Monday 25 June 2018

A Week in the Country

 Hello lovely readers here i am back again after a relaxing break and a week in the beautiful cotswold countryside....
 .............we stayed in this beautiful historic thatched cottage which dates back to the 1500's.....
 ...........it was comfortable and quirky....lots of fascinating details like the ancient windows and the arrow shaped handles.....the garden was so peaceful with sheep bleating on the hills above, wood pigeons cooing....there was a small pond with water lilies and newts.....and a tiny herb garden, a huge apple tree and a plum tree filled with ripening fruit.........i could have lived there :).....
 .............a jug of garden flowers and a bit of english paper piecing for the evening made it feel even more homely....
 ..............the bedroom window looking over the fields..............
 .................the back garden and back view of the cottage...lovely lavender round the door and you can just see molly in the shade of the table.....
 ..............we wanted to visit some of the gorgeous gardens in this lovely area which is one of the reasons we chose to go there now.......all the roses were in bloom and the scents were heavenly...
 ................and this is my new floral crush....astrantia....i am planting some in our own garden.....
 ..............the borders at hidcote gardens were breathtakingly beautiful in the hot sun.....
 ..............(when we got home to our own garden we replanted a pot bound everlasting sweet pea into the ground after seeing this beautiful one blooming at hidcote)............
 ..............as always with my posts, just tap on any image to see them larger........
 ...........up the lane....quite a steep climb on a hot day and we were grateful for the shade....then at the top we found a glorious wildflower meadow........and masses of butterflies.....and as we walked back down via the fields i took this picture of the cottage from the front.....
 .............we visited lots of pretty places and i'll be sharing a few more pictures in future posts.....the wildflowers below were at snowshill gardens.....lovely to see that so many places now set aside areas for these lovely wild plants as well as the traditional beautiful gardens.............
............thank you for visiting me here dear readers and for the kind comments you leave me....i will be visiting my blog friends too this week and look forward to catching up again....wishing you a happy new week with sunshine and flowers.........back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

17 comments:

Little Quiltsong said...

What beautiful flowers! Loved seeing the wildflower meadows and the cute sweet pea plus so many other varieties. The butterflies and bees must have been in abundance with all the beauty around them. Sounded like you had a lovely week away to just relax and take it all in - and in such a pretty thatched roof cottage! So picture perfect!

Jacky H said...

Such beautiful pictures. I'm proud to say I dont live to far away from all these wonderful.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful break.

Christine B said...

Looks like you had the most fabulous week Helen. The cottage looks picture perfect and so peaceful! Beautiful post! Christine x

Bee Lady said...

Oh that cottage looks adorable. I would love to find a place like that to visit! And I love that you take your crafty projects with you. I do the same. We have a few acres of land and there is a large portion we let go wild. It has lots and lots of milkweed right now and the monarchs love it, and we love the monarchs, so it's a win-win! Thanks for sharing your cottage pictures with us.

Cindy

Mickie said...

Helen,
Oh what a glorious holiday place to visit! I love each and every picture and the cottage would be a dream to stay in. The gardens are amazing and your photos are so professionally taken.
Thank you for sharing your relaxing week in such a beautiful place.
Mickie, Indiana USA

Betty said...

Such a pretty place and looks so relaxing. I do not think I would want to leave.

Gracie Saylor said...

Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Helen. I so enjoy this lush time of year with so many flowers in bloom, and I can see why you have a new flower crush :-) I often smell the roses at the grocery store in hopes that they will have the heavenly scent you described. So far they haven't but the memory of the scent of old-fashioned roses is still strong for me. I'm glad you had a good time on holiday. We are making good progress on our moving chores...a workman is making industrious sounds in the upstairs bathroom and window washers are scheduled to arrive this afternoon.xxxxxxx

Jane said...

What a beautiful cottage and spot Helen.A perfect recipe for your holiday. I'm so glad you had a relaxing break. Hugs xxx

My Little Home and Garden said...

Looking at your photos was like a lovely little vacation! The scenery and the gardens are so beautiful and I'd be happy to stay in that cottage.

Karen

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Idyllic is the word to describe it all Helen, I don't think it could be any more perfect!
Astrantia look like little pincushions, maybe that's why you are drawn to them.:) They are very pretty.
Have a great week, enjoy this lovely gardening weather..
V x

Rhona said...

I can see why you wanted to live there....it looks like little bit of heaven! All those flowers make it look delightful and I can just imagine the fragrances. Glad you had a relaxing break.

Marilyn McLeod @ Pink Paper Cottage said...

Oh what I would give to go for a week to the English countryside and stay in that idyllic little cottage... and walk amongst the wildflowers and roses! (I'm dreaming). Nothing better than fields and hedges full of flowers and butterflies and busy bees.. and green grass and hillsides to wander. Your photos are so pretty. Welcome home and have missed your posts! Marilyn

Karrin Hurd said...

Love the cottage and flower pictures. What a great getaway! Thanks for sharing!

loraine everard said...

wow, Helen, what a wonderful house! The gardens you visited looked wonderful. Have you ever been to Arley Hall near Knutsford? Fabulous gardens, and a really nice house to look round too.I was lucky enough to visit it last weekend, and absolutely loved it! Best wishes, Loraine.

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh my goodness.. it looks like you stepped into the past and into a historic novel! What a perfect and wonderful place! Thanks for all the fabulous photos.. I'm going to click on them each and look at them in a bigger format. And then look at them again. What a delightful time you had! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Lorrie said...

A week in that cottage and its beautiful surroundings sounds simply lovely. Fields of flowers, pretty gardens, long walks, and a cozy place to come home to make for a wonderful vacation. Have a wonderful weekend.

butterfly said...

What a wonderful setting to stay in this beautiful holiday home .

Love the gardens.