Great Chalfield Manor - Part I

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you.... the SUN! 

After weeks of rain clouding the sky and my temper, the light returned to the West Country today. I dare guess that it was not only my soul that shrieked with delight, and for all the visitors at the annual plant sale at Great Chalfield Manor, this weather certainly was a welcome surprise.

Please click on the horizontal images in this post, to view the entire image 

(the right-hand side is somewhat "chopped" otherwise).

Great Chalfield Manor is a historic English country house, built in the 15th century. 

(Read more about Great Chalfield Manor here, here or here.)

The fact that it is just down the road from us and this is my first visit, 

is as surprising as it is scandalous!

(The black "dots" in the grass above are black tulips.)

The gardens are a mix of formal borders, lawns and shaped yew trees, 

and more informal areas, like this lovely wild flower meadow 

in the apple orchard at the back of the house.

This is a beautiful Medieval house with a high wow-factor, 

and the wisterias, rambling roses and other climbing beauties 

hugging its exterior, marry these ancient walls so, so well...

Some gardens just have that special little extra... 

... that thing which makes them a meditative, tranquil and soul-nurturing place to be...

h

... and would not life look rather lovely if contemplated from this bench? 

And what would an old English garden be without its lovely stone walls?

I  love the dual character of these gardens, for example here where we stand in a formal, 

"clean-shaven" spot, looking out into the orchard and the tall grass of the wild meadow.

And yes, I confess to having been a little snap-happy on this lovely sunny Sunday, 

so I have split the photos into two blog posts not to exhaust you...

But, for now, I wish you a lovely start to the new week 

and hope your paths take you through some wonderfully wild meadows!

Helena

Furry flower fantasies...

Dearest readers,

Thank you SO much for all your kind words about my sister-in-law's garden. 

I have passed on your praise to her.

***

I keep getting cheerful sunshine reports from friends back home in Sweden, and I join in their delight over sun-blushed cheeks and merry BBQ parties. However, here in the UK, things are little different...

No, this is not a ford, this is a normal road between two fields...

The River Avon, normally low beneath the - now invisible - arches of the stone bridge in the foreground... has recently flooded horribly, and what here looks like a large lake, is normally a field with horses grazing peacefully... This tends to happen here, hence the raised pedestrian wooden path. These photos were taken two days ago, and already yesterday, the water had started clearing up, and parts of the field were visible again.

No, there is NO lake in the grounds of Lacock Abbey, even though seeing this flooded field here makes me think a lake there would look rather attractive...!

***

... and while the heavens keep pouring bucket after bucket of wetness on us...

... I snuggle up on my sofa wrapped in fake fur, 

tell myself it is NOT autumn, despite the cold and the wet,

occasionally venture out in the garden to bring some

 stems of blue summer hope inside...

Bluebells, nature's own beautiful little ballerinas!

I hope that your week brings sun to your soul 

and that if you are soaked by anything, may it be flower glory!

Helena