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

Mosaic Monday

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. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #36: Spokane City Parks

Wisteria along the river

Do you remember my admiration for Spokane's river walkways in my June 16 post?  My love affair with its city parks deepened on the fourth day of our May visit.  We began with another walk along the river; marmots and Canada geese shared the morning sunshine free of the rain from previous days.  After a leisurely stroll, we hopped into the truck.  The Crown Jewel of Spokane City Parks - Manito Park - awaited us across town.

In 1904, ninety-five acres of land was donated to the City of Spokane.  Montrose Park was re-named, "Manito", a Native American word meaning "a supernatural force that pervades nature."  After reveling in the glory of its gardens, I can tell you that the name choice is ideal!

Mirror Pond: I was struck by the appearance of a park nestled in a 

residential area; I assume the homes were built AFTER the park.

Wouldn't you love to have this park across the street from your house?

For many years, Manito's main attractions were its exhibition gardens and small zoo.  In 1912, a conservatory was added, followed by a three-acre sunken garden in 1913.  Given that we were visiting Spokane in part for the Lilac Festival, it was fitting that the Lilac Garden at Manito was in top form.  The variety and the aroma was almost too much for the senses to take in!  Trust me that I took many more pictures than this, but you get only the best!

In 1912, John Duncan obtained 128 named lilac cultivars from Rochester, NY.

This marked the beginning of the Lilac Garden.  Today, this garden contains well

over 100 named cultivars from 23 distinct species, making it one of the most

important lilac gardens in the west.

Japanese Garden

By its Centennial Celebration in 2004, numerous additions and improvements had been made.  Additional signage was introduced throughout the park; pergolas in the Rose Garden, changes in the Japanese Garden and the gazebo in Duncan Gardens all enhance the setting. 

The simplicity and serenity of a Japanese garden is soothing and always appeals to me on many levels - the colors, water features, bridges, stone work.  It was only later, upon reading the garden brochure thoroughly, that I learned photography is not permitted in the Japanese garden.  Oops.

After 12 years of planning, the Japanese garden became a reality in the spring of 1974.

Duncan Garden was originally called the Sunken Garden.  The garden was designed in a formal European style

with bilateral symmetry, a central water feature and geometrical planting beds.  I am sure later in the year it

would be stunning with the annuals in full bloom.

Today the park is one of the few in the nation with such a diverse horticultural display.  Manito Park has a reputation as the primary garden showplace in Spokane and is toured by over 150,000 visitors every year.  It's easy to see why, right?

Perennial Garden

Perennial Garden

By now we had worked up an appetite.  As faithful readers know, we tend to seek out unique restaurants.  And if it's been featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", all the better.  And if it serves all-day breakfast, it's a lock.  The Satellite Diner and Lounge fit the profile, and we were not disappointed.  Strong coffee, efficient staff, and a light sheen of grease in the air soon gave us to know we had chosen wisely.  Even now my taste buds can recall this eminently satisfying dish!

I had "Hen Fruit on the Red River" - an egg on chili!!!

The rest of our day was spent attending the Spokane Lilac Festival Parade - but you'll have to wait for a future post to see glittering floats, pretty princesses and booming marching bands.  Until then ...

Panorama of rock garden

Horse Chestnut Tree

Mosaic Monday

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. Monday (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. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter