japan, he showed us a photo of an old stump of a tree with a great rope around it, and people would say their prayers to it, there is one at the temple LS used to attend.

Our bridge on which you can meet very large farm machinery or lorries

looking to the Howardian hills, that forms a horseshoe round the Pickering Vale

The long straight lane which Lucy trots along reluctantly