Lindsey says to write, "I am having too much fun. I'll write it all when I come back."
It's 7:16 a.m. We just woke up in Oxford, England. How did that happen?
Last summer, my gardening/hiking buddy, Cynthia, proposed that I do a garden tour in England with her. I said that I couldn't go because I'd always told Lindsey that we would someday go to England together. It would break Lindsey's heart if I went with someone else first. My gardening/hiking buddy replied, "Bring her along!" So, here we are: Lindsey & me and Cynthia and Yim (Cynthia's friend) ......
.....in England.
Part of our planning was to purchase Touring Passes from the National Trust. We bought 14 day passes and hope to be seeing many gardens and historic properties while we are here and in Wales. On the way to our bed in the Osney Arms guest house in Oxford, we stopped off at Cliveden Gardens,
After catching the last half hour tour of the house (whew! Yim has been proclaimed our dasher - she dashed in the rain to see if we could get in), we followed our noses around the grounds.
Saw some naked men. I'll spare you the front view of another.
Back on the farm, when Lindsey was young, I traveled vicariously by reading British gardening magazines from the Cobourg Library. In recent years, I often go to bed with Monty Don's Gardeners' World show taking me to gardens around the United Kingdom. England is the only place I have really wanted to visit.
The notion of stiles is not one you come across much in Canada. When we saw this still on the bottom of the great lawn in front of Cliveden House, we knew we had to go over it and see where it would take us.
Well.... it took us down and down and down to the Thames River. This is where Queen Victoria would travel by boat to visit her friend at Cliveden over 100 years ago. Do you see the long boat on the far shore?
Going back up from the river was a more formal affair......
.... and the views were majestic.
We saw a lot of canola fields blooming on our road trip from Heathrow in London. Those lighter green fields - for you non-farmers - are canola.
Coming back up to the main house - which burned down twice and was rebuilt more splendid each time - afforded us some really cool views.
Believe it or not, that is a water tower peaking from behind the house.
We don't know the names of many of the beauties who were blooming yesterday. But, this is a small glimpse of a huge chestnut tree's flowers.
There's a bit better view of that water tower.
Apparently, one of the owners had an identity problem and had to prove that he was a man of means and influence. He brought artifacts back from around the world to include in the rebuilding of the house. There were many carved marble busts of famous people in his front hall. There are also around 6 or 8 Greek sarcophagi on the lawn.
This statue greets visitors near the entry to the long land that leads to the house.
We almost missed this topiary garden and a water garden which was under renovation. Thousands of daffodils were being dug up by volunteers. They were making way for something new at Cliveden: a vegetable garden. Be still my heart!
The skies were beginning to darken as we made our way through the water garden. Nice background for a golden fish? dragon fish?
I'll leave you with these nameless beauties.....
.... and these ones too.
It's time to have a bath in that deep old tub in the bathroom down the hall. I don't have time to tell you about lunch in the orangery and supper in the pub a half hour walk from here in downtown Oxford.
We're Here!
For those of you who subscribe, please check back on your own these next two weeks. My WIX plan does not allow me many email blasts. (smiley face)
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