News & Updates from Carol Dunne · Page 9

Last weekend my local art group had there Spring Exhibition. The weather was lovely and we had a really good turn out. I sold quite a few cards and hand made jewellery items.

Some local people thought our homemade cakes were so good that they came back just for the cakes.At least we can do some things right.

The tree you can see in the photo looks like a blossom tree. nothing could be further from the truth.

Underneath all the foliage and flowers is a dead tree.

It was cut back a couple of years ago and then the ivy took over, which is all the greenery.Then about 18 months ago we planted two clematis montana, a white one and a pale pink one.

They have both shot right up to the top of the tree, I cant believe how fast it has grown.

If you come into our road you really would think that it is a huge blossom tree. I am so pleased with how it looks.

For the last 15 years I have been nurturing my tree peonie and usually I get about 5 flowers, the most I have ever had in the past is six.

This year I have fifteen spectacular flowers all as big as dinner plates when they open fully.

The problem is they become so heavy if it rains that some of them snap off and I have to bring them inside and put them in a vase.

Now my peony tree is too big for its present home so I will have to move it somewhere else when it has finished flowering.

Where I live looked beautiful at the beginning of last week, all the magnolia trees where out. They were spectacular.

We are members of the National Trust and quite often go to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales so we thought we would go up there to see the magnolias which are normally fantastic.

We got more than we bargained for in the nicest way. Not only were the magnolias out but The daffodils were still in flower.

Not only that, a lot of the azaelias were also open ( unlike the ones in our garden ), so we had a real treat to see them all open together.

We had a lovely day out.

Why is it that when you come back from a holiday within a week or two it is like it never happened and you have to look back through your photos to remind yourself what you did.

This photo is from a cruise I went on a couple of weeks ago. What a wonderful time but it goes so quickly. This was taken on The island of Roatan just of the coast of Honduras- beautiful place with lovely walks through the trees and over a river.