Garden Days

 I do love garden days....both the kind spent in my own garden and days out visiting other gardens, like the two i am showing you here today from our trip to the lake district....the first is the world famous historic topiary garden at beautiful Levens Hall..........we went one sunny morning and it was magical......

 ....it was very quiet, there were few visitors yet, and the gardeners were quietly going about their tasks, the sounds were of birdsong and someone playing croquet and the crunch of walking on gravel paths......

.......there were plenty of lovely floral plantings as well as the amazing topiary trees...the garden dates back to 1694...and unlike so many topiary gardens of the period which were replaced and updated, Levens Hall gardens have survived in their original design, as it says in the guide book' through a combination of circumstance and love'.......there was such a special atmosphere there, and the fact that the sun was shining added to the appeal, and to the dramatic effect of light and shade on the geometric shapes......

 .......a wonderful inspiring place to wander, especially if you have a sense of history as well as a love of gardens......you can find out more about Levens Hall here..........below are some more pages of my scrapbooky sketchpad, along with some of fee's gorgeous garden blocks which i love to include in my pictures...you can also find a fantastic giveaway at chipper nelly here..........

..........the next garden we visited is of course at Hilltop, Beatrix Potter's house, which we almost always visit when in the lakes, though we only go round the house every few years, it's nice to see the garden, the lambs and the occasional bunny........there were a lot of visitors this time queuing up the path, so i waited till they had gone in for the tour before snapping these photos :)

.....i have seen Hilltop in many weathers but never with such a bright blue sky and bathed in so much sunlight....though we do usually go there out of season......there are sweet roses growing on a trellis along the path beside the lambs' field............

 ........and a delightful vegetable garden has been established, as it would have been in Miss Potter's day...

..........up the garden path, so recently filled with visitors, many from abroad.....and there was a bunny in the grass......mr p caught the picture of the leaping rabbit for me while i was in the shop buying books for the grandchildren....... it does look very like Peter, minus the blue coat and little shoes don't you think?

.........this picture from Levens Hall of the man playing croquet in the morning sunshine captures the timelessness of that place for me.......and the lovely drifts of nepeta and other lilac coloured flowers reminded me of this quilt..........so when i got home i went and found it tucked away and unfinished......

.........i began it last summer soon after visiting the lavender farm in devon, and too many things got in the way of finishing it........but now it's back on the to do list, and will remind me of summer gardens whenever i see it...........it's a simple four patch, using lecien rose prints and other pretty fabrics in lots of shades of lilac and aqua.....i will show you more of it soon....
...i have lots of crafty things to catch up with...... lovely people to thank...... magazine projects to show........new makes and bakes....... so i will be sorting out a crafty catch up just as soon as i can......thank you for popping in here to see me, as you know, i do love your visits :).........have a wonderful weekend..........back soon xxxxxxxxxxxx