One of the most annoying things about being a teacher is the long wait to the Summer holidays - hoping and praying that the good weather will last till August; and of course it never does. Hot weather in term time is definitely a mixed blessing, as the students complain endlessly about how hot they are, how they don't want to do any work, and why aren't they allowed to wear shorts. They also get horrendous sunburn on Sports Day as they refuse to put on sun cream. So this year I fully intended to enjoy the freedom of not working and being able to appreciate our early English Summer. It was a bit unfortunate that most of June was the coldest on record, but it did perk up a bit towards the end of the month and so we prepared to put our National Trust membership to full use.
Wakehurst Place is the country residence of Kew gardens, and houses the Millenium Seed bank. The seed exhibition is surprisingly interesting, and the walks are lovely, with amazing roots and rock formations, as well as various wicker sculptures.
Wakehurst Place is the country residence of Kew gardens, and houses the Millenium Seed bank. The seed exhibition is surprisingly interesting, and the walks are lovely, with amazing roots and rock formations, as well as various wicker sculptures.
This was also the perfect opportunity for Christopher to wear his tie dye shirt from Skye batik, and for me to practise my photography - really trying to get those natural wildlife shots, with mixed success.
The ducks at Wakehurst are extremely assertive. They swam across the lake to demand food from us, and were utterly disgusted that we had nothing for them.
Being National Trust members is a retirement delight as it means we can visit gardens and then revisit them. We went to Mottisfont in February to have a look at the winter garden and then again last week to look at the roses. Here are a couple of pictures of then and now.
Being National Trust members is a retirement delight as it means we can visit gardens and then revisit them. We went to Mottisfont in February to have a look at the winter garden and then again last week to look at the roses. Here are a couple of pictures of then and now.
I have been on one particularly special visit this month - it was to a place that is not usually open to the public, but I had coffee there, and then had a tour of the greenhouse and polytunnel and was also able to see a fine display of flowers and vegetables. Have you guessed where it is? Yes, Christopher's allotment.
The allotment has many facilities including sheds, a stove, coffee table and patio, which I made the most of.
This was a charming and exclusive visit. I also had the pleasure of being referred to as 'Mrs Chris'; so I know my place in the allotment hierarchy.
So, from one superbly kept plot to another - if on a slightly grander scale. West Dean Gardens have some beautiful old glasshouses where they cultivate some outstanding displays of fruit, vegetables and flowers. Unfortunately West Dean is not a part of the National Trust, so we actually had to pay to go in, but it is well worth the £8.25.
I wore my 1970s vintage shirt in order to blend in with the flora.
West Dean grows over 250 varieties of chilli, but one visiting couple refused to look at them because 'they only use three chillies a year'. Well I don't use many begonias, but I still looked at all of them. The walled kitchen garden is really something to behold.
I think I will make a return visit to Christopher's allotment, but he really needs to raise the standard of his catering - I will be expecting scones next time!