Very cold Sunday morning but intense blue sky.

Another spot you've managed to find on your outings/walks, Julia. Is this one of your favoured ones? Looks like its in a nice setting too. Lovely structure in the trees you've captured too.
Gosh, it's a thought isn't it? Recalling how our lawns suffered past summer! Your current pic looks fab, the dense green colour of the evergreens and the touches of vivid orange and pink colour in between...
I zoomed in on your magnolia, it's really starting to bud up!

Thanks for showing us some photos from your "new" coffee venue, Julia!

Your Magnolia should come back with more vigour, like roses do when they are hard pruned. I know of a Magnolia tree that is more the 60 years old & that was pruned, I don't think cut back by someone more or less ignorant, but done by someone with knowledge of how to go about pruning correctly. The branches were enormous & reached down almost to the ground. The house has been sold at least twice in the last 10 years but the new owners have kept the tree. I felt anxious for the poor tree each time the house was sold but this last buyer had it pruned by an understanding gardener. It had some major surgery & at first I was afraid it might not survive but survive it did & has flowered beautifully every year. I take a few pictures of the tree every year & even make a point of going there on purpose to take some photos. It's just a few doors from where my girlfriend, back at the beginning of the 60s, used to live.

Interesting trees on your walk. I thought the island 'erection' looked a bit like a scaffold at a quick glance! Last summer seems a while away now. Your border is very attractive with or without green grass, Meadow. I have been thinking about adding some 'tropical' effect plants to my border but I suspect they wouldn't enjoy cold clay in the winter.

Not much idea about the moles, Meadow. I noticed they are popping up in next-door's front garden lawn now so I think we have to wait it out until they move on. OH is talking about extending our back borders to cover their hills area. Not sure how that would work as he likes straight lines! They are all through our current borders and the grass is soft from their burrowing :(

That looks a nice place even if just for a wander and coffee, I'm always happiest when visiting these sort of garden centres, when they have well established trees and shrubs you can get a proper idea of what will work in ones own garden, whether suitable or not...Lovely photographs Julia....

I love looking at trees, whatever they are and I especially like the weeping silver birch.

Meadowland your photos are beautiful. What a lovely sunny day you had for your outing as well.

Re the moles I have tried out the tip about those little kids' windmills. They do seem to be working - no new hills have appeared for weeks.
Ange I agree about the scaffold - it reminded me of a guillotine!!