http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org en-gb willowcottagetheatre.org 2012-1-24T00:00:00Z willowcottagetheatre.org http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#111122 January 20th 2012Yesterday was a spring day blue sky bright sunshine and soft air well I know were going to have frost and snow some time but what a wonderful winter its been so far Weve had so many blue tits coal tits and great tits chaffinches nuthatches woodpeckers and robins its a full time job filling the bird feeders A pair of mistle thrushes sing to us as we garden and we hear the wren and many long tail tits as they sing in the blackberry bushes near the greenhouse. A pheasant with clipped wings has adopted us and we hear him squawking as he eats the hellebores. Lizzie has christened him Charles and Kieran is hoping to tame him The garden is looking fantastic and we have been able to keep up with maintenance as well as planting clearing and weeding Kieran is a wonderful help and is becoming expert at pruning and planting as well as the more mundane jobs Sally is working on a new insect hotel bigger and better than the old one which was demolished when the willow shed a large... 2012-1-20 21:27:47 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#98787 After a few little tempests of our own the skies cleared at last for a production of Shakespeare last play The Tempest. The storm which opens the play swept us into the world of Steampunk complete with flying machines and a genuine ships wheel. So much happened in those first few minutes and we were quite astonished to see a QUEEN of Naples And TWO Ariels now twisting together amp now dividing to become two spirits as they obeyed Properos commands. From then on we were hooked And the magic continued as a towering blueblack Caliban radiating danger and futile rage encountered Stephano and Trinculo as neat a double act as you could meet and plotted to kill Prospero.There wasnt a dull moment in this production every character was strong and clear cut this island was indeed full of sweet noise and brilliant colour Prosperos cloak deserved a round of applause of its own so our thanks to Southend Shakespeare Company for a truly magical afternoon. 2011-7-20 11:38:17 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#91554 Loveliest of treesthe cherry nowIs hung with bloom along the bough... and every other tree is showing off for Spring the blossom in the cottage garden is almost overwhelming. Ive never seen the magnolia so magnificentMaybeunlike us they appreciate a cold winter Spring fever has touched the birds too Goldfinches nuthatches tits of all kinds chaffinches and robins surround the feeders while blackbirds thrushes wrens and woodpeckers sing their presence in the hedges. On Sunday Florence Sarahs little dog found a hedgehog in the shed. He wasnt quite ready to wake up so hes been put in a safe house And now About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow Why dont you join me 2011-4-12 11:04:28 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#90768 Yes. we know Spring is here we think but as a reminder of the winter escaped from you might like to have a look at these fairytale pictures taken by John Harvey of the Cottage in winter... This link httpgoo.glTBEXJ will take you there without you having to suffer the temperature changeSee you all soon... 2011-4-1 14:13:09 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#87238 Spring is coming to Willow Cottage The tender shrubs and roses have shed their fleeces birds are singing bees are buzzing and snowdrops are out in force. Last Sunday we had our first visitors of the new season and we hope that the next few Sundays well see many more to cheer us up. Look out for the new yew hedge at the back of the border tulips and daffodils coming up everywhere and in the little treasures bed just outside the cottage the reticulata irises are a small delight. Welcome to all our visitors 2011-2-18 13:56:52 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#69273 2010-7-1 01:12:12 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#69272 Dicks Day and the Beekeepers Meeting are behind us and summer is here. Dicks Day was a great success in spite of a cold wind and massed clouds. The music was beautifulthe poetry inspired and the picnics abundant. The sun came out to light our way home So we shed our fleeces and pretended it was summer. Thanks to Kens very successful classes there were a record number of beekeepers and it was encouraging to see so many young people honing their skills. After a fascinating talk we sat on the lawn and enjoyed the delicious tea with yummy home made cakes provided by Jenny Johns and many other beekeepers. Now we look forward to Henry the Fifth and Cinderella and what a bizarre evening that would be Hope to see you thereProgramme details httpwww.willowcottagetheatre.orgpage2.htm 2010-7-1 01:12:11 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#66401 The missel thrush who built her nest in the antlers of the deer head outside the shed is now raising her second brood and we hope they will fledge before Dicks Day That is next Monday Spring Bank Holiday when we hope the sun will shinethe garden looks beautiful full of scent and colourlook out for a spectacular peony in the round garden.Eds note image rights demanded by the resident missel thrush have proven extortionateso weve had to make do with this snap of a near relative... 2010-5-29 12:17:37 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#64998 ...and the garden is filled with cherry blossom magnolias and rhododendrons all especially beautiful this year after the harsh winter. The whole place is alive with drifts of forget me nots and the blazing colours of tulips. The cupresses trees at the back of the long border are down and already everything looks better for the light and warmth and rain. Trays of seedlings fill the greenhouses waiting to go out as soon as the temperature rises above freezing And weve had many visitors already a great encouragement to us as we do like a bit of appreciationPictured left Bee in training for theEssex Beekeepers Meeting...Saturday June 12th. Garden open at 1 p.m. no entrance fee.. 2010-5-11 01:49:33 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#62512 ...and I can emerge from my winter hibernation in the greenhouse where I have spent an amazing amount of time playing with cuttings and seedlings and pots of soil while wonder women Liz and Sally and other younger gardeners freeze outside in the snow But now the sun is once again warming our backs as we plant prune dig and sow in Willow Cottage garden. The pergola built by Paul Sally Liz Dennis and Neil using dead oaks from the forest looks pretty spectacular and may look even more so when covered by the roses wisteria clematis and grape vine with which it has been planted. In 1952 Dick bought a few cupresses seedlings from Woolworths. They cost 6d each and he planted them at the back of the border. They are now 40 feet high and out of proportion so next week five of them will be felled. In their place will be a yew hedge cloud pruned eventually which will be a deerproof shelter for the plants. Meanwhile the daffodils are out the cherries are coming into bloom and the birds are s... 2010-4-8 10:11:39 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#46795 Normal 0 false false false ENGB XNONE XNONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1behaviorurlieooui Style Definitions table.MsoNormalTable msostylenameTable Normal msotstylerowbandsize0 msotstylecolbandsize0 msostylenoshowyes msostylepriority9... 2009-8-12 01:10:54 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#44162 Normal 0 false false false ENGB XNONE XNONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1behaviorurlieooui Style Definitions table.MsoNormalTable msostylenameTable Normal msotstylerowbandsize0 msotstylecolbandsize0 msostylenoshowyes msostylepriority9... 2009-6-29 00:23:33 http://www.willowcottagetheatre.org/page12.htm#42151 Although our gardeners are more at home with spades and trowels down with keyboards and mice we are hoping they will find time at the end of their tiring but rewarding days to write a few words here on the continuing development of the garden...If they resist my cajoling then youll see the evidence here or rather you wont. To persuade them further I might even threaten a few nonhorticultural posts here myselfDont forget your comments very welcome on any aspect of Willow Cottage Theatre or Garden matters whether covered on this site or not. Please use the Guest Book facility to let us know your thoughts. 2009-5-24 07:46:10