In the Jardin des Plantes d'Angers

Angers is known as the green city and I was keen to explore some of the city’s green spaces on our visit, and our plan for our first day there was to explore the botanical gardens right in the heart of the city.

It’s website promised ‘a true oasis of greenery’ and it didn’t disappoint. Though when we entered we were quite bemused with how the tree had been secured, though it seemed to be doing the job - as that’s not a tree that you want to come down is it?

The garden dates back to 1905 and there was more to it than first met our eyes.

We meandered around the paths admiring the trees, and the planting and found ourselves crisscrossing the paths around the lake.

Each of them brought different vistas, that were the same but yet different. Moving away from the lake we stumbled across this arch to seemingly nowhere.

Soon after we found ourselves in a part of the garden which felt less like the English garden that we’d left, with its grasses, rock stacks and more tropical planting.

We welcomed the coolness of the shade, and admired the textures of the varied leaves.

Continuing to let our feet lead us amongst the paths until we were at another arch, this time of a jasmine in full flower - and full scent.

Before finding ourselves back amongst the cool shaded section again - we might have purposefully lingered here for a while.

Deciding to find a place for refreshments, a coffee at least, we ambled back along the pathways to where we’d come in.

But not without stopping to admire the acanthus - and adding it to my plant wish list.

And before long we had the grandiose gates in sight, where once again we paused before heading back into the city’s hubbub.

This August...

This August has been great, one where the weather has been good enough to not need to worry about if you need a jacket, coat, umbrella etc - well mostly anyway. The end of the month saw a couple of yellow thunderstorm warnings, and boy did they arrive in style, and they brought plenty of rain with them too, which of course we needed.

The thunderstorms were pretty close by, or it sounded like that at the time - we later discovered that we weren’t wrong and were hit by two supercells joining together. I’m not really sure what that means, but I know it was bright as the lightening struck, and it’s the first storm I remember thinking was quite scary. The next morning we discovered that the accompanying rains had brought mud off the fields and one of the roads leading to the main crossroads in the village was a bit muddy!

Earlier in the month when the number of heatwaves were racking up we also had our first experience of sheep escapees, aiding the village cattle (not sheep) farmer to get them out of our neighbour’s garden and back into a field. Not the field they escaped from, but much safer than them patrolling the village and much preferable to the gardens in the village. They are peculiar creatures, and fast when they want to be as we saw first hand!

We’ve been out and about a fair bit too with a lovely afternoon in one of my patchwork group’s garden, with partners and no actual sewing in sight though of course the conversation did include a stitch or two.

We had a tasty meal on the rather elegant Bluebell Railway in Sussex, and I decided to make myself a dress to wear - giving myself a week to do it. I made it, and I wore it but I think giving myself more time would be preferable!

There was also the annual ‘home air show’ towards the end of the month, and the weather had turned so while the Red Arrows were able to give a fantastic display, more of the ‘noisier’ aircrafts were unable to fly, which is a shame - but there’s always next year.

We finally made it back to one of our favourite farm pop-ups at Gelston buying some of their tasty lamb to support our commitment to healthier eating. Though on the way home we stopped off at a relatively nearby cafe to see the Alpacas, and share a scone - so the healthier eating is still a work in progress, though we did share a scone rather than have one each so that’s something.

I was just as much taken by the pompoms strung across the cafe’s outside container seating area, as I was with the perfect view of the ‘mums and babies’ alpaca paddock and it’s residents. I could have spent so much more time watching them, so I’m sure we’ll be back - and the scone was good too!

Our gallivanting hasn’t stopped there though, after sharing my thoughts on the first Rutland Flower Show we were back there in the middle of the month, but it was so hot we didn’t last perhaps as long as we would normally. We’d already decided that we wouldn’t be buying any plants as keeping them alive would be tricky, and I’d lost one of the plants we’d bought earlier in the summer - though I’m hopeful that there’s a small chance it may come back.

I felt for the traders too as they had a job to keep their displays and produce looking fresh - they were all in good spirits though, and the weather did cool a little for the subsequent days of the show. We didn’t leave empty handed though and left with the sensible options of some bulbs to plant in the autumn, so more on those another time.

We finally got along to visit Doddington Hall, which is just outside Lincoln, while their sculpture trail was still on - it finishes this weekend. Again it was a warm day, but one that threatened rain so armed with our waterproofs we saw many, many sculptures, walked around the parched gardens and looked inside the house before having lunch in the courtyard. The volunteers there told us that the house is also good to visit when it’s decorated for Christmas, and from the photos we saw they’re right so I think we’ll be back here later in the year all being well.

Our timing was impeccable with the rain arriving on the short drive home, we arrived back with a very wet car to find that it hadn’t rained at home at all. Most peculiar!

And still we weren’t done. The last weekend of August saw us climb the 198 steps in the church tower in Newark, as part of their Newark Festival offerings, to get some great views over the market place and surrounding areas, learning about the history as we did. It was a great thing to do, and even though I’m not great with heights, I’m glad I did it.

And then on the Sunday we headed back to the tropical garden in nearby Bottesford - I’ve not had a chance to even look at my photos from there yet, but it will be interesting to compare and contrast them to our visit there last year when I get some time.

There hasn’t been a lot of time left for making this month, and apart from the dress in a week project mentioned above my main outputs have been though ‘playing with patchwork and scraps’ which has been the perfect mindful activity required.

I still did find time for some craft related shopping though - you knew I would - but I’ll share more on those tomorrow - let’s hope September is just as much fun, perhaps a little drier and so bring some more time with my sewing machine!

Getting some interiors inspiration at Snape Maltings

We recently stayed in Suffolk basing ourselves in Framlingham for a couple of nights. We’d stayed relatively close by when we last visited back in 2017 - I’m not sure how it was this long ago though, but it was good to be back and we were keen to take another look around the interiors shop at Snape Maltings.

I remembered it being a large place, full of inspiration - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Since we’ve been back it’s been fun to look back at the 2017 post, and we do indeed now have a mustard velvet sofa and it is not a corner sofa! Sometimes the inspiration sticks, but adapts doesn’t it?

Colourful accessories, including table dressings are clearly a staple for the interiors shop there as there were many to choose from, even crocheted ones. I looked at both of the versions below and admired them, but in reality we have table mats we use all the time, which we love and are a lot plainer than these. While a nicely done table does look good, for me it’s all about the food and how that tastes more so.

I was quite taken with the folded paper heart garland though, but realised that I’d need one much larger than that on display for it to have the same impact in our living space, and also that I could probably make one myself - though I have resisted putting it on my list. My guess is that if I want one badly enough I’ll find the time to make one - or more likely, there’ll be an occasion that I think that’ll be nice to decorate with a heart garland and then I’ll go at it all guns blazing right at the last minute! There’s something about knowing yourself isn’t there?

I also spotted this jigsaw, which if I could tolerate jigsaws would be just the thing. I can’t abide them though so it was safe on the shelves, and I was happy to admire it and the people that spend time putting them together to immediately dismantle them!

There were cushions everywhere, and it’s just as well I don’t need any or otherwise at least one (maybe two) might have made it home with us. Instead I was able to enjoy their wonderfulness.

This urchin jug was harder to resist, but I managed that too. I mean I like a nice jug and this would be a great addition, but I really don’t need any more jugs either for holding liquids or displaying flowers, so it too stayed on the shelf. Though at £40 that was relatively easy to do, but it is gorgeous - just not gorgeous enough for me right now.

The rug area was a real treasure trove of colour and textures, and I do love a rug or two. But with mostly carpet in our new house I’m struggling to make use of and justify keeping the rugs we brought with us.

Side tables also appear to be a thing of mine, some featured in the earlier post too, and since we’ve been here I’ve bought more than we’ve ever had, and I am on the lookout for one to go in between our two sofas, but these weren’t them. Sadly, I love the texture on them.

Like a magpie I was drawn to a brighter corner of the shop. And sigh, these were gorgeous, but phew thankfully I’ve only recently made myself a new dressing gown, otherwise I’d have been seriously tempted.

I do love a mooch around a good interiors shop, and the one at Snape Maltings is most definitely that.