More than we bargained for

I'm the sort of trip planner that plans ahead but doesn't quite get around to booking, and then when I'm sure we're going I'll go back to the plans and realise the place I wanted is fully booked, so it all starts again. But not this time - I'd done half the research while we had that sneaky weekend away in February, and I'd even remembered to book the hotel too.

As quite often happens there was a luxury room available, but here it was only an extra twenty pounds. So seduced by the luxury tag I opted for that, quite unprepared for what that might bring. I knew there'd be a bedroom and bathroom, and wasn't disappointed, and there were some nice touches.

White bedlinen, squishy beds, velour dressing gowns and great accessories and in the bathroom full size toiletries.  Everything you could want in a bedroom billed as luxury.

The more than we bargained for bit, was apparent as soon as we walked into the room. And that was a kitchenette and living room, which we were totally not expecting. In fact so not expecting that I was soon on the website checking that I hadn't clicked on the wrong option, or that I'd missed all this information.

Turns out I didn't mess up or miss it, it wasn't there. But after a longer drive than we thought, courtesy of bad weather and too many cars on the road, it was just what was needed. I've said before that self catering is our preferred style for holidays, and that's partly because you get somewhere normal to sit, and don't end up camped out on the bed just for somewhere to sit.

We didn't make much use of the kitchenette - bar for making quite a few cups of tea, and with a good restaurant downstairs in the pub and breakfast included in the cost, I'm not sure you'd need to make much use of it at all.  My only criticism is that with a proper fridge it would have been nice to have proper milk and if we'd been there for longer we would have done. 

Isn't it surprising where crochet turns up?  What surprised me though was the granny square front had been attached to a more glitzy and existing cushion cover.  MOH was rolling his eyes at the inspection of the "knitting" and I'm not sure he got the explanation of why they're different.

The verdict though on our stay at the Bower Inn was definitely a thumbs up - and if we're nearby, we'd stay there again. I've a feeling that it's a busy and buzzing place as the weather warms up. So if you're looking for somewhere to stay in Bridgwater, this could be just the place.

Cannington's Cacti

Did you know that at approximately one fifth of the Earth's land surface is desert? No me neither, but nearly 10 million square kilometres (or 3.9 million miles) is true desert, where rainfall is extremely low. I learnt this, and more, in the Arid Zone in the Botanical Glasshouse at the Walled Gardens of Cannington.

As we know deserts aren't devoid of plants, but the plants have adapted to their conditions to store and make the most of the water available. While I know very few of the cacti names, that doesn't stop me admiring them, that means in this post there's few, if any, plant names, but there are some great plants.

See what I mean?

The symmetry and patterns from cacti are fascinating. As are the succulents, I couldn't resist shoving my phone almost into the succulent below to capture the texture and colour.

I was pleased - and amused - to spot more Cowboys' Bums, which still has to be the best plant name ever.  Perhaps it's a coincidence, but I last spotted them in Cornwall, so are they a South West thing?

I wasn't expecting to be hit with this lime green-yellow flower though, it's as exquisite as any cactus in this biome, it's stunning isn't it?  

There were plenty of cacti to follow, the one below doing its best to blend in to the gravel, no doubt another survival ploy.

And don't be fooled, these look fluffy, but are far from fluffy.  I tried.

We had the glasshouse to our self and it was great to be able to get up close to the plants, capturing the water drops on the cactus below.

As we were leaving and even I thought I couldn't take any more photos of cacti, I proved myself wrong, as I spotted this snail snoozing quite comfortably in the prickliest of places.

There were six biomes - or areas - in the glasshouse and this post covers just one of them. There is another photo I'm sharing on my Facebook page today which really made me smile. It's not a great photo, but pop over there and maybe it'll make you smile too.

Formal dining at Mottisfont

While looking for a photo to accompany last Friday's link-up post I rediscovered my photos from the National Trust's Mottisfont in Hampshire, and there's many which I've not shared here yet, so I plan to put that right and today I'm starting with some formal dining.

For me, seeing these properties set out as they would have been in their heyday is what brings the place to life on a visit, an it's something the NT does well. Clearly as I wander around the place I'm imagining the house is mine, I have staff and will be entertaining again that evening, and this scenario has yet to become tiresome. 

I'd be happy to have dinner served on this jade patterned dinner service.

And the dining room is pretty special too, isn't it? 

The panelling isn't quite what it appears though. It's believable and very effective, but is a trompe l'oeil. But it was the chairs and their upholstery that caught my eye  the simple, yet elegant fabric, no doubt silk, provides enough bling, sparkle and classic detail to be quietly, but confidently, understated. 

And when you see the floor, it's clear why that simplicity is needed. Now for the life of me I can't remember if the flooring is carpet, as we'd expect it to be, or another trick for our eyes. Logic tells me it should be carpet, but then again it looks too flat, and perfect, so perhaps it isn't.  

It's a looker though isn't it? If you've been to Mottisfont and can put me out of my misery, then please post a comment and let me know: carpet, or clever trickery?