Last photos. These from Ramster Gardens, Chittingford. We had lunch here and wandered around before getting the train back. It is a beautiful garden but rhododendrons and azaleas are not my favourite shrubs. Having made a spectacular show early on, they then sit around with their dark foliage for the rest of the year. The trees were beautiful though and the Redwood towered magnificently, though it is only 120 years old, as old as when the garden was planted.
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| Azaleas |
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| Azaleas |
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| Trying to capture the purple iris against pink rhododendron. Failure |
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The sort of dragon you would want guarding your garden
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| Village green of Chittingford |
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Village pond at Chittingford
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Impressions: Let us start with football supporters (on the train) and our expectation of them. Well they rolled onto the train in their brightly coloured t-shirts. First thing the carrier bag of tinned beer banged up on the table, and the several men all took out one immediately. Then they settled their seats and the one opposite me was talking with the teacher in the corner about the coal mining strikes and shut downs that was so devastating to the local communities. It turned out he had been a mine engineer and knew his stuff. The sad fact of how it broke up communities, that people stopped speaking to their neighbours, should they be a 'scab' and people moving into villages and no one speaking to them. Was that Maggie who set the police on the miner's strike?
Chittingford was a pretty little village, my impressions of Chittingford and area, with its olde world houses in the trees, made me think of 'The Shire Land' of Bilbo and kin. When we went to Hazelmere for an Indian meal and had a wander round the high street, the first thing to notice was the half dozen estate agents and the prices - whoosh. It told you one fact, selling houses is a good way to make a quick buck.
I was going to write about how many of the women were thin and blonde their children the same but realised that where my mind was taking me was too strong, or at least disturbing but anyone who has read the 'The Midwich Cuckoos' will know where I went. The thought is of course totally untrue.
Were the blonde and thin also driving black SUVs? The gardens look nice. What needed to happen with English mines can be long argued about, but the way 'she' went it about was just plain callous, cruel and without empathy.
ReplyDeleteShe did the same to the printers, using force to break the men down. Now of course, rather than use brute force by the police, we have protestors taken to court and charged. Which is wrong of course. I couldn't quite make out my reaction to the women, except they were carbon copies of each other Andrew.
DeleteLots of lovely garden photos, Thelma.
ReplyDeleteSussex is a different experience Ellen, it is a less harsh landscape.
DeleteAzaleas are a very popular landscaping shrub for spring color here in south-central Kentucky. I've not been tempted by them as the colors have such a screaming intensity. I don't see as many perennials here as I like--after the spring show of colorful shrubs, daylilies in clumps seem to dominate the scene.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely outing you've had.
Hello Sharon, yes it was a lovely outing. I agree the azaleas colours seem to shout out at you and require a particular type of soil. Strange about perennials, they flower through the seasons bringing colour to the garden. My daughter bought a bunch of Sweet Williams yesterday, one of my favourite flowers.
Deletei got confused between midwitch cuckoos and stepford wives....... i also agree on the rhodies...... they look great for a short while but then they are dead boring...... and on the moors we consider them invasive and have to "whack 'em"
ReplyDeleteWell Midwich Cuckoos got turned into an old TV adaptation 'Village of the Damned' where these strange blonde haired children had only to stare at you and you were dead! The purple rhododendrons are considered a weed as they infest the woods and takeover.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place. The info on the mines and the communities was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe quarry garden is very strange and beautiful but requires a lot of hard work.
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