 |
| Colourful buildings and cloud topiary above the River Dwyrwd at Portmeirion |
Greetings, All.
Now there's a blog title that would lead you to believe the writer is happy about this state of affairs. Alas, those who know me will realise I'm not jumping for joy at living through the warmest, driest and sunniest spring in the UK for well over a century.
I will acknowledge that we had a *very* grey and drizzly year in 2024, and I don't begrudge others a spell of sunshine. But yesterday, when we are only two-thirds of the way through spring, we hit 29ºC here in Surrey. This is not normal. We've already had many days of way above average temperatures, in the mid/high twenties, and yes - I'm already over it! Sadly I fear we are in for a hot summer and the prospect of moving house during a heatwave is not appealing.
Anyway, we have made the most of the fine weather. At Easter we spent some time up at the new house in Ledbury, as well as staying a few nights in north Wales, in the waterside town of Porthmadog, Snowdonia, to be precise.
En route to the house we visited Westbury Court Garden in Gloucestershire. This is a small National Trust property, but significant in that it is the only restored Dutch style water garden in England. It was laid out between 1696-1705 and features canals, a circular pool, extensive topiary and some really ancient trees. This was just a brief stretch-your-legs visit; pleasant enough, but not up there with our favoured NT venues.
 |
| Topiary in the restored Dutch water garden that is Westbury Court Garden, in Gloucestershire |
 |
| Kevin posing beside the circular pool, with one of Westbury Court Garden's canals in the background |
 |
Ah, the fleeting Fritillaria meleagris, or Snake's Head Fritillary.
I so love these lantern-like, delicate spring flowers that only grow in river meadows and damp soil grasslands, and bloom for just a few short weeks |
 |
| The Summer House near the Walled Garden, Westbury Court Garden |
 |
Shadows from the ornate railings of the Summer House
- Westbury Court Garden, Gloucestershire |
 |
The girth of the magnificent 300-year-old Quercus ilex, or holly oak, at
Westbury Court Garden is a world record holder - it was planted in 1696! |
 |
The bell tower of the Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Mary - adjacent Westbury Court Garden - is separate to the church building itself.
It's 700 years old, though the wooden spire was only recently restored |
The drive from Ledbury to our wharfside rented apartment in Porthmadog was scheduled to take about 3.5 hours, so we took a break at Powis Castle near Welshpool, which was about halfway to our destination.
This medieval fortress was built in the 13th century and is quite magnificent with its castellation and turrets. The interiors are incredible, though kept quite dimly illuminated to protect the frescoes, tapestries and artworks.
The castle and gardens are listed separately as Grade I properties of significant historical interest, with the gardens being one of the few baroque gardens to have survived almost intact since the 1680s. They are laid out beneath the castle and include grand Italianate terraces, huge 300-year-old cloud-like yew hedges, and a formal Edwardian garden with lavish herbaceous borders full of fragrant flowers.
 |
| The west entrance to Powis Castle |
 |
The magnificent, centuries-old cloud topiary that clings to the front of Powis Castle.
It was planted in the 1680s |
 |
| Powis Castle, near Welshpool in North Wales |
We were very happy with our rental apartment in Porthmadog which, though *tiny* was happily situated right on South Snowdon Wharf, only a few minutes' walk from the town centre.
During the 19th century Porthmadog was an important port for the transporting of local slate, however even after the decline of this activity the town's proximity to Snowdonia National Park and multiple beautiful coastal towns meant it survived and flourished. One of its most popular attractions is a heritage steam railway. The Festiniog Railway Company, which owns the railway, is the oldest surviving railway company in the world.
I'm an early riser and each morning I was rewarded with gorgeous sunrises across the Afon Glaslyn estuary.
 |
| Low tide along the estuary - outside our apartment on South Snowdon Wharf in Porthmadog |
 |
Ffestiniog station, from which you can take a variety of steam train journeys into Snowdonia National Park
|
 |
| The view across the Afon Glaslyn estuary at sunrise - glorious! |
 |
| Sunrise view from our rental apartment in Porthmadog |
With several more days of fine, sunny weather ahead of us, on our first full day in Porthmadog we decided to visit the village of Portmeirion, only a few kilometres away in Gwynedd.
Now, if you are not from a Commonwealth country or are below the age of 50, you might never have heard of this little Welsh village. Even if you have, your only reference to the place might be the range of tableware that shares its name, the most recognisable being their Botanic Garden design. However, the village exists today and is visited annually by roughly 300,000 people mostly due to its being the location for a 1960s TV drama, The Prisoner, which starred Patrick McGoohan. This trailer will give you a peek at the show which ran for a single, 17-episode series during 1967-1968 and which has gathered a cult following over the decades.
Portmeirion is in fact a 'folly village', in other words, not a real village despite having houses, shops, restaurants and a hotel. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the Baroque style, as a tribute to the atmosphere of the Mediterranean. It's now owned by a charitable trust and many of its buildings are listed on the Welsh historical register as being of significant cultural interest. There is an entrance fee to visit.
Aside from The Prisoner the village has been used as a filming location on many other projects, including multiple episodes of Doctor Who. It's also been visited by famous personages, perhaps most notably for me by Noël Coward who wrote Blithe Spirit while staying in the Fountain 2 suite. It's one of my favourite plays and I have seen the 1945 film by David Lean, starring Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond and the sublime Margaret Rutherford, at least 15 times.
 |
Regular readers know that I love a bit of cloud topiary!
Portmeirion did not disappoint |
 |
| Bust of Patrick McGoohan, star of The Prisoner TV series (1967-68) |
 |
| Kevin enjoying the tulips and pool in Portmeirion's piazza |
 |
| Droplets from the fountain created beautiful, spherical patterns |
 |
| Pastel colours and fabulous gardens, You can stay overnight in some of these buildings |
 |
| Peak magnolia blossom in the gardens of Portmeirion |
 |
| The buildings of Portmeirion are painted in vibrant colours |
 |
| Terracotta red makes a bold statement on this building at Portmeirion |
 |
| Portmeirion has many of these decorative, projecting signs outside shops and restaurants |
The village is fairytale-like with eclectic, whimsical architecture combined with beautiful gardens and woodlands in a seaside setting. I had almost visited Portmeirion a number of times since the 1980s and was very pleased to finally get there. We happily spent five hours exploring the place and enjoying lunch by the water. |
Yours truly enjoying the ambience of Portmeirion
(with a bronze statue of Atlas at the top of the stairs) |
 |
| Kevin chose a rosé, I chose champagne to accompany our lunch by the water in Portmeirion |
 |
| The blue and white pavilion by the waterside in Portmeirion |
 |
| Looking back towards the elevated village of Portmeirion |
 |
This is not a joke - there is actual quicksand in the estuary of the River Dwyrwd!
The outgoing tide leaves the sandy sea-bed exposed, but the returning tide comes in really fast and forms quicksand - it's easy to get caught out |
 |
| More gorgeous magnolias at Portmeirion |
 |
| Another pretty projecting sign on one of Portmeirion's buildings |
Our second day in Porthmadog was spent exploring the town itself, as well as venturing a short drive away to the cute little seaside town of Criccieth. Kevin had cycled through it some years before, and remembered the coloured row of terrace houses which he knew I would appreciate.
We practically had the castle to ourselves on the day we climbed its steps to enjoy spectacular views across this little seaside resort town, enjoying a thermos of coffee and some local shortbread purchased in the gift store below. Construction of the castle was begun in the 1230s and underwent various extensions, fortifications and sieges, before falling into ruins by the 1450s. In 1933 it finally became property of the state and has since had a lot of work done to protect it from further decay.
 |
| Criccieth Castle, complete with Wales' national flower - the daffodil - in abundance |
 |
| The jolly colours of terraced waterfront houses in Criccieth |
 |
| View from the top of Criccieth Castle |
 |
| Many of North Wales' beaches have these little gardens in old boats |
After exploring Criccieth we drove to the tiny seaside town of Borth-y-Gest which has a nice church, a café or two and an ice cream parlour. However the reason most people visit is to walk part of the Wales Coast Path which runs around the Ynys Cyngar headland to Black Rock Sands, along the way providing beautiful views back towards Porthmadog and over the estuary to castle-crowned Harlech. There are numerous opportunities to stop at sheltered little coves with their sandy beaches.
 |
| One of the sheltered coves to be explored on the Wales Coast Path from Borth-y-Gest |
Quite by accident we had discovered a fabulous art deco building opposite Criccieth beach which became our dinner venue for that evening. Dylan's is a (small) chain of restaurants across North Wales, serving food that focuses on local produce. They also sell freshly baked artisanal breads, pastries and a range of local products, giftware and fresh produce.
Outside, on the beachfront pathway, there is also an Airstream offering takeaway drinks, ice creams and snacks.
Dinner was nice, though quite pricey for this neck of the woods, and the view sublime.
 |
| Dylan's restaurant at night, in Criccieth |
 |
| Kevin exploring the bar and providore area of Dylan's restaurant in Criccieth |
 |
We stumbled upon Dylan's in Criccieth before lunch and I was lucky enough to
get a shot of the restaurant area before any patrons arrived |
 |
| Dylan's Airstream just opposite the restaurant, offering takeaway drinks, ice creams and snacks |
 |
| Another evening shot of Dylan's at Criccieth |
 |
Criccieth Castle illuminated at night. A lovely view as we strolled back to our car
after dinner at Dylan's |
With such beautiful spring weather and a good 3-4 days unwinding on the North Wales Coast it really felt like a longer break, recharging our batteries for a return to the cycle of working and driving up to the house in Ledbury every week or two.
Additionally, we've had quite a busy social calendar in the past month or so. Of course we are in the usual run-up to Eurovision, which this year falls on Norway's National Constitution Day (17 May) so our annual watch-party for the grand final will be a double celebration. But before that, across Europe many of this year's acts are touring with previous Eurovision acts, so for the second time in 12 months we were fortunate to see one of our favourites - Norwegian band KEiiNO - perform at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. It was a sold-out gig and once again we had a fabulous time with a crowd that knew every word of every song and joined in with gusto. As our friend Graeme commented, it shows how good KEiiNO are that, six years after *almost* winning Eurovision (they won the public vote but were criminally wronged by the jury vote), they are still putting out records and selling out venues - quite an achievement in the fickle world of Eurovision.
Click on the video link below for a short burst of the evening's revelry.
 |
| Alexandra Rotan, lead vocalist of KEiiNO, enthralling the audience and hitting the high notes |
 |
Singer and songwriter Tom Hugo with Sami artist Fred Buljo,
who with lead vocalist Alexandra Rotan make up the trio known as KEiiNO |
Only a couple of weeks after seeing KEiiNO we popped into London again to see Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra perform at the London Palladium, with our friends Roy and Tracey.
Oh boy, what a fun evening!
Roy and Tracey introduced us to a restaurant offering 'modern Indian' food in Soho, just a couple of minutes' walk from the theatre, where we had an early dinner before the performance. I heartily recommend Kricket if you're in the area and seeking something a bit different from the usual Indian fare. They have a combination of individual tables and larger, communal seating which makes for a very buzzy atmosphere. Loads of vegetarian and vegan options too.
I also urge you, if the opportunity presents itself, to buy an admittedly fairly expensive ticket to see Jeff and his jazz band. He is *exactly* like he is in interviews - a quirky, witty, amusing and totally engaging raconteur who loves nothing more than to chat away to the audience (individually and as a group) between musical numbers. And what's more, he is a hugely accomplished jazz pianist. The show included a couple of guest vocalists, and Jeff even brought out his two young songs to perform on the piano - clearly they have inherited his musical genes because they flawlessly performed a couple of numbers in front of a packed house... at the tender ages of (almost) 10 and 8 respectively.
 |
An eager London Palladium audience waiting for the doors to open
for Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra |
 |
| Inside the glorious London Palladium, waiting for Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra to take the stage |
Our final few months at beautiful Frensham are whizzing by scarily fast, and we are trying to make the most of our remaining time here. I often go to vintage fairs and was thrilled recently that one of them was held right here at the school. It was a really beautiful event in the school's lovely main building and grounds and I daresay the organiser's will bring back the event next year, though sadly of course we will be far away.
Most of the articles on offer are in the French country vein, which is gorgeous, but I had been hoping for at least one exhibitor to have some MCM wares (Mid Century Modern). I was generally disappointed, though there was one oil painting that looked like it might have been from sometime between the 1930s-1950s... stupidly, instead of snapping it up I decided to do a full circuit of the stands before doubling back, by which time of course some other person had nabbed it! (sob!)
Still, it was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours and I did come away with some hand-dipped beeswax candles from a local artisan.
 |
| Another glorious spring day for the vintage fair at Frensham Hall |
 |
| The vintage fair at Frensham Hall offered mostly French antiques and objets... |
 |
| ...but there were also lots of handmade decorative pieces to be had, particularly for Easter |
 |
| More stalls on the front lawn of Frensham Hall |
 |
| Vintage enamel ware for sale |
 |
I fell in love with this really unusual way of displaying handmade beeswax candles.
Reader, I bought them!
(glass apothecary jars filled with water and sprigs of ivy;
they keep for some weeks and can then be emptied and refreshed) |
 |
| Exhibitors and buyers inside The Blue Room at Frensham Hall |
As usual I leave you with a few pictures of the season, from here at Frensham and also the new house up in Ledbury. With the current extended period of hot weather I fear many of the spring blooms will be short lived, but we're enjoying them while we can.
 |
| A variety of daffodils gathered from various spots around the local area |
 |
| Our crabapple tree absolutely groaning with blossom |
 |
| Close-up of crabapple blossom |
 |
| Clematis in bloom - in the garden of our new house in Ledbury |
 |
Ah, one of the most glorious springtime sights in England - flowering rapeseed,
such a vivid colour it doesn't seem real |
Until next time,
- Maree xo
