CadyLuck Leedy

Getting from Point A to Point B; Don’t Forget the a’s, b’s and little c’s!

Ash Manor House, Yeovil, UK

What an Inviting Entryway and Check Out the Flowers!

To get from Point A to Point B is more fun if you have shorter driving times and lots of smaller a’s, b’s and c’s along the route. After all we are on vacation! When you have been up all night, or at least not sleeping well on an international flight, it is easier to have small stops to look forward to rather than a long jaunt across the countryside in unfamiliar territory! So, those were the conditions I set for my “2016 English Garden Tour” starting at Heathrow Airport and beginning the “Official” part of the tour in Cornwall. But, I made a few stops along the way and they turned out to be lovely! As you have read in previous blog posts we stopped at two National Trust properties on the journey to Cornwall, Stourhead and Tintinhull. Oh, and we drove past Stonehenge, so we can say we’ve seen that too! And then we planned to stop for the night in Yeovil, and stay at the Ash Manor House. What a delightful stay between Point A and Point B! It was easy to find, there was plenty of parking on the premises, it was spotless and there is a restaurant on site! So if you are making your way to Cornwall this also may be a good option for you! Let’s see some photos!

The Lobby Area at Ash House Manor, Yeovil, UK

The Lady of the Manor House in Her Time! I Wouldn’t Mess With Her!

Notice looking at the “now” pictures of the house and the “original” picture, that the ivy has been removed from the house. I liked the ivy look better, but that’s just me! The ivy softens the stones and gives it a romantic cottage-y look!

Up the Stairs We Go!

A Beautiful Transomed Doorway at the Top of the Landing

Ahh, To Drop Into Bed!

A Quick Peek at LEON and the Village

From Heathrow to Ash Manor House I was trying to adjust to a rental car called LEON. Leon is a diesel engine vehicle that turns off whenever the brake is on for any period of time to save gas. It is like they do in Nascar to save gas when they think they will not make it until the end of the race and try to conserve fuel. The only difference is Leon does it automatically and it is sooooo scary! I was always concerned it wouldn’t start up again just as we got to the tricky round about or stuck in heavy traffic and then needed to go! Just one more thing to add to the adventure! Who would name a car LEON anyway? I learned one more thing early on in my adventure; never let them stick me wth a LEON at the car rental! Maybe I just need a relaxing drink and something to eat! So let’s go to the bar!

The Bar at Ash Manor House, Yeovil, UK

The Dining Room at Ash Manor House, Yeovil, UK

My Yummy Evening Meal at Ash Manor House, Yeovil, UK

And Then Dessert! The Frog is a Cinnamon Dip!

And then the next morning, a scrumptious breakfast in the Morning Room overlooking the back garden.

The Morning Room at Ash Manor House, Yeovil, UK

The Back Garden at Ash Manor House, Yeovil, UK

If you are traveling from London to Cornwall you might consider a rest stop at Ash Manor House. All my boxes for the perfect stay were ticked off!

Well, it’s a brand new day and we are off to another National Trust Property! See you next time at Greenway, home of Agatha Christie! I can hardly wait!

Thursday Doors at Tintinhull

Tintinhull, A National Trust Property in Somerset, UK

Main Entrance at Tintinhull

The Boxwood Entrance at Tintinhull, Notice the Diamond Shaped Stone Walkway

Tintinhull, a National Trust property in Somerset, was our second stop of the day on our way to Cornwall.

Keep in mind that finding a particular National Trust property makes some of the best adventures! They are usually off the beaten path and although are addressed in small villages many times I never find the small village!

Tintinhull, is a small, tidy property that just fits the bill. By 1630 the Napper family had constructed the east side of the present house, and this was extended by Andrew Napper in 1722 when the classical west facade and forecourt were built. In about 1900 Tintinhull was sold to Dr S J M Price. He developed the west forecourt as a garden, laying the distinctive diamond-patterned flagged walk and planting the flanking clipped domes of boxwood. Notice the big eagles on the wall too! In 1933 Tintinhull was sold to Captain and Mrs P.E. Reiss, who developed garden enclosures linked by carefully designed vistas and rich planting. Phyllis Emily Reiss created a garden around the 17th century manor house, with six compartments, each room having it’s own character and identity, divided by clipped hedges and walls. She designed the Pool Garden as a memorial to a nephew killed in WWII. The house, gardens and woodland walk create all the charm at Tintinhull!

In July 1939 Reiss made two broadcasts for the BBC entitled ‘In my Garden.’ In 1959 she gave Tintinhull to the National Trust although she lived there until her death on the 18th September 1961.

Penelope Hobhouse and her husband, Professor John Malins lived at Tintinhull for fourteen years and was in charge of the gardens there from 1980 until 1993. With a name like Penelope Hobhouse, (my auto spelling corrector wants to name her Penelope Hothouse) it’s a given that she was a garden writer, garden historian, self taught gardener and lecturer. She went on to design many gardens in England, Scotland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States. I especially like her name and I think it is perfect for a gardener! She has written several garden books, and Penelope Hobhouse on Gardening, written in 1994, describes her gardening experiences at Tintinhull. You can find a video of her Here.

Now let’s take a look at Tintinhull!

The Garden Map at Tintinhull

Birds on the Wall Is Always Good!

Another Entrance to Tintinhull

A Very Small Door at Tintinhull

How about this very small door! Was it an opening to a guard shack? Did you drop off the mail here? What was it used for?

A Few Doors to be Seen Here!

I LOVE the Color of the Stone Too!

Penelope Hobhouse was noted for her Terra Cotta planters! And I don’t want to miss the windows either!

Some Window Treatment at Tintinhull

Another Door, More Windows and Some More Pots!

Inside Tintinhull

Only two rooms are open for viewing at Tintinhull. Short, sweet, and modest!

Inside Tintinhull, with Very Deep Doorways!

Inside Tintinhull

The Barn Tea Room Entrance Doors at Tintinhull

Inside the Tearoom at Tintinhull

A Few Garden Photos at Tintinhull

Did you find the doorways in the garden?

Row Houses at Tintinhull

This section of Row Houses must refer to the village at Tintinhull! This is the only “village” I saw! Loved their cottage gardens and what else? More Red Doors!

Row Houses at Tintinhull

This is just one of many photos in the Thursday Door Collection featured by Norm2.0! Won’t you join in or take a peak at all the doors? See you next week!

It’s a Sign!

The White Horse Inn, Hailsham, UK

Posting one last time about the Hoare Family, Stourhead and interesting tidbits………….that led from one thing to another!

When Richard Hoare, Goldsmith, moved his shop from Cheapside to Fleet Street he took his trading sign with him, that of the Golden Bottle, which was a gilded leather bottle that hung outside the shop. This sign was used to distinguish his business from another.

I am fascinated with the signs in the UK. Everyone has a sign! Cottages in the villages have signs rather than numbered addresses and looking for cottage signs and pub signs while visiting there is very enjoyable!

But how did all this sign business start? Well, with the Romans! In 43 AD, it was traditional for landlords, in Rome, to hang branches of vine leaves outside their premises to promote the drinking of wine within. People could not read, so an image that made sense was needed. When one saw the grape vines, one thought of grapes and then wine! Voila a sign! However, when the Romans got to the UK, they were lacking the customary vine leaf and hung any kind of evergreen plant over the door instead. The Romans built an extensive road network and with large numbers of troop movements, inns opened at suitable stopping points. Hence the beginnings of the local pub!

By the 12th century people were doing pilgrimages to cathedral towns, such as to the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury. As Chaucer’s pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales reveal, the pilgrims started their journey at the Tabard Inn in London. Other inns and taverns welcomed pilgrims and knights on their way to the Crusades in the Holy Land.

Pub signs as we know them today were originated with the Royal Act of 1393 when Richard II declared that anyone brewing ale in a town, with the intention of selling it, must hang out a sign or forfeit his ale.

It was Charles I who gave people the right to hang out signs as they pleased. Prior to that signs were for innkeepers only. So an elaborate language of symbols began with a common understanding. Most common was a dragon for an apothecary, a sugar loaf for a grocer, a wheatsheaf for a baker, a frying pan for a confectioner and a spool for a silk weaver, or in the case of goldsmith, Hoare, the leather sack of gems.

By the 18th Century heavy wrought iron brackets with their sign hung outside every single establishment in Cheapside. During bad weather or a strong wind, these huge signs groaned and creaked and in 1718 a huge sign collapsed killing four people and took out much of the shop front. There was such a problem of hanging signs crowding the streets and knocking people from their horses, that a commission was formed in 1762 to take them all down and fix them to the store fronts. So that became the standard system to identify properties.

But, the British like their traditions and I am glad many, many shops, pubs and cottages use the hanging of signs to identify their property, albeit with lighter, smaller signs!

Here are some of my pub signs collected during my “Garden Tours of England.”

The Bucket of Blood, Cornwall, UK

According to local folklore, the Bucket of Blood got its name many years ago when the landlord went to the well to get a bucket of water, but found a bucket of blood. Investigating further he found there was the badly mutilated corpse of a local smuggler at the bottom of the well! An alternative theory is that the well on the grounds would provide red water due to run off from local tin mining.

Downlong Cottage, St Ives, Cornwall, UK

The Mermaid Restaurant, St Ives

The Golden Lion, St Ives

Warninglid Village Sign, UK

The Woolpack Inn, Tenterden, UK

The Star Inn, Alfriston, UK

The George Inn, Alfriston, UK

The Bull Inn, Benenden, Uk

These were a few of my favorite signs! I hope you enjoyed learning about them! See you soon!

More Interesting Tidbits I Discovered about the Hoare Family of Stourhead

Young Elizabeth I Wearing Exquisite Jewelery

Young Elizabeth I Wearing Exquisite Jewelry

Elizabeth I Wearing Exquisite Jewelry

Just a few days ago I wrote a blog post about the Hoare family and how I had visited their fabulous estate called Stourhead, which is one of the National Trust properties in the UK. I wrote how Richard Hoare, in 1672 had a goldsmith’s business at Cheapside and set up a system of banking because goldsmiths had secure premises and had always been the storehouses for cash and valuables. The shops on Cheapside were the commercial heart of London with shops for the sale of luxury goods and was known as Goldsmith’s Row, the center for the manufacture and sale of golden jewelry in medieval London.

Elizibethan London Map

Richard Hoare, knighted by Queen Anne in 1702, the same year she became queen, prospered, and he not only made precious jewelry for the queen and others, he became Lord Mayor of London in 1712, and took his goldsmith venture into the banking industry. He soon moved his banking facilities to Fleet Street, the main thoroughfare halfway between the City of Westminster and the City of London.

Queen Anne by Michael Dahl, painting,1705

Hoare introduced many aspects of modern banking, including issuing printed checks and the C.Hoare and Co Bank is the oldest private bank in the United Kingdom to this day. It is family owned and run by the 11th generation of Hoares’ descendants.

Well I got to thinking, is this where the word hoard came from? According to the Dictionary, the word, hoard, has it’s origins from the Old English noun, hord, which was a secret stock or store for something. Hmmmm….. sounds very familiar to our story of goldsmith, Richard Hoare.

Then I read another fascinating tale; that of the Cheapside Hoard, which was discovered in 1912, when a workman’s pickax smashed through the brick cellar in an old house being demolished at 30-32 Cheapside in London! Found in a buried, wooden coffin-styled box, was 500 pieces of 17th century goldsmith’s stock, including rings, brooches and chains with bright gem stones and enameled gold settings, along with cameos, scent bottles and crystal tankards. Well that fits nice and tidy with our Hoare family name and background doesn’t it? What was so incredible about this stash of jewelry, with huge rubies, pearls the size of acorns, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires, is that it was left as designed and not altered as other pieces from this period tended to be; broken up, re-fashioned and reworked over the centuries and therefore didn’t survive.

Jewels from the Cheapside Hoard

Now who hid the stash and what was done with it after it was found? More to the story…….

In 1637, a gem dealer named Gerrard Pulman paid the East India Company 100 pounds for the safe passage on the ship, Discovery, from the Orient back to England. With him was a crate that took three men to lift, a great sea-chest, and smaller boxes full of diamonds and other gems worth many millions today. He lost a walnut-sized diamond from a purse around his neck when bathing on the voyage, and two weeks later he was dead….. poisoned by the ship’s surgeon, an inquiry found. Pulman’s body was stripped and thrown overboard. By the time the treasure chests were opened in London upon arrival, they were half empty. The missing gems, stolen by crew and officers, were sold to jewelers across London. One crewman pulled a pocket full of loot out at the Three Tun Tavern in Fleet Street and dropped an enormous pearl through a crack in the floorboards. Many believe these gems ended up in the Cheapside Hoard. But, who buried the treasure and why was it not discovered until 1912? One theory was that the jeweler buying up the gems very likely buried it below the cellar floor to keep them safe. This was also a time of great upheaval as many jewelers were soon to became soldiers in the Civil War of 1642. From 1645 to 1646, fifteen percent of the population of London was killed by the Great Plague, so many people fled the city to avoid the war and then to avoid the plague.

Then in 1666, a fire that started in a bakery, spread quickly through the city. In less than three days it consumed more than 13,000 buildings, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, about a block away from the hoard. The Great Fire of London, as it came to be known, destroyed most of the city’s wooden structures, including those above the site of the treasure. Evidence of fire damage found during the Cheapside excavations led experts to conclude that the jewels were buried no later than 1666. It is unlikely that the owner of the hoard perished in the fire, as very few casualties were actually recorded.

Following the Great Fire of London and the rebuilding of the city, new structures were erected in the Cheapside district around 1670. This time, brick and mortar structures rose above the forgotten cellars, sealing the Cheapside Hoard for two and a half centuries.

Cheapside, London

So more than likely, whoever buried the hoard died and the stash was never discovered until the workmen started demolishing the old jewelry premise in 1912. The workmen stuffed the loot, some dating back 1500 years to the Byzantium period, into their hats, pockets and knotted handkerchiefs and took them to “Stoney Jack,” an antiques dealer and pawn shop owner, who literally went on pub crawls offering men work, giving them a shilling or “half a pint” for any interesting finds that were brought to him! “Stoney Jack,” who was George Fabian Lawrence sold all the treasure given to him to the new London Museum. The Cheapside Treasure was an epic success when the London Museum opened in 1914, revealing some of the treasure, including a watch set in a single emerald the size of a small apple!

During WWI the treasure went into bank vault storage and came out when the entire collection went on display at the Museum of London in 2013.

Oh my, what a person can discover from just one visit to a National Trust property and an inquiring mind! What an adventure! More to follow!

The Gardens at Stourhead, a National Trust Property

A Garden Gate at Stourhead

One of the many lovely things about the Gardens at Stourhead is the Estate Walk and many other seasonal walks on the grounds. Many of the paths lead around the big lake that is framed by the hilly terrain. When we did the tour of the manor house a gentle, but steady rain was coming down, but after the manor tour was over and we headed out to the garden paths it was pouring! That did not deter a group of scheduled ramblers, who departed from their buses and vans prepared for the weather, in walking boots and rain gear, and carrying one or two walking sticks. I was not as prepared and had been up all night on an overseas flight so we took as many pictures as we could before getting drenched and then headed out to our next National Trust destination that morning, hoping the weather would turn for the best. Here is a LIST of some of the upcoming walking events and future highlights at Stourhead.

First let’s take a look at the entry into Stourhead. It sets the mood, your home is your castle! And Stourhead has the gates and crenelations to prove it! Loved that clock too!

Entry into Stourhead, a National Trust Property

Entry into Stourhead, a National Trust Property with Lots of Ivy!

Gated Walls and Meadows at Stourhead

Now let’s look at those gardens!

Another Gate to the Gardens at Stourhead!

Notice the meadow look? We’ve noticed a lot of the National Trust gardens and others are turning part of their land back to meadows, with natural flowers and habitats for birds aplenty!

The Front Meadow at Stourhead

The Formal Gardens at Stourhead, Framed by the Woodlands

The Formal Gardens at Stourhead

The Gardens at Stourhead, Inside the Walls

The Gardens at Siourhead, Inside the Walls

The Gardens at Stourhead, Inside the Walls

The Gardens at Stourhead, Inside the Walls, all Neat and Tidy and Wet!

The Flowers of Stourhead

P1020868

Which Way to Go? Choices, Choices!

Well I hope you enjoyed a very abbreviated and wet tour through the gardens! Were you carrying an umbrella? We would definitely place Stourhead on our Return Garden List!

Off to another National Trust Property, see you there!

Thursday’s Doors, Stourhead

The Gate Keepers Cottage, Stourhead

Today’s Doors come from the gardens at Stourhead, a National Trust estate in Devon, UK. This summer as part of my “English Garden Tour” I again explored many fine estates and gardens, both public and private, as I toured along my path to Cornwall and then back to Sussex and Kent.

These are photos of the fabulous doors I found at Stourhead! If you would like to know more about the estate look HERE in the previous post about it!

When you arrive at Stourhead, you pass the gate keepers cottage. I loved the door, and the look of the cottage was just my style.

I can’t imagine living in the estate house with all those pictures to dust and all those rooms to clean. Of course, the owners of Stourhead didn’t have to do any of that either! They had plenty of servants, housemaids, butlers, farm workers, gardeners, and ground keepers to maintain their 2600 acre estate. But, I am glad the National Trust preserves not only the manor house, but all the out buildings as well. It gives you a proper prospective of things, although I imagine the estate cottages and out buildings are nicer today than they were back in the day!

Stourhead, of course, has the estate house and this was the door that welcomed you in! There are lots of rooms to tour here and a very interesting family history.

The Main Entry Door at Stourhead Manor House

The Manor House at Stourhead, (Notice the Main Entrance and the Servants Entrance!)

Then there are the out buildings and these doors were some of my favorites!

The Mossy Green Door at Stourhead

A Close Up of the Limey Green Door, Stourhead

A Close Up of the Mossy Green Door, Stourhead

I love that stonework too and the door defines the mossiness of it!

A Thursday Window That I Liked Too, Ha Ha

Another Outbuilding with Limey Green Door and Fantastic Windows

Another Outbuilding with Mossy Green Door and Fantastic Windows

Workers Cottages at Stourhead

The Row of Workers Cottages at Stourhead

Of course the connected worker’s cottages were my very favorite! And they all had Red Doors!

The Red Cottage Doors!

This is just one of many photos in the Thursday Door Collection featured by Norm2.0! Won’t you join in or take a peak at all the doors? See you next week!

The Hoare House, aka Stourhead, a National Trust Estate

Stourhead

I’m back from my “Garden Tour of England” and as you have learned from the previous post, written by the garden fairies here at The End Cottage, we are caught up with my own garden chores and all the guests are back home! Hence the delay in sharing my adventure!

It takes me months to plan which National Trust properties I will visit. After I decide on the properties I determine as many public and private gardens as I can in close proximity to the National Trust sights that I have picked out, and voila, my schedule of touring is complete! There is so much to see and do! So, let’s take a walk through the grounds and home of the Hoare family, here at Stourhead. It is the first of many delights this year on my Garden Tour of England. I have separated the posts into the house and to follow, the gardens.

The Story of Harry……… really it starts with all those Henrys and Richards in the Hoare family, who had nicknames of “good,” “magnificent,” and “naughty” to tell them apart. Sir Richard Hoare, was a goldsmith, in 1673, in London. Goldsmiths had secure premises and were the storehouses for cash and valuables so they were in a unique position to start a system of banking: lending their customers money for interest. He was granted the Freedom of the Goldsmith’s Company on July 5th, 1672 and this marked the foundation of the Hoare’s Bank. He was knighted by Queen Anne in 1702 and then became Lord Mayor of London in 1712. His son, Good Henry, was a partner in the family bank, Hoare and Co. Henry the Good, lived at the bank during the week and wanted a country estate for holidays and leisure. In 1717 he bought the medieval Stourton estate for 14,000 pounds and renamed it Stourhead after the source of the Stour River. He built Stourhead House based on a 16th century Venetian villa, but died before his grand design was completed. Henry Hoare, “the Magnificent,” grandson of Richard, and son of Henry the Good, dominated the family with his wealth and personal charisma and was a great patron of the arts. He expanded the estate and the gardens that were considered a showcase. The garden was completed in 1770 and it’s fame spread quickly and became a must see destination with the breathtaking landscape and classical temples set around the lake. The grounds included a Grotto, a Gothic Cottage, the Pantheon, the Temple of Apollo, and the Temple of Flora.

Temple of Apollo, Stourhead

Sir Henry Ainslie Hoare (perhaps the naughty) and his wife Augusta inherited Stourhead in 1883, but it soon spiraled into decay when costs grew impossible to manage, because she loved living in the country and he preferred city life. Ainslie’s flamboyant lifestyle forced him to leave the bank and auction Stourhead paintings, furniture and books. He left Stourhead in 1885.

In 1894, after the death of his cousin, Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare and his wife Alda, inherited the unoccupied house that had sat empty for 10 years and the 2,650 acre estate with the run down, neglected and overgrown gardens. They decided to pack up and leave their home, Wavendom in Buckinghamshire, and move with their son, Harry Hoare, to Stourhead, to create a special home for their only son. Harry and his parents loved the estate and worked hard to make it the beauty it once had been.

The Entrance Hall at Stourhead

The Library at Stourhead

Little Dining Room at Stourhead

The Column Room at Stourhead

Ornate Cabinet in the Column Room, Stourhead

Ornate Cabinet in the Cabinet Room, Stourhead

I love that Poppy Red Color!

Detail of Ornate Cabinet in the Column Room, Stourhead

Detail of Ornate Cabinet in the Cabinet Room, Stourhead

An Ornate Cabinet in the Cabinet Room at Stourhead

The Italian Room at Stourhead

The Picture Gallery at Stourhead

Fancy Way of Saying, DO NOT SIT at Stourhead

In 1902, a fire broke out in a chimney and burned for hours. The center of the house collapsed from the attic down to the cellars. The family, servants, gardeners, estate workers and farm hands worked to salvage as much as possible from the burning building. Paintings were cut from their frames and furniture was thrown out of windows. The Hoares worked again to restore the house they so loved, especially for Harry, since he had grown up here and loved every inch of the place and this would always be his home. As you can see from the many rooms of Stourhead, saving everything would have been quite a challenge! It was vast with huge collections of Everything!

On August 1, 1914, Harry joined the Dorset Yeomanry and within a week he was no longer the estate manager, working for his father, but a soldier fighting for his country. His military career was plagued with injury and ill health and every time he was taken ill he would return to Stourhead to be cared for by his parents. After each recovery Harry returned to the battlefield.

During WWI the house and grounds were opened to the “Tommies” from the nearby Red Cross Hospital at Mere. Alda made arrangement for the soldiers to have outings on the property. Especially popular with the men was fishing in the Flora Bay and afterwards Alda would serve tea to all the boys at The Flora Temple. Flowers, grapes and vegetables were also sent to support the troops at the hospital.

On December 19, 1917, Captain Henry Holt Arthur Hoare (Harry), was shot in the lungs at the Battle of El Mugher in Palestine and died of his wounds in Raseltin Hospital in Alexandria. He was buried in the Hadra Military Cemetery there. Harry’s parents were devastated after his untimely death and made plans to bequeath the home and grounds to charity, opening the estate to visitors. On show days visitors were shown around by the butler or the head housemaid, following strict rules. In 1946, one year before the death of Harry’s father, the estate was split and half was gifted to the National Trust and half remains in family ownership.

Visiting this extraordinary house and gardens was made that much more interesting by learning about the family, the house and grounds. That’s what makes the estates in the National Trust so interesting, they are preserving History! Particularly fun was the large display of 19th century women’s hats found in the estate ticket office! Women and children spent a lot of time trying on the hats and primping in front of the mirrors! A first for me in a National Trust property!

Hoare and Co. is the oldest private bank in the United Kingdom. As the business prospered it was moved to 37 Fleet Street, where it still is today and run by the 11th generation of Hoare’s direct descendants.

Next we’ll visit the Gardens at Stourhead! See you there!

Where Is CadyLuckLeedy?

At the Trellis

Hi! Garden fairies here. We are the fairies that live at The End Cottage, abode of CadyLuckNeedy, er Leedy! Ever since we returned from the UK, we have had to do most of the work in our garden! You see we think we are being punished, just a bit, because we pulled off a fast one! Last year we read all about her “English Garden Tour” on the blog, after Cady had made plans to tour gardens on the National Garden Scheme and the National Trust, in Kent and Sussex. It sounded like so much fun and all those pictures of flowers, stately homes, and cottage gardens were fabulous! So this year when Cady planned another tour, this time to Cornwall, Kent and Sussex, we hid in the suitcases and went too! Boy, did it get hot and stuffy in there, not to mention all the movement! We were quite dizzy for a few days, but, it paid off when we got to Cornwall and met up with some of our garden fairy friends! What a blast we had! All those gardens with magical hiding places were just right for partying! We will add our own thoughts about the gardens if Cady doesn’t get a move on with the blog! Just what is her problem?

After we returned from the UK it has been guest after guest at the cottage! And Cady really ignored us and became the big entertainer of guests! First, it was the grandkids and all that talk about college, blah, blah, blah. Then it was “Aunt Jan.” Forget about helping us in the garden. Cady and Aunt Jan just sat on the sitting porch and yacked it up and laughed and laughed.

The Sitting Porch

You could hear them from down the street! Occasionally they looked over at the garden and as always after a big garden tour you knew there was going to be changes in ours! Gardeners just can’t help it, they are always changing things up! Their big idea of fun was to take the pictures of plants they liked and trot off to the nurseries looking for them! They went to the nurseries (every day) and brought back more plants and work for us to do! I think they got a pot fettish, because all the new plants were going in new big pots! Green ones, blue ones, purple ones!

One of the Green Pots

Everyday more pots would be brought in, not the plastic kind, oh no, they had to be big, and heavy, and frost proof too! Do you know how much time it took to get all those pots planted? We heaved and ho-ed, big bags full of Miracle Grow into those pots, not an easy task for the likes of us! Then we had to move the planted pots here and there to get just the right amount of light with their best side showing!

Plenty of BIG Pots

Voila! The Planted Pots with Snow and Summer Jasmine in the Front Cottage Garden

The Hidcote Blue Lavender

The New Foxtail Ferns

First Lady Speedwell (Planted in the Ground)

Jazz Hands Chinese Fringe Flower

Chenille on the Sitting Porch

Dwarf Lime Spirea

Snow and Summer Jasmine

A fairy’s work is never done! We met up every night at dusk at the trellis. Minerva from the Woodland Garden and me from the Cottage Garden would decide what would be completed next. Plus we had all the weeding to do to make up being gone from the garden almost a month! In the meantime Cady and friends just sat on the sitting porch or the sleeping porch and ignored us, while admiring all our work! What about all those gardens in the UK? We want to read all about our new friends and see if you can spot us in the gardens! She needs to get a move on!

We may have to re-think going on a tour of the gardens again. We have been working every night and even in the day, (Yikes, we get so little rest now) and we are exhausted! But, we thought we should let you know what has been going on here and our big dilemma! Too Much Work! Hopefully Cady will read this and know we have found our way into the cottage (with the help of Bella, but don’t tell Cady or Bella may not get any more treats)

Bella

We now can post on her blog! That may get her moving!

Till next time! Posting has been daring and fun so we may try this again!

Minerva Woodland and Flora Cottage, fairies at The End Cottage.

Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

Chocolate-Chip Ice-Cream-Sandwich Cake With Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients

SERVINGS: MAKES 10 TO 12

Butterscotch Sauce

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces)

3 pints chocolate or vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Preparation

For Butterscotch Sauce

Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until both sugars dissolve. Increase heat and boil until large bubbles break on surface and sauce drops thickly from spoon, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cream and vanilla (mixture may bubble vigorously). DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm slightly over low heat before using.

For Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with parchment paper; butter paper. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until well blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop half of dough by large spoonfuls into each prepared pan; spread evenly.
Bake cookies until light golden, about 18 minutes. Cool cookies in pans on racks. Carefully turn out cookies; peel off parchment.
Place 1 cookie, top side up, in 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Drizzle 1/4 cup sauce over. Spread evenly with ice cream; drizzle with 1/2 cup sauce. Top with remaining cookie, top side up; press gently to adhere. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce. Cover pan and freeze ice cream cake at least 5 hours. Cover and chill remaining sauce. DO AHEAD Cake and sauce can be prepared 3 days ahead.
Cut around cake with small knife to loosen. Release pan sides. Let cake stand until ice cream is slightly softened, about 20 minutes. Rewarm butterscotch sauce over low heat. Cut cake into wedges; serve with sauce.
Check out http://www.epicurious.com/ for more recipes!

Some Things Are Never Easy!

The Dreaded Airport!

I’m back from vacation!

As one gets older things are not so easy! I put this post under the Travel Tips category, but maybe it would be better under Travel Warning!

My observations:

The long term parking lot gets farther and farther away from the airport. At our airport the only solution was to walk from the new LONG TERM lot to the departure Terminal! A good 30 minutes and pulling/carrying luggage to boot! Are you kidding me?

There is a great deal of distance to walk in the airports now to get on or get off a plane! You know you are in trouble when the signs are posted to let you know how much time is needed to get from A to B! 20 minutes? Are you kidding me?

At the Departure Gate, a good hour is spent notifying passengers to MAKE SURE their wheeled carry-on luggage fits in the bin used to measure said luggage. No one pays any attention to said notifications, but the passengers begin to eye up everyone’s carry-on luggage. When the announcement to board plane is made the boarding attendant personally asks, as she takes your boarding pass, that each passenger place their carry-on luggage in measuring bin to see that indeed your carry-on is the proper size. Most fail, and passengers get to leave their luggage, to be properly stored in the baggage section on the plane. Results: Over 1 1/2hours to board plane and plane is an hour late taking off! Check YOUR Baggage in the first place!

The seats on airplanes are getting smaller and smaller and I sit in business class!

After arrival at destination, to get to the Car Rental Station, one does the required 20 minutes from Landing station to terminal, including 3 sets of escalators, and more walking to wait in line at Passport Control. Following Passport Control, you are off to claim baggage in another section of the terminal. From there you exit the terminal, walk over the sky bridge to another building and take a set of elevators to the ground floor and a large bus terminal. Now you wait in the proper bus line that it took you 20 minutes to figure out, because there are lots of buses going everywhere and you must wait on a particular brand of Car Rental Bus that finally picks you up and takes you to the hinterland where the said Car Rental Station is. At the Car Rental facility there is another line and although you have pre-booked everything there still is a line and finally after a thorough car examination, by the attendant, you can escape the airport. Now the fun begins because you are driving on the opposite side of the road and on the opposite side of the car than you are used to! There is always an adjustment period, and lots of driving reminders from your better half! There, now didn’t I make that sound more civil than it actually was? But, who cares you are out of the Airport!

Moving on…………………now to return home.

On final arrival at destination, at the end of the trip, new adventures await. There are now new computer kiosks to check your passport, take your picture, and get your fingerprints. This all has been added since you departed the same airport three weeks prior. You still get to talk to the agent, who asks if you have any food with you, or plants before he welcomes you back to the US.

Waiting at the baggage claim, you wait and wait and wait, because this time your plane arrived early and it seems every other plane has arrived at the same time too. TWO hours later you have your luggage, (this is the reason no one wants to check their bags) as you watch the Customs Line get longer and longer and six lines deep. Once in line with the throng of other people, the beagle sniffing drug dog is the only thing one finds remotely amusing! Who knew they used little beagles for this job? When you finally get to Customs (after another 1 1/2 hour wait) I am again asked about any food or plants and after 2 seconds of questioning I am allowed to pass. I want to Run out of that airport Screaming, but I don’t. There is probably another line for that!

Believe me when I say ONE NEEDS a Vacation from the Vacation upon return! My front porch may be my next vacation spot!

PS OK, My ranting is over! I did have a lovely time in England doing my annual garden tour. As always, there were some setbacks and some new unplanned adventures. Read all about it in future posts, now that I have re-couped from the air travel! Have you had similar experiences? I have traveled to Europe at least once a year for over 15 years and I have never experienced “Airport Situations” as this years! And I get to experience it again in September!

PSS…….If one is looking for gainful, steady employment I think the drivers of the small shuttles that Beep, Beep, Beep along while taking passengers from one spot to another, may be a good prospect with job security to boot! I can’t see the “Airport Situation” getting any better any time soon! There, all is off my chest!

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