Back to the Potting Shed

Here i am back again from our little trip to the lovely cotswolds...........so green and pleasant and flowery...........we stayed in a very tiny cottage, picture postcard style, with windows peeping out through the thatched roof.........the kindly owners had left a bunch of yellow tulips to welcome us and a delicious cake with the label written on........it was called 'blossom cake'..........

 .............it was such a sweet time to visit there.......apple blossom time, and i have never seen so many flower decked apple orchards all in one place before....and all such small, old,  pretty trees.....

 ...........there were flowers everywhere, wild flowers like cow parsley frothing in the hedgerows, spring flowers in the gardens, lilacs in bloom, clematis and wisteria climbing across the honey coloured stone houses, and masses of stylish pots and planters in the little towns..............

 ............we visited lots of gardens, but i haven't had time to sort out all the pictures yet as we have just got back, so here are just a few from my favourite garden...hidcote manor....so beautiful....

 ...........we visited it twice, once on a hot sunny day and once on a rainy afternoon.......it was gorgeous both times..................a dream garden for dreaming in.................

 ...........i loved seeing the potting shed and the kitchen garden as well as the flowers........

                                      .............and I always love a bit of topiary too :)..............

..............on our first day we walked into the little town near our cottage, and there was a man on the village green selling old keys so here is the one i had to buy....he gave me a ribbon too, to hang it from, and a page from an old book 'just because'............i love things happening like this...........

 ...............my garden journal is filling up with notes and ephemera............lots of inspiring garden ideas to remember for the future.............we visited some of the old manor houses as well as the gardens and saw some beautiful textiles, samplers, tapestries, tiny embroidered pin cushions and vintage toys....including some very old rabbits..................no pictures though (not allowed).......

 ................when we got home the first thing to do was check our own garden............

 .............all the columbines were flowering............so pretty...........the grass had grown a LOT..........the first rose was out...........lots of weeds had grown too...........

..............this is just a quick post to catch up, and i will be back to my usual routine this week, with lots of crafty things to show you............thank you for your lovely comments on my tulip quilt and bunnies in my last post, i so enjoyed hearing from you.......i have lots of emails to answer now i'm back and will do that in the next couple of days.........and i look forward to catching up with all your blogs now too..............wishing you happy sunny crafty days..........back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx