A Coach Trip to Lincolnshire with four days of visits

 Mr S and I took advantage of a trip leaving our locality and with fine weather for the whole duration enjoyed a few days visiting some enchanting places.  We stayed at Old Barn Hotel near Grantham, which is situated amongst the agricultural area.  The meals were excellent and for company in the evenings we chatted with other people and also other hotel guests.  The coach was supplied by Somerset Company Bakers Dolphin, and we had an excellent driver.

It was quite strange to stop over in Stratford on Avon on the Bank Holiday Monday, but very enjoyable to sit and have out picnic lunch which we grabbed from food hall at M & S.  After watching a group of Morris Dancers, we popped into The Guild Chapel to remind us of its beauty.  

Our first day of visits including a guided tour of Lincolnshire Cathedral following a tour of the city by Coach.  

And of course The Lincoln Imp was pointed out, together with the story  that led to a local goldsmith James Usher making his fortune selling Imp jewellery. 

There was so much to see in the Cathedral, and an afternoon was not quite enough.  However I was totally bowled over by the longest and darkest table I have seen. It is 13 metres long, it took my breath away! It is made of Fenland Black Oak found in the Fens from a tree that was growing over five thousand years ago. 

 

Day three consisted of visiting the delightful town of Stamford in the morning, and I am sure that there are many people who would love to live there.  We enjoyed walking around, chatting to people and in particular a lady tending to her beautiful front garden. 

People I know would understand why I had to take a picture of 'Freckleface'!

We found a great place to sit outside a chocolatier and have drinks out in the traffic free lane sitting in the sun.  Later we discovered a quality local baker: Hambleton Bakery, which sold 'real bread'.  I was intrigued by a local bake 'Rutland Pippin', and that was amongst the things we bought from that shop, and very tasty it was!  Mr S bought a lovely belt made in England, and was delighted as his other two were ready for the srcap heap.

In the afternoon we visited.Burghley House. It was  magnificent, with so many treasurers.

Bow Room Burghley House

After a delicious cream tea in the Orangery, it was time to explore the gardens.  We really did not have sufficient time to do them justice, and enjoyed the Garden of Surprises and the Sculpture Garden.

The amusing thing is that I nearly got locked into the special Exhibition in the Brewhouse, where I was engrossed in the Treasury Exhibition.  Mr S had gone out to the shop, and was looking for me when the place was being locked up.  

This is a 19th Century Chinese Dragon Boat where all the blue on the ship's hull and other small areas is made up of Kingfisher feathers.  The detail on this small boat was exquisite...

This is one of a pair of gold filigree vases, made in England in about 1675, with diamond and turquoise collars: absolutely spectacular.

The following day we made the most of our visit to Springfields, and rather than look round their shops headed straight for the Festival Gardens, where we wandered around before lunch 'The Kitchen'.

In the afternoon we spent the afternoon at The Belton Estate. Belton House is surrounded by formal gardens and has loads of flamboyant interiors.  I think I was slightly 'housed' out by the time we arrived here, but noted some very beautiful oriental furniture and artifacts.  I would definitely recommend visiting this area of Lincolnshire, but do allow plenty of time.

On our way home, on the last day we visited Sir Issac Newton's birth place and where he grew up.  Here is Woolsthorpe Manor and in the foreground the famous Apple Tree which is one of fifty Great British Trees.

Not everything always goes smoothly: on the way home we had no air conditioning on the coach, but luckily I had packed my fan.  We had a stop off in Oxford on the way home with a couple of hours at the Ashmolean Museum.  We used to visit that frequently and once again I gravitated to the antiquities of Crete, and then ceramics of China and Japan. 

Although we had a taxi to the station, and were on tenterhooks waiting for it to arrive, in the end ten minutes late, we decided to walk home.  It was certainly a well filled holiday, with the advantage that we had no driving.  

In a Vase on Monday

Instead of placing today's vase on the mantlepiece, I've placed the taller arrangement on the hearth.  On the mantle piece I couldn't see down into the spathe and see the beautiful contrasting spadix.  

Last year when I saw a plant for sale at a reasonable price up at The Rocky Mountain Nursery, I decided to get one.  It is one of those plants that evoke many memories, and I know that it does well, as it is found in many front gardens in the vicinity.   It also doesn't mind the damp, which is a good thing as yesterday we had a stream of water following one of our footpaths.  We had the heaviest downfalls I have ever experienced: raining dogs and dogs!

I'm really delighted to be able to cut these 'not lilies' from our garden. My mother used to use these a lot in her floristry in the tropics as the flowers lasted quite well in the heat. 

                          

Zantedeschia aethiopica, leaves of Arum italicum 'Marmoratum, and some unflowering stems of Sedum spectabile make up today's green and white vase. .  At times he has been in the garden or even in the conservatory but Doggie seems to have taken up the position here for some time.

I'm posting with others at Cathy's where there will be many more vases and tales to enjoy.

https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2024/05/27/in-a-vase-on-monday-on-its-way/

May in the garden - Six things for 'Six on Saturday'

My garden, unlike Jim's who now hosts this weekly trot round the garden to find six things to mention, is not 'visitor' worthy at the moment. The front garden may appeal to plants people or visitors on the close.  Jim is opening his garden this summer, bless him, he is working hard to get it in perfect form.Jim is opening his garden this summer, bless him, he is working hard to get it in perfect form.

1. Close to where we sit and have lunch in the back garden is a tub which has had the same planting for the past three years.  The Nemesia Wisley Vanilla are into their third year and are wafting their scent around in that sheltered corner, under the Corkscrew willow: Salix matsudana 'Tortusa'.

Nemesia Wisley Vanilla into their third year

2.We were sitting at the Blue Table having lunch and there was the smallest of spiders crawling across the table.  It was quite content and stayed there whilst I rushed inside and picked up the phone. It is probably Araniella cucurbitina.

Cucumber Green Orb Spider

I've been doing a major edit in the back garden, and have dug out some things which are either not performing, or just not working in the garden, gone are the two pear trees, and the large Garrya elliptica which has not borne a single tassel over the past years.  

Therefore for the rest will be from the front 'Mediterranean Garden'.

3. The two shrubs of Phlomis fruticosa Bourgaie are the largest shrubs in the area by the window.

Phlomis fruticosa Bourgaie

4. Behind it and rather being overwhelmed at present, are the Tulip sprengeri.  I really ought to move them to the sunnier side of the shrubs.  Just how deep will they have sunk?  Has anyone any experience of digging them up?   There are too many tulips in too tight a clump and in any case they need to be spread out a little.  When the foliage has died down I shall have a go. These too were sown from seed given to me from a friend's garden.

5. Along the south side of the house this 'Mediterranean themed' garden extends along a narrow bed.

Just to the left of this is another shrubby Phlomis which is  a sophisticated pink number: Phlomis pupurea 'Matagallo'. 

With its silver stems and leaves it is probably my favourite Phlomis, though it is a little tall, and I ought to cut it well back to allow the younger shoots to come through for next year, after the flowering is over.  This is another shrub that I grew from seed bought from Chiltern Seeds, though they do not seem to stock this at present.

 

Phlomis pupurea 'Matagallo' amongst grasses and Irises

6. Right up by the front door, should any elephant happen to be passing, it would go straight for this succulent: Portulacaria afra or elephant bush plant.

It feels as if Summer has arrived, a coolish British Summer though. I've had to fast forward through Chelsea on the TV, it seemed to be all about the presenters and just how many do they need?  Gave up in the end, I want to see gardens and plants and not hear about all the messages etc.  Is there an episode or somewhere to view the gardens?

Rose Grace - In a Vase on Monday

Three stems of Rose Grace are held nicely in a pin holder, and only needed a little extra which came courtesy of some trimmings from the dwarf golden mop which grows in a pot.   

Early this morning as I walked to change the water in the bird bath, I noticed that the earliest of the Rose Grace needed dead heading.  A couple of hours later as we were having our breakfast in the conservatory Mr S pointed out the small wren visiting the shoots on another rose picking off all the greenfly.  This year there seems to be a balance in the garden with plenty of ladybirds getting out of hibernation early, and now with their larvae in good quantities as well as the small birds picking off the bugs, there seems to be no outbreak of bugs this year so far.

Today's post is linked like others featuring material from the garden over at Cathy's 'Rambling in The Garden' blog, and anyone is welcome to join in, and I do love to read in the comments what you think of my contributions too. 

Mid May in the Garden - Six on Saturday

I can't believe how quickly one forgets all those beautiful snowdrops and even wonder where they were.  Finding spots where to plant other things becomes tricky!  I think the garden has too much, and it is a question of editing, which I may cover next week.  Here are six topics to share and as usual these are linked into Jim our 'Master Gardener', where should you wish to find out what real gardeners are up to, I am sure you will find much to inspire and entertain you.

1. For the summer months, all the succulents  are decanted from the conservatory, either to around the house or out into the garden.  For now 'The Shelf' is home to as many as I could fit on it

2. Until just recently 'The Shelf' had been  home to the auriculas.  Now these have been moved to the shady side wall, and the last to flower is Primula 'Robert Lee'.  Although it is nice to have a late one like this, the ideal would be to have five varieties that flower at about the same time to have that wow factor.  The lopsided effect is on account of it having few leaves blackened at the base, most probably from too much rain.  I've since cut the crown and bloom off as I could see some healthy side shoots, and am hoping that will save the plant.  The flower stem and flowers are really strong. 

3. When the sun is shining and skies are blue, a little white lace goes a long way as in this Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’.  Although the flowering period is brief this stands out nicely in the narrow patch in the front garden between us and our neighbours, who gladly accept my gardening of both sides of the boundary.

Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’

 4. At the HPS plant sale earlier this year, someone arrived with a tree peony that they had grown from seed. I had no idea what its flower would be like, or where I would put it in the garden, I hadn't even any experience of growing these, but I did like the leaves!  An impulse buy which I justified as being a £10 donation to the HPS.  Here is the bloom: any ideas?

5. The front is looking quite smart with a variety of shrubs such as this cistus, which help with the 'Mediterranean Look'.  I don't water any of the garden and they are ideal on the sunny and very clayey soil.

Amongst the shrubs,  these aquilegia just self sowed themselves from somewhere, and since I like them I have left them to do their thing.  I quite like their leaves even when not in flower.

One of the things I have kept on top of this year is the clipping of the Golden Lonicera which are just curvy mounds.

6.  I'm late sowing vegetable seeds this year, but I have forgiven myself.  However I was very pleased I repotted up the sweet peas individually.  

Individually potted Sweet Peas ready to be planted

Mandy slipped in a packet of seeds of 'Mrs Bernard Jones' into her Christmas Card.  I had about twice as many plants as I had room for so when my friend Maggie who has just moved in nearby said that she would be missing her Sweet Peas, my dilemma of having too many was solved. Here am I with Maggie, Janette and Jane, took together showing off our Willow Obelisks. , which we had made at a workshop held at another friend Alison whom I had met through In a Vase on Monday and who now runs a local flower farm.

I am striving to plant out pots, and reduce their numbers as the garden was starting to look like a plant nursery.  Also this week, I passed over all my carnivorous plants: all different forms of Sarracenias to my neighbour's two sons, and was completely surprised by how excited young teenagers were to take them over. 

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and this time Mr S came

Isn't it strange, I could be sure that Mr S came with me the first time I went to these beautiful gardens.  Just to prove that this time he came....

It was a chilly but dry day, and I think we just about went everywhere.  They were at least a couple of weeks behind in the flowering time compared to the south face of the Mendips, which quite surprised me at the gardens are further south and closer to the sea.

The long border had yet to have much on interest, but there were some rather lovely plantings in other parts of the garden, and several plants of interest:

Spirea trilobata with it attractive fresh green leaves had a great form. Of course the flowers are yet to come. 

Deutzia x rosea 'Cherry Dream has an elegance in form and the most striking of flowers.

More to follow......

Poppy Seed and Rye Bread

 Late yesterday evening, these three beauties came out of the oven.  I was inspired to try these when I read a post by another member of Bake with Jack Home Baker's Club, who had posted on the forum about trying these loaves again.  I haven't yet tried all the special recipes that Jack had videoed, and as a relatively new member of the club, one is able to access all the breads since this club and forum was launched.  

I didn't have shop bought poppy seeds, but I did have a large bowl of the seed heads from last year's poppies in a bowl on the sideboard and these were emptied.  The seeds are a little finer that the commercially available seeds, but fine.  In the absence of J Cloths for the dampening of the bread prior to rolling them in more poppy seeds, I dampened a piece of muslin and this did the trick beautifully.  The smell is divine, and two are in the freezer and we shall be tasting the other at our tapas style lunch today.  Mr S is going in for his '252'  at his archery club this morning!