Late Addition

I received a request to post a photo of the B&B in Rye, the last place we stayed. Here it is.

And since there has been some interest in copies of the photos, if you would like a print of something I've posted, just let me know. I may find a way to display all of my photos, as well, to increase your options.

Day 8: Great Dixter

I may have given the impression yesterday that those were my last photos. They were really just my last photos of the day. Today's posting will be my last, as we visited our last garden. I think we really saved the best for last. We visited Great Dixter, the home of the late genius gardener Christopher Lloyd. The words that seem most appropriate to describe the garden are frothy, magnificent, breathtaking, and ebullient.

Here's the house, which dates to the middle of the 15th century. And yes, the front does lean a bit.

This is a Victorian watering cart. They would fill these with water, wheel them around the garden, and use a hand pump to spray the plants with water.

Tiny pink poppies in a bed of allium.

Here's one more word to describe the gardens: topiary. Love the squirrels!

The famous long border.

One last look...

And that's it. Hope you've all enjoyed the gardens.

Day 7: Sissinghurst Castle Gardens

The gardens were fabulous. Loved them. What did I love more? Warning: nerd alert. I actually touched the Hogarth Press (that's the press that Virginia Woolf printed her first novels on).

Now on to the gardens. 

A quiet place to sit.

The view from the tower.

The herb garden, featuring a stone bowl Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson got while living in Constantinople. (I told mom that it is now an Istanbowl. Couldn't resist.)

See the bee?

The purple border. And that's it. No more photos lest I want to become the irritating vacation photo person.

Day 6: Kew Gardens

We visited the UNESCO World Heritage site Kew Gardens, probably the most important botanical garden in the world.

A little something from the rhododendron garden.

Yes, those are actual lily pads. They belong to the Victoria water lily, which I think is the largest variety in the world.

Just a secluded spot in the garden.

Day 5: Jubilee

They are really getting excited about the Queen's 60th Jubilee celebration around here. Street parties are planned all over the place, and many shops have special Jubilee paper plates, table linens, chutneys, etc for the party. The Union Jack is everywhere.

Don't ask me why I took photos of whole rabbit from France and wood pigeon from Britain while I was at Harrod's. I was just fascinated for some reason. Then we went to lunch at my favorite vegetarian restaurant.

And then we visited St. Paul's. Anyone notice how blue the sky is in nearly every photo? Am I really in England?

Day 4: Tourism

So, we went round the typical places today, but they're like old friends.

Westminster Abbey...

The Tower of London...

Tower Bridge...

and the remains of a church, bombed during the Blitz, that I love to visit each time I'm here.

Making Amends

Because one of you, dear to me, has said "not enough photos," here are a few more.

So, the first two are from the first day at Barnsley House:

One more from the B&B:

Two more from Hidcote Manor garden:

And two more from Chelsea:

And a night view of Parliament, my favorite landmark.

Day 3: Chelsea Flower Show

I think the headline explains everything. I have whittled down the 155 photos I took to just 3 for your viewing pleasure, but it was painful to choose so few.

This first one is from an artisan garden. The shepherd's hut is built in the UK by master craftsmen.

I think this is my favorite garden, sponsored by Laurent-Perrier.

But this one is a very tight second.

Day 2: Breaking Rules

So I said I would keep myself to 3 photos only each day, but then we went to one of the most magnificent gardens in the world today, and I find that I need to post a couple more. Forgive me.

First, here's the outside of our B&B in the Cotswolds.

Then, a mere morsel of the stunning gardens at Hidcote Manor.

 Okay, one more...

And now we're in London, which is all decked out for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Day 1 Photos Reprise

Here's what I tried to post yesterday:


We then had time to drive to Stratford-upon-Avon and walk around the Shakespeare sites. This is in the churchyard of Trinity Church, the building in which Shakespeare is buried.

And now we're happily resting in our beautiful thatch-roofed cottage bed and breakfast, Willow Corner. Here's the view from one of our windows.

Day 1: Cotswolds

Day 1: Cotswolds
I thought I would post 3 photos each day, but the blog site is causing me trouble. So here's the only one I could get to work today.

We got around quite a bit today. After landing, we drove to the Cotswolds to visit the beautiful gardens at Barnsley House.

We then had time to drive to Stratford-upon-Avon and walk around the Shakespeare sites. Now we are resting in our bed and breakfast. Hopefully I'll be able to post these photos tomorrow.