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. 

Chatsworth

 

At the end of last year we took out Chatsworth 'Friends' membership with the intent of visiting many, many times over the course of 2025. I'm not quite sure that's working to plan but it does mean that we can visit without extra cost whenever we feel like it.

It's one of my favourite gardens, with so much for every season and a wide range of differing spaces within - from stream-side woodland walks to formal bedding to magnificent views over the gardens and countryside beyond.

On this occasion we caught the first of the peonies bursting into flower - these are wonderful when fully out and I meant to go back a fortnight or so later but never found the time. 

Irises in the old rose garden

And the laburnum arch - not as long as the one at Bodnant Gardens but still lovely.

Lyme - rhododendrons

A trip up north to see my daughter gave me chance to stop off at Lyme again.

This time the rhododendrons were in full flower - around the sides of the Italian garden and on the far side of the lake.

It was a very hot day, so ice cream was needed, and a walk in the shelter of trees much appreciated.