Monday 22 June 2020

A Day Out


At the beginning of last week we had planned to visit some nearby gardens and as luck would have it, being that at the time my car was still out of action, the day dawned bright and sunny. In fact, it was so much warmer than I'd anticipated, we set off a little earlier, so that we could take our time.
With lunch tucked away in my rucksack, along with several bottles of water, we set off walking along a narrow track, through the fields and down towards the river. All the while bees and butterflies were crossing our path, enjoying the early morning sunshine, all eager to reach the abundance of wildflowers at the foot of the hedgerows.


We stopped for a while at the side of the river in order to enjoy a mid morning snack of flapjack and a cooling drink. Lily was mainly preoccupied with climbing on the rocks and searching for minnows, the field behind us was filled with oxeye daisies swaying in the gentle breeze.


We continued along the path, crossing the bridge, then along the quiet narrow lanes to our destination. With all the picnic tables packed away for the time being, we found a cool shaded spot beneath the trees to enjoy our lunch. While I was eating, out of the corner of my eye I noticed what I thought was a leaf moving. Watching closer, I saw it was actually a small mouse popping it's head out of a hole, then disappearing again.








The gardens were looking so beautiful in the sunshine and, as you can tell from the photographs, with visitor numbers being limited, it was lovely and quiet there. We followed the path as it weaved around the rockery, admired the kitchen garden (always my favourite) and orchard, and watched as the brilliant blue Damselflies hovered above the ponds.
Lily was beside herself with glee to discover some water sprinklers and it was with a slightly soggier child that I left a little while later.

Our walk home took us back alongside the river once again but on the opposite bank this time, the trees providing some much needed shade from the heat of the sun. Of course, while we were still a little way from home, the unpredictable weather provided us with a sudden heavy downpour of rain. Fortunately, this had been expected so we had some thin waterproof jackets with us. Although, I admit I was a little reluctant to wear mine. The rain, falling in large warm droplets, felt so refreshing against my bare arms and legs and the air was filled with that wonderful petrichor scent that only occurs when it rains after a spell of hot, dry weather.

It was such an enjoyable day out and I hope, now that restrictions are beginning to relax a little, we will be able to go a little farther afield another time.

J.X








59 comments:

  1. Ooohhh what a fabulous walk! The gardens look beautiful. It's wonderful that you and Lily live in such a beautiful part of the country with shaded walks, fields and rivers. The weather here has remained cool, windy and wet. We've had downpours and thunderstorms and more to come. We don't mind as it keeps day trippers away. We still manage to get out for walks morning and evening, dodging the downpours as best we can. I hope your weather continues to be nice enough to get out walking. Best, Jane x

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    1. It really was a lovely walk, and we were wise to take our time, as it was so hot that day. X

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  2. Jules - I am envious of this outing after reading your description and seeing your photos - and as a retired teacher my immediate thought is what a lucky little girl Lucy is during this lockdown to have such experiences.

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    1. I've been trying to strike a balance between home learning, fun activities and time to just be. It doesn't always work, but we're learning from each other. X

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  3. What a beautiful outing. And although not having a car is a pain, I definitely think the silver lining is you didn't miss out on the lovely walk by the river to your destination.

    I imagine the waterproofs didn't make much difference if Lily was already wet from the sprinklers lol. I also imagine she sleeps very well at night after all the fresh air she gets :) xx

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    1. You're right, Suzanne. If my car had been working I would have driven there and we wouldn't have enjoyed such a lovely walk. Having said that, we walked just over eight miles altogether, so we both slept well that night. X

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  4. I must admit I was a little tad envious of your excursion too. How wonderful to admire those beautiful gardens and enjoy the freedom without crowds. A great experience for you both the sprinklers sound like fun.

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    1. Fewer visitor numbers made it much easier to enjoy the gardens. We were able to take our time without feeling as though we were in anyone's way. X

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  5. beautiful pictures of the flowers, especially the cornflowers x

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    1. Thank you, Julie. Cornflowers are one of my favourites, such a beautiful shade of blue. X

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  6. What a lovely outing and the photos are fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
    xx

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    1. Thank you, Joy. It was everything I'd hoped for. X

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  7. I’ve been waiting for this post {{smiles}}, despite the car, despite the showers, what a gorgeous outing you had.
    Thank you for sharing such a beautiful place with us. xx

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    1. The walk was part of our day out, Jayne. And I forgot to mention we stopped for a sneaky ice cream on our way home. :)

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  8. Your lovely pictures and perfect descriptions really made this hike come alive for me. How nice of you to share it with me! Thanks so much!

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    1. Thank you, Ellen. I'm glad you enjoyed it. X

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  9. We did have some wacky weather last week didn't we. I wasn't as prepared as you I got caught out twice without a jacket! That looks like a lovely garden to wonder round, how wonderful to have it with in walking distance of your house. I do hope your car is easy to fix and it is done soon.

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    1. The weather is still being unpredictable, so it's all too easy to get caught out.
      Thank you. The car was sorted the day after our visit. I knew it was the battery, but there didn't seem much point in getting it replaced for the car to just be sat around again. Now that the restrictions are relaxing a little it will, no doubt, get more use. X

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  10. It looks and sounds like a lovely day out Jules. Those gardens look beautiful - was this a National Trust place? I love the colour of those bright blue flowers, it's gorgeous. A shame you didn't get a photo of the mouse though :)

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    1. The gardens were beautiful and yes, they were National Trust. They've done a fantastic job in getting many places open for us to enjoy safely.
      I tried really hard to get a photo of the mouse but, unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough. X

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  11. It's wonderful that we are able to join you on your walk and I can just imagine Lily having fun in the sprinkler. Aww and the little mouse making an appearance at lunchtime. Sometimes it's not so bad being caught in the rain when the weather is really hot and you're heading for home.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it Eileen, it was a lovely day out. Lily had a LOT of fun in the sprinkler, it was a great way to cool down. X

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  12. What a fabulous walk your photo's are beautiful. :)x

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  13. What a glorious walk you've taken us on. Thanks for letting us join you and Lily virtually! xxx

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    1. You're more than welcome any time, Vix. X

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  14. Beautiful scenery to enjoy while walking. You've captured the essence of it in your photos so well.

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  15. What a lovely walk and those gardens have me green with envy! LOL. My own small garden is slowly turning brown as we go into summer!

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    1. The gardens there are beautiful, Bless. Following the recent rainfall my own grass has been making a recovery but the temperatures are set to rise again towards the weekend. X

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  16. How lovely that you can just walk to this garden - we have nothing that special near to us. I am so missing the open gardens now as I have been visiting them for years and look forward to spotting any changes in the ones we visit regularly.x

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    1. I hope you will get to visit some soon, Vivien. X

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  17. That was one of the reasons I wanted to visit, Marlene. It felt good to make actual plans for once. X

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  18. The heat and the rain did not interfere with your lovely walk in the gardens. It was lovely to take this virtual walk with you and Lily.

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    1. Thank you, Arleen. It was a lovely day out. X

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  19. Maybe Jules the real plus was your car being out of action...maybe you would have missed so much had you been at it's wheel. x

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    1. It was all part of my plan, Jackie :) I could have got the car sorted earlier but decided not to bother. It also gave us an excuse to stop off for ice cream on our way home. X

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  20. A proper outing, how wonderful. I enjoyed walking along the river with you in my mind, then wandering around the gardens, too. It is such a treat to be able to venture a little further out. We're not there yet but soon I hope.

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    1. It did feel a little strange at first, but it was good to take small, tentative steps towards some sort of 'normal'. X

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  21. Love your blog.What a beautiful walk,don't you just love nature it lifts the mood every time,I find.Hope you are ok.Hugs

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  22. What a beautiful garden!
    It sounds like you and Lily had a wonderful day.

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    1. It is a really lovely place to visit, Nil. X

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  23. Oh, how wonderful, Jules. The photos are spectacular. I love hearing about your outings in nature.

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    1. Thank you, Stephenie. It's a beautiful garden. X

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  24. What a beautiful place, how gorgeous to be surrounded by all that colour, and water sprinklers.

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    1. I appreciated the gardens while Lily appreciated the water sprinklers. It was a win-win. X

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  25. How lovely to get out and about and visit that beautiful garden.
    Gorgeous selection of photographs Jules, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you, Jan. We are fortunate to have the gardens so near. X

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  26. What a fabulous garden! I love cornflowers.

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    1. Cornflowers are some of my favourite flowers, Eloise. X

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  27. beautiful, beautiful photos

    Julie xxxx

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  28. Your day out sounds idyllic, Jules. With your words accompanying such lovely photos, I feel as if I’m going along with you! I so wish I could’ve seen the mouse peaking out, one of those special moments. Lily’s sprinkler escapade made me laugh. Children get drawn to them, don’t they! I’m with you on the kitchen garden. They’re are generally my favourite part of a garden visit ( as are kitchens when I visit a house) I I always try and imagine what it would’ve been like ‘in the olden days’!

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    1. I hope you enjoyed the walk, Ann. :)
      I always enjoy a walk around a kitchen garden. It never ceases to amaze me just how they can get it looking so attractive, yet be productive at the same time. X

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  29. Oh, be still my heart...cornflowers! I adore them and their incredible blue. I will make sure I plant some in the garden this year for your photos have reminded me to add them to my list of flowers I want to grow this year. MegXx

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    1. They are beautiful aren't they. I've never thought to grow any myself so I think that could be an idea for next summer. X

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