Hiatus

 So, I've been taking an enforced break for a while as I've had a stroke - back at the beginning of April ; but then I've had another - and then a fall in the bath. 

The first wasn't bad - I spent  few days in hospital, then I was out and relatively normal, just a little dodgy on my feet. The second at the beginning of May, was worse and left me wobbling and unable to do much. Then I fell in the bath - and I was set back for a month or more.

It's been a time of not doing much. After the first stroke I managed to go out to Calke and Chatsworth but the second put paid to all that, and I'm only just getting out again. I'm determined it won't beat me though. I'm pottering around locally using my rollator or my walking stick, and I've started going out to Kedleston and Carsington. Such activities leave me tired the next day, so there's been a lot of sitting in the garden, watching the birds and butterflies, my husband take care of MY plants, and seeing the flowers come and go -the poppies, the roses, and the lavender. 

The weather has been hot and the garden is now turning parched, with grass like straw, and it's enough effort to keep the vegetables watered and the allotment looked after

I am now getting back to normal with visits here and there. First though I have some catching up to do on our holiday before.

Belton daffodils

I've been to Belton many times over the years, but I've never seen the daffodils looking this stunning

.

In part, this was heading there when the daffodils were in full bloom,instead of in the past heading there just because we were going away to Norfolk; this isn't the best way of catching flowers at their best. I think another thing was that stopping en route to somewhere else limits the time you can spend at any one property, so maybe we never got to see them. 

Whatever the daffodils were just stunning. Stretching as far as the eye can see!

We wandered beyond the pleasure grounds up to the lakes where there were still daffodils growing everywhere.

And even back along the main driveway to the house.These were by far the best daffodils we'd seen.

 

Kedleston daffodils

Another gorgeous day and another walk amongst the daffodils

 

Easton Walled Garden

Easron Walled Garden is a new place for us to visit. I learned of it, rather unusually, through a Sawdays advert for garden properties and decided that it would make a good place to visit. Then I discovered that it was one of the properties covered by our Historic Houses membership so off we went.

It's known in early Spring for its snowdrops. It was too wet to be worth visiting then but the snowdrop walk was still open and we could see where they were meant to be. There were daffodils around the place bringing sunshine and cheer. 

We followed the path round the snowdrop walk, along side the river Wensum, which flows on to Grantham.

Then across this magnificent bridge which led to the walled garden.

This was mainly laid to orchard, with bulbs underneath

Then back down to the bridge, and over and up to the terraced gardens.