click to embiggen
Groan. A beautiful, hot and sunny long weekend is over, and bump! Back to reality...
We had a faboo time visiting the boys in Essex, and the treat of all treats was in store - as they took us to the internationally-renowned Beth Chatto Gardens on Saturday! Created by plantswoman Beth Chatto in 1960 from the gravel soil and bogs of the disused fruit farm belonging to her husband, botanist Andrew Chatto, the garden follows her innovative ethos of "right plant, right place", and encompasses a range of habitats from her famous (never watered!) gravel garden, to woodland, wetland, scree [as in the photo above, with just one ugly specimen spoiling the picture - me] and herbaceous planting - and it is utterly splendiferous! We thoroughly enjoyed it.
And, as usual, we trawled the garden centres all around the area and came back with bags full of new plants for the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers...
But what did we miss while we were away..?
The news was much the same old, same old - COVID, that Nazi dictator in Belarus mouthing-off, banner headlines and gratuitous swimsuit shots in the tabloids just because there was actually sunshine on a Bank Holiday weekend, Denmark's "spy ring" was exposed... and Heinz Tomato Ketchup is going to be made in Britain again! Oh, and apparently Prince Harry's new job title means "penis" in Japanese.
We missed the late, great national treasure Dame Thora Hird's 110th anniversary, the legendary Edna Doré's centenary and the sadly-missed Eurovision host Katie Boyle's 95th, the 90th birthday of Baby Doll star and sex symbol Carroll Baker [still with us!], as well as the 60th birthdays of impressionist Harry Enfield and the gorgeous Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals, and Wicked star Idina Menzel's 50th.
Over the weekend, we mainly listened to/watched YouTube videos of camp pop (as is our wont) such as Kylie, Fangoria, Erasure and Steps, and 90s dance music, which was jolly. However, today marks the centenary of the birth of one Nelson Smock Riddle Jr., so I think we should have a selection of more sophisticated music from the great man's repertoire to greet our return to work. Like these:
How life should be.
Reminder to self: Must. Win. Euromillions Lottery. Tonight.
Can't believe Idina Menzel is fifty! (you hear her voice on an almost hourly basis if you have a little girl in the house.)
ReplyDeleteWell, she did start out in Rent way back in 1996, and Wicked began its meteoric rise eighteen years ago, so it's not that surprising. Even Frozen is eight years old. Jx
DeleteOh, those gardens are beautiful! What a lovely thing to do on a gorgeous BH weekend, but where is everyone? I would have thought it'd be swarming with people?
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed for the lottery!
Have you visited Beth Chatto's, then? The gardens are probably do-able from North Norfolk. And, no - it wasn't swarming with people - quite a few, but no crowds, thank goodness! Jx
DeleteNo, I haven't been, sadly. I'm plucking up the courage (read: can I be bothered to get off my arse?) to revisit East Ruston Old Rectory Garden again as it's relatively close by.
DeleteI looked at the map, and also fairly close by there's Felbrigg Hall and Gardens, Sheringham Park and Blickling Estate - have you visited any of those? J
DeleteI rather loved the trio of albums Linda Ronstadt did with Nelson Riddle... although her voice wasn't necessarily suited to some of it. But at the time... it did feel lush. I must say, glad that is Beth Chatto's garden. When I first looked, I thought it was YOUR garden and I was like... OH. THIS QUEEN! kizzes
ReplyDeleteIf only we had a garden like that! If I won the Euromillions, I'm certain we'd have something like it (probably on a smaller scale, as I would hate to relocate to the middle of nowhere just to plant a garden)...
DeleteJx
PS I never really rated Miss Ronstadt's voice that much - but saying that, I never rated Queen Latifah's either, and was very pleasantly surprised when she released her Dana Owens Album of standards, and did what is now my favourite version of Lush Life.
Yes, I really like the garden pictures and you got to meet up with friends too! What a great way to spend the holiday!
ReplyDeleteIt was a fabulous weekend all round! Jx
DeleteRoland Gift is 60? Actually. that's not old anymore, is it?!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, you are looking svelte! No sign of the lockdown weight that you claimed to have gained!
Nice gardens.
Sx
It's a trick of the light! I was holding my breath! Actually, we have been making a concerted effort to "cut out the crap" from our diet, so I'm not quite as flabby as I was mid-lockdown... Jx
DeleteFab Garden
ReplyDeleteFab videos
Fab weekend! Jx
Delete