Saturday 3rd May
Today we met up with Anna & Brian, some friends from Australia who we had not seen for 24 years when Anna did a teacher exchange.
We all enjoyed a sunny afternoon at Temple Newsam.

Anna was keen to see bluebells in the woods and they were out in abundance here.

The greenhouses were full of colour and the scents were lovely.

Monday 28th April
After having lunch at The Nelson Inn at Hampsthwaite, we parked at Ripley and followed part of the Nidderdale Greenway for a couple of miles. The path follows the old railway line beside the River Nidd.

The celandines and bluebells were reaching their colourful best here and we could hear lots of birds in the trees.

It was the warmest day that we have had for a while and we saw several butterflies including this Orange Tip.

Easter Weekend Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th April
We spent the weekend in Altrincham with Russell & Christine. Our first visit was to Alderley Edge where we enjoyed lovely walks through ancient forests at the top of a hill that afforded distant views in all directions.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/alderley-edge/

At nearby Hare Hill, we explored the well established gardens and were fortunate to see many spring flowers including this stunning rhododendron.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hare-hill

Later in the afternoon we visited Nether Alderley Mill, arriving just in time for the final tour and there was just the 4 of us in the group. It was built in the 15th century and was restored only recently.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nether-alderley-mill/

On Sunday we drove to Crosby near Liverpool to view the Antony Gormley sculptures. There are 100 life-sized figures along 3km of beach. They have a kind of eerie presence as they stand gazing out to sea.
www.visitliverpool.com/things-to-do/another-place-by-antony-gormley-p160981

Speke Hall just south of Liverpool was our final destination. It is a Tudor timber framed Manor House which was updated when Victorian Arts & Crafts were fashionable. It is an interesting mix of the styles built round a large square courtyard. We left at closing time but did not manage to see it all.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/speke-hall/

Sunday 13th April
Today we visited the Harlow Carr Spring Gardening Weekend and enjoyed a cookery demonstration by Lionel Strub which was supported by the gardeners talking about herbs and vegetables.

In the Learning Centre several Garden Societies had displays and were offering advice. The gardens were looking very well cared for and there were lots of other exhibitions around the grounds.

Sunday 30th March
Russell and Christine came over for Mothering Sunday and we went for a walk through Hetchell Woods.

At the far end of the woods we explored the rounded hills of Pompocali.

On our way back we chose the high path to the top of the crags.

The wood anemones were in full bloom in all the open spaces.

Thursday 20th March
We crossed over to Hong Kong Island on the Star Ferry and as we were early it was fairly quiet.

Rather than climb the steep streets, we used the mid level escalator as far as Hollywood Road. As we were walking along here, looking at the antique shops, we came across this artist who was working by the side of the pavement. We watched him complete one picture and we liked it so much we bought it.

Cat Street is the well known market area at the end of Hollywood Road and we spent some time browsing the stalls and shops.

As we were returning we passed this tree right in the middle of the bustle of the shops and houses.

The walkway along Connaught Road allowed us to enjoy the views of the gardens while avoiding the heavy traffic below.

This will be our last post as we are returning to the UK tomorrow. 

Wednesday 19th March
We visited the Hong Kong Museum of History which was opened in 2001. We spent a couple of hours looking at scenes from Hong Kong's past.

We then crossed the square to the Science Museum next door and enjoyed some time with the hands-on exhibits there.

A walk through the shopping streets brought us to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. We concentrated on viewing the contemporary work on display.

The Art Museum gardens lead on to the Avenue of the Stars on the waterfront, which celebrates China's movie stars. We hadn't heard of any of them except Bruce Lee.