Sunday, June 26, 2022

Mosaic Monday #182: Bluebells, Tulips, Wisteria - oh my!

 

Lengthy vacations deliver many blessings, including dozens of photos!  This will be my fourth post about our April trip to the UK, and I calculate three more will be required to cover the subject thoroughly!  So, let's stop dithering and get right to it!

One of the numerous aspects I enjoy about the home of my in-laws is the proximity to farm fields and woods.  I often go for a walk, and can always find something to photograph.  I believe the plant at left is a type of Lamium, and it carpeted the woods with its soft foliage and purple flowers peeking out.  Here are just a couple of the other blooming plants.


Birds twittered from the hedgerows, and I was tickled to catch this European Robin in song.  Check out the video.


On May 15, I wrote about my raptor experience.  The post on May 22 covered our visit to Broughton Castle.  Both of these excursions were made from a rented cottage in Long Compton (a village in the Cotswolds).  On the day we arrived, this cake greeted us, a delicacy home-made by the landlady.  Apparently, this is one of her specialties - every guest who made an entry in the guest book lauded her baking!!!


The same day as the raptor experience, we stopped in Stow-on-the-Wold (Holy Place on the Hill).  We popped into a few shops, including a bottle shop.  Just reading the labels of the beers was entertainment, such as the Marshmallow Porter shown below.  Seeing the Tiny Rebel beer was especially amusing since Man with Hat had dressed up as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for the Winter Carnival Parade this year!  (No, we didn't buy it; we slaked our thirst with coffee and cake at a nearby tea shop.)
 
Wisteria bloomed everywhere we went; some of these vines must be nearing their 100th birthday (or more).

Sometimes (ok, almost always) the choice of our lodging hinges upon a pub within walking distance that sports a reputation for good beer and delicious food.  In the case of Long Compton, the Red Lion fit the bill - less than 5 minutes to walk there, and we savored the meals (and the beer!) enough that we went two nights in a row!



England is a photographer's paradise; the Cotswolds are particularly picturesque.  A profusion of spring flowers (especially coming from monochromatic Montana in April) doesn't hurt!





I have written before about church kneelers - 
January 19, 2018 and July 12, 2018.  It is hard to resist taking a picture of every one in a church - and we visit A LOT of churches!


Spousal Unit knows I love a good garden, and it is a favorite activity for my in-laws as well.  So, no surprise that Kiftsgate Court Gardens appeared on our itinerary.  As you can see on the brochure cover, "3 generations of women gardeners" is part of its marketing campaign.  "Our garden was created by my grandmother Heather Muir in the twenties, continued by my mother Diany Binny from 1950 and now looked after by myself and my husband.

"The gardens are a delight for all the senses and there is always something of interest to bring you back time and again.  The upper gardens around the house are planted to give harmonious colour schemes while the sheltered lower gardens recreate the atmosphere of warmer countries.

(I was surprised and delighted to see a whole field of Camas (left in collage above), since I have only rarely seen this plant in the wild in Montana.  Camas provided one of the most prized root crops, and many tribes fought for the right to collect in certain meadows.) 

"The newest addition is a contemporary water garden providing tranquility and order in contrast to the exuberance of the flower gardens."  Anne Chambers   


The Gardens had more than one reflecting pool!!!  Only the idea of keeping my family waiting tore me away from photo after photo!

It is quite common for people to visit gardens for a particular feature; on this day, the Bluebells were the main attraction.  Maybe the few pictures below can give you a taste of their motivation!  Mother Nature bestows such spectacular gifts!



**** I will be out of town for the Fourth of July weekend; Mosaic Monday will return on July 10.  If you live in the US, I wish you a classic holiday with parades, fireworks and a picnic!  

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."  Nelson Mandela

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 


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38 comments:

  1. Your trip to England was indeed wonderful. Looks like you enjoyed a Victoria sponge from the landlady. Gorgeous photos.

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  2. Such wonderful photos and I'm so glad you had such a fun time!

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  3. Dearest Angie,
    it's really amazing what grows in English woods and gardens - all those wonderful colorful groundcovers, like the bluebells and the plants you called "a type of Lamium". (You are absolutely right: My app calls it Spotted Deadnettle - Lamium maculatum.) The old wisteria tendrils are also fantastic. And those houses with thatched roofs or beautiful old shingle roofs and topiary, that's irresistible British charm. Thank you for these beautiful pictures, they bring back memories of good times in England.
    All the best and have a nice weekend (and a great 4th of July too!),
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/06/hochbetrieb-im-lavendel-und-andere-juni.html

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  4. ...Angie, you saw some gorgeous sight on you trip. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. So glad, Angie, you stopped dithering and proceeded to share the beauty that is England in your gorgeous photos. =) Truly astonishing! Imagine being the caretakers of a three generational garden? I can only imagine the beauty in real life. Enjoy your July 4th celebrations.

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  6. Perfectly lovely, Angie!. No wonder your camera was busy clicking in such photogenic places of May in England. Cotswold is my longing. From my English blogfriend. I’ve learned “all flowers on one side of stem nodding downwards and petals curling back fight at the tip” are English Bluebells different from Spanish or hybrid ones. Have a nice Independence Day holiday.

    Yoko

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  7. Beautiful gardens! My link submitted itself before I finished typing my name, but oh well!

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  8. The food, the flowers and the old buildings...oh my indeed! England is a photographer's paradise for sure. Your photos, specially of the cottages, are beautiful!!

    -Soma

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  9. What a lovely post, Angie! England has such beautiful scenery, gardens and delightful pubs, but I'm sure for you and your husband being with family is the best part of your time there. When we visit my husband's family in Italy we always feel the same. Enjoy your next get away and Happy 4th!

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  10. Those flowers are lovely - especially the tulips, the bluebells, the wisteria and those English gardens. Glorious. Thank you for taking us there. I've enjoyed seeing your England. Enjoy your week, stay safe, and thank you again for the linkup.

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  11. Hello Angie,
    Your trip to England looks wonderful. I love all the flowers, the garden with the reflecting pool is lovely. My favorites are the Bluebells and Wisteria. The food and cakes look delicious. Enjoy your 4th of July. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.

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  12. Yes, I believe this journey was fantastic, Angie. A nice German quote says: who goes on a journey has something to tell ... and here I see this. Your fun, your joy is contagious.

    By the way ... you asked about a hedgehog in our garden. Yes, we had. Several! And one of them we called Freddie. He comes every day, you could set your clock to it ... and we feed him.

    Happy MosaicMonday

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  13. Lots of fun in those photos. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week Angie

    much💚love

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  14. You really can appreciate your camera when you see so many beautiful sights! I love the flowers and the buildings and homes look like something out of a fairy tale! WOW!

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  15. Your post offered so much interesting to see Angie! The old houses with straw roof make an idyllic scene, crowned with blooming wisteria. Also the modern pools are impressive and I would love to experience once the forests blooming with bluebells. Wishing you great fourth of July.

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  16. What a delightful post again, Angie! Lovely photos and of course always interesting commentary.

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  17. That cottage with the melty hedge is otherworldly, charming.

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  18. One trip England just isn't enough is it? We are struck by the beautiful gardens, the romantic thatched roofs, and antiquity of the architecture, and finally the history. Oh and the wonderful literary greats who have given us such good reading. You had a wonderful trip.

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  19. Those are the kinds of things I like to do when I’m visiting other places, Angie. I would also check out libraries. The bluebell field is amazing!

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  20. What beautiful photos Angie, the reflecting pools are beautiful as are all the flowers. Love the Cotswolds buildings and the field of bluebells are stunning.

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  21. I have birded in many corners of the UK and enjoyed them all. I can very quickly bring to mind wonderful scenic areas but if I was absolutely charged with picking a favourite, it would be the Cotswolds. I am not sure if this was the inspiration for "The Lark Ascending" but it always seems so to me. In any event Ralph Vaughan Williams was that most quintessential of Englishman and he would have loved the landscape there.

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  22. What a joy to visit the UK in the Springtime with all the beautiful blooms! In 2014 Dear and I enjoyed Kiftsgate after Hidcote and had a double whammie of beautiful gardens to enjoy. Walking to a pub sounds just right, too. We finally hit the buy button and booked a trip to Jolly Old England in September this year, Lord willing. We will stay in Oxford and journey out and about from there. We will be dependent on buses, trains and our own two legs! Hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. Cheers!

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  23. Very beautiful pictures. The Cotswolds houses are so photogenic and the flowers are lovely.

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  24. All so lovely, Angie. So many beautiful scenes captured by your camera. England is most photogenic! I enjoy traveling virtually via your blog!

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  25. Beauty is everywhere in your photos. Nice time and memories, Angie. Thanks for sharing.

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  26. You have a wide eyes open, the Cotswold is the place that I born, it is beautiful. Thanks Angie.

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  27. Those thatched cottages even got me swooning. We had a thatched cottage just up the road from us until a few years ago. The maintenance and eventual replacement costs are such that it was of course changed for a tiled roof. The cottage now looks so ordinary.

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  28. I'd be clicking right along with you to the lament of my husband or children. Unfortunately, I click a lot, but don't always share all the photos I take and then Google is constantly informing me that I've run out of space. :( England is so picturesque -- the thatched houses, lovely gardens and spaces for walking and enjoying. Was so happy to see all the flowers on my walks in the states at the end of May and throughout June. Had to look up camas. Interesting to learn that the bulbs were eaten and used for trade. Love trying out local beers whenever I travel. While in Hattiesburg visiting my mom and brother, I built many a 6-pace and tried all the pale ales and IPAs I could. :) Happy July.

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  29. I really enjoyed all those photos! I'm not good at traveling...
    (ツ) from Jenn Jilks , ON, Canada!

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  30. Glorious photos, Angie.

    I especially loved the charming cottages.

    Hugs and blessings!

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  31. The Cotswolds is a wonderful area ...
    Your photographs are beautiful.
    That Victoria Sponge looks delicious.

    Happy July wishes to you.

    All the best Jan

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  32. Hi Angie! ☺ I love that photo of the gents with their beer, made me smile! The cakes look so delicious and those flowers are beautiful!

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  33. Hello,
    Love the beautiful flowers, the reflection photos are lovely. Wonderful photos from your England trip! Take care, enjoy your day!

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  34. Thank you for your beautiful photos...I love it, the old buildings, the colors of the gardens, the green of nature. Lovely.
    ... and I like coffee and cake :-)))
    Thank you.
    Happy weekend to you.

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  35. I was sure I'd commented on this post and your lovely photographs, but I know that blogger is still playing up with comments!

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  36. Hello Angie,
    I was sure I left a comment, maybe it went to spam. Your trip photos are beautiful, I love the lovely homes and all the flowers are beautiful. The cake looks delicious. The reflecting pool is pretty too, pretty reflections. Take care, enjoy your day!

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