In an English country...gar-ar-den.

This week my non-paid two days have actually been non-work days. We have had a favourite aunt staying with us, which has been an excellent excuse for going out and enjoying the sunshine. The four new Ellen mice are finished, except for trying out the fire-retardant spray...and even they have enjoyed sitting in the garden and leafing through my new book on colour photography:

One or two people said they thought Ellen Mouse looked like a storybook character, so...um...well...perhaps you should check out Ellen Mouse's own blog of her story http://ellenmouse.blogspot.co.uk/ 


The cats seem to enjoy having dry paws for a change:

Max

Rio

Yesterday we went to The Courts, a wonderful National Trust garden in Holt in Wiltshire. Mark and I have been many times, but have never seen it look better. I am starting to suspect I may be addicted to colour. I used to think the light-headed, weak-kneed feeling I got when walking in to a quilting shop or haberdashery and the urge to stroke the shelves of reels of thread was a sewing madness, but I have realised that I get that hyperventilating sort of happiness in gardens too...I was on a total high from the sunshine, flowers, lush green grass and trees.

Take a Saturday afternoon walk with me in an English country garden (I am only sorry I cannot offer the toasted crumpets and tea (served in the Portmeirion china I lust for) that we had at the Courts)...

The house is tenanted, so you cannot look inside, but what an amazing place to live!

Down by the pond, minding my own business trying to capture the vista through the gunnera manicata (giant rhubarb) and someone has to get in the shot!

Mark pointed out how strange the reflection of the sky in the pond looked:

 This one wasn't quite what I intended, with the flower in sharp focus and the bee blurred, but I actually quite like the oddness of it:

A cute little girl wandering around the gardens with her parents, looking almost like a flower herself:

guard dog

When we got home I had to collect Rio the cat from Monica's garden to come in for his tea, so took my camera to further satisfy my colour habit:

We rounded the day off with a picnic at Westonbirt Arboretum, listening to Alfie Boe perform...a good day!