Jealous?

Just had a week in the island of Madeira where we strolled in T shirts and open toed sandals and admired the growing conditions. It is their winter and they have fresh crops of potatoes and cabbages. Oh so jealous of the growing conditions! But not of the growing on hillsides where every patch is cultivated and you would be standing at the bottom gardening above your head often!

Gold star for recycling old tyres into steps!

I can see that there are some advantages to living on the flat lands of East Anglia!

Sheringham Park

I took this photos over the early Bank Holiday then did not have time to tell you about the visit. Sheringham Park is a National Trust property on the coast in Norfolk (Near Sheringham, obviously).  Had some bluebells but the heat had nearly done for them but the Rhododendrons were coming out beautifully. 

There were several trees in the lower part of the park with the most beautiful "lattice" bark pattern.

We walked all the way through the park to Weybourne station on the Holt to Sheringham North Norfolk Railway. Look its Thomas!  Packed with excited kids.  We stopped for a while to enjoy the steam trains, a cup of tea and a bench.

Walking back through the park we found just enough energy to climb the viewing tower to look over the trees.

Would recommend a visit, but two things - bank holidays in good weather makes it very, very busy. ~And lots of dog owners who think you all like their mutts and that those long leads are not a trip hazard! If you are not a NT member the car park is £6.

Could not find enough benches in the shade as the place was packed with people, so we popped round the corner to a local Woodland Trust area (Pretty Corner Wood - aptly named) and had a cool rest on the picnic benches on one of the highest points in Norfolk (90 mts) looking out to sea. it was very hazy but there is sea at the bottom of this valley - a small coaster just went by honestly!

Tried to stay out late enough to miss the traffic coming home but so did everyone else so it was a slow crawl back.

Kew Gardens visit

Welcome to new followers!

I am catching up with myself after our long weekend away. Highlight was a day at Kew Gardens where my youngest son, wife and 2 year old joined us for the afternoon (they live in south London).

It was great and I can't wait to go again in another season!  It was £14 each to get in, £1 for a luggage locker for the day and we made the mistake of going in the Orangery for coffee which was expensive. later we joined the family in Four Peaks cafe which was more family orientated and a bit cheaper.

The lake and fountain near Victoria Gate

 The Palm House. the beds were empty ready for winter planting and were immaculate!

 We walked all round looking for the way in, expecting some formal entrance signs. In the end I tried one of the enormous iron and glass doors at random and that was it; you were in! Inside it was hot and steamy and a jungle.

Immediately glasses steamed up, cameras hated it! Husband's went on strike and mine kept turning off in protest.

You can go up spiral staircase to roof and be among the giant palms and bamboos.

My attention was caught by all the food products from these climates - black pepper, mango, sugar cane, bananas, ying yang, ginger.

Outside we wandered under and around the giant trees which were 300 years old plus. 

On the main broad walk we reeled in the perennial beds that have gone in this year. They were on Gardeners World a few weeks ago.  Decided this Himalayan grass was a must to have with our purple Verbena thing too!

Asters! Rudebeckia! wonderful!

 We then visited the Hive. It is a sculpture that has sound and lights reflecting the vibrations/activity in a bee hive somewhere near by. A guide was only too pleased to have a serious discussion with gardeners rather than sighing at the countless children who swarmed (like Bees).

The children loved the central glass hole. Later one of them cracked the glass floor and it was closed for the rest of the afternoon!

 Our grandson's appetite is much better these days and he had a whole cup thing of chips with chicken and a big box of strawberries ( Funny face, think mummy had chilled them a bit too much). His diary intolerance is not holding him back so much now.  The coat is his favourite colour. He is JCB digger insane. He found a mini one down the back where the Temperate house was being repaired and was overjoyed, more so that going on the Tree Top walkway or the Henry Moore sculpture!

 

There was a far amount of running and jumping around for the rest of the afternoon, while my son and I were messing about my camera got knocked across the roadway. That was the end of that. Never mind, we have a spare at home.

And so home - the whole weekend journey involved 2 buses, 8 trains, a tube and a taxi.  When we got off the train we found out our local bus service that runs every 20 mins throughout the day, every day,  has one bus at 6.20 (train missed it by 4 minutes) and one at 8 pm on a Saturday and that is it. What??
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Autumn colours

Hi
Welcome to more new followers.

Lots in the garden coming to an end so it was nice to have two new things to brighten the days.
Autumn crocus - given to us by neighbour and popped in a pot last spring. It has been moved out of "storage" now and is close to the house so I can see it!

Further down our field we have a perennial bed which is definitely fading, but in its middle is this delightful clump of asters.

We visited the Welsh Botanical gardens (near Carmarthen) a few years ago in October and admired their collection of asters. I want more of these. Old fashioned but shining like a beacon at present.

The lilac colour reminds me of the colour of my bridesmaid dresses from October 1976. Yes it is our anniversary in a few days. To celebrate we are going away for a few days. On one day we are going to Kew Gardens! I have wanted to go for years and years. So be prepared for lots of photos of glorious plants!

Open garden and studios event

Have you ever done one of these? We have done Art Trails round amateur/semi professional studios before and have done lots of RHS open garden visits but this one combined our delights!

We decided on Bank holiday Monday to visit Dersingham village event. £5 each to visit up to 17 gardens and 10 were studios too, in support of the new Village Hall. The older part of the village is a delight. Lots of Carstone walls and here a old door into a garden.

This courtyard garden behind a cottage 400 years old built of Carstone (local stone) had super planting. Low maintenance raised beds and gravel/patios - so no grass mowing. Great for retirees.

This cottage garden was behind the Pottery, the wall was very old and bent but gave extra shelter to the garden and the fruit and veg was well advanced.

Monday was dull and there was wicked cold wind, by the time we got to this garden we were having a serious discussion about shelter belts! We loved the entwined willow hedge of this garden with its informal beds. We are tempted as that is achievable in a few years being fast growing.

The owner of this space apologised for the horsetail infestation, but it was not noticeable in the lush growth in this raised bed. So many varieties of Aquilegia and lupins seen in these gardens. 

It was so cold by 3pm we were concentrating on the Art studios so we could pop in out of the cold, and saw some outstanding local pottery, landscape photography, abstract glicee prints, watercolours, acrylics and pastels as well as some sewing!  I refrain from photos of other peoples art work as it their creativity and income!  All were very good.

As we are ordering a "craft cabin" soon we spent some time talking to garden owners about their beach huts (writing room); log cabins (chill out space), converted garages (studio and framing set up) and up market studio sheds and how using them all year round is handled in terms of damp etc. Very informative!

There was no rain here till late Monday night and today it could be winter. Across the road 30 flower pickers were working in the open field from 7 am in a storm with heavy gusts of rain while we hid in bed till late. 

I was glad I recorded by nice bank of lupins last week because now they are beaten down and all out of shape.

This weather will set the veg garden back quite a bit I fear.

Hope you had a nice bank holiday!