A little break

 I'm just back from a week in Austria, spent in a little lakeside town called Zell am See. I travelled with a group from a company called Titan, who offer the luxury of being picked up from home and taken to the Airport.

My hotel was in the town, most of which is pedestrian, so it was easy to wander to and fro, gazing at shops, stopping for a coffee, visiting the church and museum  but best of all strolling down to the lake.

Although there are excursions arranged, you don't have to take part in any or all, and I did opt out of a couple of them, mainly due to a knee problem. I'm on a list for a knee replacement and it is sometimes very painful.

However, this was a lovely way to see the lakeside, on a boat trip. I sat on one of the open decks with a coffee and just enjoyed the calmness, no voice-over commentary, just quiet. A lake is a calming place, taking in the gentle sound of water , enjoying the reflections, people watching.....

A day was spent in Salzburg, a city that my husband and I visited many times. Again, I wandered off and retraced some memories. The huge Cathedral is a very lovely place to sit and drink in the scents of incense   and the sound of background music. The oldest cafe in the city is Tomasellis, and there I went for 'Coffee and Cake' such a popular thing to do. Even on a Sunday there were few tables free.

 It's said that there are no calories on a Sunday!

I had a delicious lunch in a little lakeside restaurant, sunny, warm and welcoming.

 

It was a delightful break, but equally lovely coming back to a garden in full flower. More of that later.

Sitting by a lady at dinner, not someone I had met previously, we chatted about lives and places. She lived in Norfolk, and I said that I knew friends in Norfolk but couldnt remember their address. Musing, I said 'I know Bob and Angela  moved there a few years ago', only to have her cry 'NOT Bob and Angela Almond??'

She knew them well as their churches were not far away. What an amazing coincidence!

In the garden

These cheerful little Bellis Daisies smile at me every time I look out of the kitchen window. They are planted in a very old Cornish granite trough, which is almost impossible to move.

 I do love pink in my garden. This is a branch of an old fashioned Wiegela shrub which I thought had died.....until I cut it hard back and it flourished!

More happy faces. This very bright plant is, I think, Ixia. I can't be sure as it simply arrived one day with no warning, and grew and grew.  

The last photo is bronze Arctotis, much loved by the bees. I also have it in pink. Of course.

Just a little wander through my flower beds.

I'm off on holiday to Austria this coming week. I'll see you all in a couple of weeks time.