Sudbury Hall

Despite being so close to home (45 minutes dive) I hadn't visited Sudbury Hall till last Christmas. Then, we mainly explored the house with its seasonal Cinderella decorations and ignored the garden (snow attempted to fall a couple of times while we were there), so I'd always intended to go back in nicer weather. 

Heading past the door to spend a weekend with family seemed like an ideal opportunity but this time the weather had swung to the opposite extreme of one of this summer's heatwaves. 

Passing through the courtyard and by the Children's Museum we walked along the gardens on the south front, through an area of woodland which I believe has bluebells in spring, and along the edge of the lake. Not far but quite far enough as the day got hotter. I maybe should have gone into the house which might have been cooler.

 

Calke Abbey - roses

One of the advantages of being a National Trust member is being able to return, particularly to local properties, several times a year and see the gardens change throughout the year.

Last time I went to Calke the wisteria was the main attraction. Going back in June the roses were the stars.

The lawns on the hillside leading up to the walled gardens are full of wild flowers, but inside the walls everything is more ordered.

Formal beds sit in the centre and roses brighten the surrounding walls.

And heading into the kitchen garden the scent follows with roses against the walls and lavender down the centre path

 

A damp visit to Belton

My daughter and her boyfriend came to see us at the beginning of June for part of her birthday celebrations. After lots of fun and food on the Saturday, they wanted to visit Belton House on the Sunday. The weather forecast wasn't brilliant but we decided to take a chance.

A slight drizzle as we arrived had us choosing to go round the house first, and we just caught the end of some of Belton's celebrations of Jane Austen's work - Pride and Prejudice in particular as the hall was used as the location for Lady Catherine de Bourgh's residence, Rosings, in the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle adaptation.

In the main downstairs room, a group of Regency dancers were performing, and in another a pianist was playing pieces of the time. Upstairs a mannequin sported Mr Darcy's clothes, and the floor was strewn with crumpled paper from his failed letters to Lizzy Bennet.

From a window at the back of the house the weather appeared to have cleared but after we'd stopped for tea and cake the rain began again and this glimpse was almost all we saw of the gardens. 


 

Well-dressings at Tissington, Ashford in the Water, and Youlgreave

Spring is the time for Derbyshire villagers to decorate thier wells and springs with flowers. The origins of the tradition are lost in time but there's generally a consensus that it gves thanks for the purity of water which was believed to have kept villages safe during times of plague.

Whatever the origins today it's a chance to see an artistic tradition still taking place, and visit some, if not all, of the pretty Derbyshire villages involved. There are frequently fairs and flower festivals taking place at the same time, with sleepy villages becoming quite busy for a few days.

Tissington Hall

Usually I'd add on a walk in the surrounding countryside but this spring the weather has been so warm that I settled for enjoying the views from the car park
 

Youlgreave church 

Church at Ashford in the Water which
 holds a flower festival to coincide
with the well-dressings

Something that's lovely to see is the encouragement of younger generations. Several places have a special Children's Well for which the decorations are created by the schoolchildren of the village, hopefully keeping the tradition alive for years to come. 

May

 A busy busy month; a trip to Norfolk, a visit to my daughter and her boyfriend with dinner at his parents', calling in at Lyme on the way home, an afternoon out at Chatsworth. It feels like it's almost been non-stop.

At home, the seasons moved on - the huge oriental poppies, flag lilies, and the first rose, Alberic Barbier, flowered,  and no mow May brought daisies sprinkling the back lawn. 

In an attempt to get back to my old making and creating self that I've lost in the past few years, I collected flowers from the lilac bush to make syrup. It doesn't take a lot of effort, produces a sweet, flower-flavoured drink to mix with lemonade or tonic water, and hopefully will mark the resumption of my old way of life.