A jam-packed summer!

Pleasing stripes in the newly-mown lawn at Houghton Lodge Gardens,
near Stockbridge in Hampshire

Greetings from hot and humid south-eastern England, where in the past eight days we've experienced the hottest temperatures of 2023... in September, which should be a month when the worst of the summer heat is behind us and the much-welcomed autumn chill starts to creep in. 

We are NOT amused! 

Well, I haven't posted anything for some months as we have been incredibly busy, for the following reasons:

• we had an endless stream of visitors from abroad
• we almost bought a house (twice)
• we joined Historic Houses which means that in addition to National Trust properties, during spring and summer we now race around trying to see as many HH houses and gardens as we can
• Kevin spent ten days cycling in France with friends
• we nipped over to Stavanger for a few days just before the new school year commenced

Continuing the theme of agricultural stripes!
Field below the school in early summer - with visiting roe deer

In fact this summer had been a fairly cool and drizzly one, for which of course I had been feeling very thankful, particularly in light of the record heatwaves and devastating fires that have seemed to smother most of Europe for months. Nor have we experienced the deluges that have left several European countries in flood. I'm sort of holding my breath now, thinking we are due some kind of wild weather in the UK.

I was particularly pleased about the lack of extreme weather over the spring and summer because as noted above - oh my goodness! - what a fabulous social time we had with visitors from abroad! Some stayed just a night or three, some went away and then returned for a further stay, and a couple of our visitors were with us for more than a week. Once or twice we only had a single night between one party departing and the next arriving. 

As ever, it was truly special to have family and friends from Norway and Australia spending time with us and some of you will be aware that I really love hosting. Some years ago I fantasised about running my own B&B but sadly we've never been in a financial position to make that a reality. Despite my passion for hosting, I'll admit that towards the end of summer I was feeling a bit 'hosted out' ! However especially for the Norwegian contingent it was lovely to have the opportunity to repay the hospitality we have received from them over the years. 

Another day, another historic church!
Kevin and Yours Truly in the church of St Nicholas in Bromham, Wiltshire

...and another pub lunch!
This one was The Bishop on the Bridge at Winchester

Hosting such a variety of people gave us the chance to revisit many of our favourite locations and to explore some new ones. Many pubs were patronised!

With our dear friend Graeme arriving in July we also took the opportunity to attend one of the ABBA Voyage concerts which was incredibly good fun and, quite honestly, astounding. The technology at the purpose-built stadium is incredible - it's hard to believe Agnetha, Bjørn, Benny and Anni-Frid are not up on the stage in the flesh, it's so realistic. Tickets are pretty pricey for a concert that doesn't involve live performers, although there is a supporting orchestra which plays live in collaboration with the digital versions of the ABBA band members (known as 'ABBAtars' 😂). However it is money well spent. There's so much love in the room, with every person seeming to know the lyrics of every song. Lots of people dress up in sparkly/spangly outfits.

Even if you are only a moderate ABBA fan, I urge you to attend a performance if you are in London during the next year or so. You will leave the venue feeling very buoyant.

Oh boy - that was FUN!
Dancing Queens, all:
(L to R) Graeme, Maree, Kevin, Roy, Tracey at the ABBA Arena after the show

Some of you will know that I do love a postcard... couldn't resist purchasing these.
Will you be one of the lucky recipients??

The following are some of the many fabulous historic houses and gardens I have visited over the summer, sometimes with Kevin, with Lesley or on my own. We have definitely had our money's worth from our National Trust and Historic Homes memberships this year!

1. Houghton Lodge Gardens, near the lovely village of Stockbridge in Hampshire

This privately owned property is about 25 minutes drive from Winchester, nestled in the Test Valley. It's open every year between April and October.

I didn't manage to see inside the house but plan to return so that I can. It's a really striking building (see main photo at the top of this blog post), apparently one of the finest and earliest surviving examples of a Cottage Ornée – a genre of ‘picturesque’ Gothic architecture that flourished for about 25 years from 1790.

The grounds are extensive, with the River Test winding through them. In addition to a walled garden with 32 varieties of apple, there's a magnificent topiary garden, an oriental garden complete with red Nikko bridge, Torii arch and Moon gate, woodlands and of course roses and other flowers aplenty.

The rear of the house at Houghton Lodge Gardens in Stockbridge, Hampshire

*swoon*
The Peacock Topiary Garden at Houghton Lodge Gardens was just to die for!

The peacock in the Peacock Topiary Garden at Houghton Lodge Gardens, Hampshire

The Nikko Bridge in the Oriental Garden at Houghton Lodge Gardens, Hampshire

The Torii Arch in the Oriental Garden at Houghton Lodge Gardens, Hampshire

Houghton Lodge Gardens' beautiful rose arbour, 
adorned with deep pink ‘American Pillar’ Roses

I was geared up for a hot and sunny day at Houghton Lodge Gardens,
with SPF50, hat and sunglasses

2. Vann, Hambledon in Surrey (near Godalming)

A little closer to home is another privately owned property, Vann. It was going to be a hot day so I planned my visit to be at this garden at opening time. OK, it was a weekday, but I certainly didn't expect to have the entire property to myself! What a treat to be able to wander around in splendid isolation for a couple of hours.

The water garden was designed in 1911 by one-time neighbour Gertrude Jekyll, and comprises a series of small ponds with lush vegetation on either side and a variety of stepping stones and small bridges. The Yew Walk was planted in 1909 and now acts as a formal garden 'room', protecting plants and bulbs from the attentions of local deer! 

Although the 16th century timber-framed house is not open to visitors, its exteriors were a treat in themselves with climbing roses everywhere.

Vann has been used as a filming location for 2018's Christopher Robin and the BBC’s 2017 adaptation of E M Forster’s Howards End, as well as two episodes of the Agatha Christie series Poirot starring David Suchet. 

Ah, how gorgeous! Pink climbing roses cover the house at Vann,
a beautiful property in Hambledon near Godalming, Surrey

The Main Lawn at Vann, near Godalming in Surrey.
Yep, I'd happily curl up in one of those recliners with a good book

Glass orbs decorate the edge of the pond at Vann, near Godalming

3. The Manor House, Castle Combe, Wiltshire (Cotswolds)

We met up with Lesley one day in July for a fancy lunch at the gorgeous Manor House in one of England's most picturesque villages, Castle Combe. The Manor House provides a variety of accommodation and dining options, including a Michelin-starred restaurant. We elected to sample the informal (and far less expensive!) dining option in one of the many beautiful reception rooms on the ground floor. 

After dining we took a stroll around the very picturesque village. We'd all visited before but it's just so charming and quintessentially English, it was a delight to reacquaint ourselves. Helping to preserve the historical nature, vehicles are strictly limited within the village - there's absolutely nowhere to park, so you have to leave your car way up the hill and walk down.

The beautiful Manor House in Castle Combe, Wiltshire.
Like a fairytale with its beautiful Cotswold stone adorned with Virginia Creeper

One of the ground floor snugs at The Manor House in Castle Combe

Lesley and Maree enjoying a glass of vino over lunch at The Manor House in Castle Combe

Reading Room Cottage, Castle Combe village
*sigh*

Row of self-contained cottage accommodation at The Manor House in Castle Combe

4. Woolbeding Gardens, near Midhurst, West Sussex

At long last, after a previous aborted attempt back in 2021, I finally managed to visit National Trust property Woolbeding Gardens in West Sussex, with Lesley in tow as my guide.

They sure don't make it easy to visit! The property is only open a few months each year and only on two weekdays each week during that period. You've got to book a timed entry in advance, park in the nearby town of Midhurst and take the NT courtesy bus out to the property itself. The first time I tried to see Woolbeding I couldn't find the location of the courtesy bus in Midhurst and after doing at least three circuits of the town I gave up and drove home in high dudgeon!

Anyway... it really is wonderful that visitors are limited in this way because you can wander at leisure around the magnificent gardens and sometimes feel you have them to yourself. There's a combination of modern and traditional elements, including the visually striking 10-sided glasshouse which on warm days opens its ‘sepals’ using a hydraulic mechanism to allow the plants access to direct sunshine and ventilation. In colder weather the glasshouse remains closed, providing shelter to a collection of subtropical species. Actually neither Lesley nor I really like the design of the glasshouse, but it is certainly a unique feature of the gardens.

The William Pye fountain at Woolbeding Gardens near Midhurst in West Sussex.
It was inspired by a former cedar tree that once stood in the same position, and it's mesmerising
to watch the water spill over the edge of the bowl into the central trunk

The 10-sided glasshouse at Woolbeding Gardens.
It was a hot day, so the sepals were open. On cold days the structure remains closed.

Folly at Woolbeing Gardens

My personal horticultural guide, Lesley, at Woolbeding Gardens.
She can identify just about everything you find in any garden! 

Ah, the beautiful Summer House in the Fantasy Garden at Woolbeding.
A gorgeous spot

5. Grey's Court, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Kevin was sure we'd visited this National Trust property previously, but I had almost no recollection of it. I think this was possibly because we had merely 'stopped in' en route to somewhere else some years ago.

The influential de Grey family held Greys Court when it was first recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086, and a number of medieval buildings have been demolished over the centuries, with some of the ruins still intact. The current manor house is a mix of architectural styles, having been extended over hundreds of years.

The gardens, though not extensive, are very pretty and romantic, particularly the Walled Garden below the 14th century Great Tower. There's also a very impressive wisteria tunnel.

The manor house at Grey's Court, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire

Some of the medieval ruins at Grey's Court, Oxfordshire

The Walled Garden with the Great Tower (14th century) above, at Grey's Court

Exquisite fuschias at Grey's Court, near Henley-on-Thames

But it wasn't just churches, ruins and gardens. Over the summer we also had a few trips into London, including introducing our young Norwegian visitors (my second cousin and his partner) to the elegant vegan food served up by our favourite restaurant, The Gate in Hammersmith. Like many people we've taken to The Gate, they were agog that such refined and delicious fare was completely plant-based. Another two converts to the possibilities of cruelty-free food! ✅

Oh, the decadence!
The Gate's luxurious vegan chocolate mousse with rum ganache & raspberries

In late June I eagerly saw Wes Anderson's latest film, Asteroid City, which necessitated a trip into London because here in the UK his films are only ever released in arthouse cinemas in London and other large cities or towns. But it was worth the expensive train fare because once again the wonderful 180 Studios hosted an exhibition related to the film, with entire sets, costumes, props and memorabilia in which Wes fanatics might revel. And revel I did, treating myself to 'a piece of pie and a cup of joe' (filter coffee) at the 1950s style replica diner that was part of the exhibition.

As is often the case with WA's films, his fans are divided. It's a fairly confusing story of the filming of a TV series based on the making of a play... or something! I am seeing it a second time in the next couple of weeks at our local arts centre and hope to gain a better understanding. In essence, however, it's WA's homage to that era of space exploration and atomic bomb testing in 1950s/1960s America, when extraterrestrials and UFOs were reported in the Southwestern desert.

The Curzon cinema in Soho where I saw Wes Anderson's Asteroid City

There was a bank of about ten of these 50s-fabulous automats at the 
Asteroid City exhibition in London.
Everything from martinis to stockings available at the push of a button!

A still from Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, featuring the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson who seems to be channelling Janet Leigh from Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho

The 50s-style diner at 180 Studios' Asteroid City exhibition on The Strand in London

Whilst in Soho / Seven Dials I walked past one of the most photographed pubs in London,
The Crown & Anchor on Neal Street

The title of this post is 'a jam-packed summer' and in line with that, in late August we picked many kilos of fruit from the great expanse of wild brambles just outside our garden fence. Thus far I've made about 25 jars of my very popular Bramble & Bay Jam (bay leaves are infused during the berry cooking process, then removed), baked two blackberry cobblers and frozen several kilos of berries to be used in other ways over the coming months. I will never understand why everybody isn't out there plundering in this way, but that's a good thing; we only every take a small number of berries from each spot, leaving the majority of fruit for the local wildlife, and I suppose if everybody raided the bushes there could be an imbalance in nature. We are fortunate to have such a vast volume of brambles at our disposal, not just on the school grounds but all around us in the local area.

Just a small sample of this year's bumper Bramble & Bay Jam output

Kevin's ten-day trip in north-western France in August allowed him to cycle through bits of Brittany and Normandy, as well as catching up with good friends from Canberra who were driving a van around Scandinavia and parts of Europe. They made their base in the former rural home of our friend Matt's mother (she sadly passed away in 2022), in the department of Calvados.

Whilst I was envious of Kevin exploring lovely medieval towns and interesting places like Mont-Saint-Michel, I didn't miss sweltering in a French summer and vastly preferred staying home to care for Daisy May. Still, he had a great time!

Kevin and friends visited the tidal island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy,
with its imposing abbey which is a UNESCO World Heritage site
 

Narrow medieval street in Mont-Saint-Michel, France

Timbered medieval buildings in Vannes in Brittany, France

The city walls of Vannes in Brittany, France

So there you have it, a brief summary of how we've occupied ourselves over the past few months. Unfortunately the search for our forever home continues. We came close to making an offer on a place near Devizes in Wiltshire, and did make an offer on another in the lovely village of Croscombe, Somerset, which is just a few minutes' drive from Wells. Sadly we were outbid, and so the quest continues...

And lastly, as usual, a couple of pictures from home. At one point during the summer our badgers were turning up in broad daylight, keen to enjoy their daily feast of raw peanuts and Daisy's leftover cat food on our terrace and unable to wait for 10pm darkness. 

I'm pleased to say the badgers did their part in the hosting of all our visitors from abroad, dutifully making an appearance every evening, to the delight of guests.

One of regular badger visitors. They usually don't arrive until it's dark (or nearly dark) but in high summer that's not until at least 22:00. For a few weeks they couldn't wait for that!

Daisy May keeping a wary eye on a visiting badger

Stay tuned for the next blog post on our short excursion to Stavanger in late August.

Until next time,

- Maree  xo