What I Did On My Holidays, Days 4 and 5

The fourth day brought mixed feelings for it was on that day that my beloved middle daughter had decreed would be for her and me alone. I had been looking forward to it for I rarely have Katy to myself. Yet there was a tiny guilt to be leaving grandchildren behind.

Reader, it was bliss. 

We went to Houghton Hall. Katy volunteered in the gardens for a time so she had a complimentary pass and we felt pretty special. It was a damp and drizzly day but we cared not a jot. 

I never thought I'd be so enthralled to scrutinise the 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley's model soldiers apparently the world's largest private collection. Small quibble, The British Grenadiers played on a loop was wearisome. Katy could not help noticing that the models of 'the enemy' such as the kilted Scots at the Battle of Culloden were far more likely to be corpsed than those plucky Brits. 

Next the house. The Sean Scully exhibition was only slightly jarring. For me, Scully's art was far more elevating than Walpole's ostentatious trappings. Miss Emily's previous take on the house was 'so many beds'.

It was far too rainy to take in Scully's outdoor installations so we headed for the gardens instead. Despite it being the tail-end of October there was still a lot to see. 

Where have dahlias been in my life? I want them - all of them.

Lunch was leisurely and enjoyable. The last time I ate at the Houghton Hall cafe we did it in shifts. One adult lunched while the other tried to prevent James from climbing into the courtyard water feature. Apparently, lunch is always onion tart but I enjoyed it immensely. 

Then home and a run out with the children to Sue Ryder and my co-grandmother, home again and my last evening in Norfolk where I am already looking forward to my next visit.

Day 5 dawns and I am leaving my Norfolk family and going to the London sisters. I leave them all at Kings Lynn station, always a sad feeling knowing I'll not see them again until next year. 

I've finished my Beryl Bainbridge and have a book I bought at Sue Ryder but I don't open it. Instead, I look out the window of the train at the dull English countryside. It does not inspire me. I look anyway. At pheasants, horses, and just once some deer. I look forward to London.

Busy As A Bee

I have visited four gardens in the past three weeks, the walled garden at Glenarm Castle, Antrim Castle Gardens, the walled garden at Houghton Hall (Norfolk) and Pensthorpe Natural Park (also Norfolk)

They were all inspiring and gorgeous and although I have nothing at all against walled gardens or castles, Pensthorpe is definitely my favourite. It's got water and wildfowl and is designed by the brilliant Piet Oudolf. 

Of course, when I got home and looked at my own garden I was less than pleased with it. Overblown and collapsing - it does not look its best in late summer. Truthfully it only looks good for a couple of weeks in May. Certain plants have got out of hand, especially the cephalaria and sidalcea. I always mean to stake them in time and always leave it too late. They were cut to the ground and I intend to dig half of them out. Aunt Nessie's geranium was reduced by eighty per cent. It's a real stinker too. My hands smelled horrible when I'd finished the job.

We spent a few hours yesterday razing the meadow area of the garden. Bert trimmed, then mowed it twice and I lifted the cuttings and wheeled six barrow loads to the compost heap. I'll sow more yellow rattle in there and hopefully, it will look better next year. The proper meadow is a worry. I don't know if Clint is going to lend me some cows to chomp it down. He is disdainful of my meadow grass. Says the cattle won't like it. If he doesn't I will have to arrange for someone to come in to cut and lift it.

In other news, Bert has decided to wind down the horticulture business. Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol has made it difficult/impossible to source liners from his usual English outlets. The amount of business we give them isn't enough for them to bother. I'm not sorry. We'll have more time to do meadow, woods and bee stuff.