This was my year in Greenwich Park

The more observant among you will have noticed there hasn't been a "a year in Greenwich Park" post yet this month, and that's because I've been debating with myself whether or not to continue with this series. In the end I decided to keep it to a year in Greenwich Park as that has a better ring to it than "another year in Greenwich Park!"  

It's not that I've fallen out of love with Greenwich Park, far from it, but I've noticed that I'm taking less photos and enjoying the park, its scenery and the people that over the year I've nodded, smiled and waved at. 

But I couldn't leave the year without a look back, so here's a photo for every month, and maybe a bonus one or two along the way

It's been quite a year getting to know our local park, and there's still places I haven't shown you. I'm sure there'll be posts from Greenwich Park in the future, and I've enjoyed focusing on how it's changed over the year. I'm contemplating continuing with the "a year in" theme, and I'm looking for the next subject to present itself.

More soon... (hopefully!)

The allotments at Kingston Lacy

It's a bit of an older post today, as you can probably tell my the daffodils in the picture below, and on a bit of a grey day too, which was remarkably like yesterday. It was actually at the end of March - so slightly more excusable for being grey - and is part of our visit to Kingston Lacy while we had that earlier in the year Dorset adventure.  

It started looking normal enough just another plot but on the NT's Kingston Lacy

This was our second visit to Kingston Lacy, but the first time that we really explored the kitchen garden and beyond that, the allotments. I'll share more from the kitchen garden another day, but first to confirm the allotments at Kingston Lacy look very much like other allotments. And dare I say it, a little tidier and easy on the eye than our own site...

It was March there wasn't a lot of growing going on at the allotments at Kingston Lacy

It's reassuring though to see similar kit, similar approaches and check to see you're on the right track with our own plot. The compost bins, the ground covered in black plastic were all familiar and reassuring. And so too was this almost sculptural, and yet decaying, artichoke. Striking isn't it? 

Almost sculptural artichokes at the allotments at Kingston Lacy

Just when we thought it was a normal looking allotment, we spied the chicken wire man tending his plot. 

A chicken wire man at the allotments at Kingston Lacy

We admired him and his wooden reindeer-dog and thought it was probably a one off. That was until we saw the boy with his welly boot dog!

A boy and his welly dog at the allotments at Kingston Lacy

Both very different, both with dogs, and both quite un-allotment like, but fun. I'm guessing we stumbled upon the remnants of a "one man and his dog and an allotment" sculpture competition, and was very glad we did.

I'm not sure I'd be quite so resourceful over on our plot, currently my resourcefulness is focuses on practical matters, like growing stuff and preventing the foxes digging it up again, but definitely food for thought, when I've got the basics sorted!

A relaxing few days in a beautiful Suffolk cottage

Sometimes you just need some time away don't you to recharge your batteries don't you? We managed to book a few days off work and head to a beautiful cottage in picturesque Suffolk village last week, and we were relatively lucky with the weather too, so phew. As we were away for less than a week we chose somewhere that wouldn't take us too long to travel to, but somewhere that still felt "away" - our choices were Kent, Hampshire or Suffolk. Kent felt too close to home and more day-trippable and in the end it came down to the accommodation we could book. 

And we weren't disappointed. Despite it being so close to Norfolk, a county we're familiar with, it felt different and its landscape was different too with it's timbered cottages, often pink and yellow cropped fields. The fields weren't the only yellow thing though, this welcome bunch of flowers of dahlias and jasmine on the kitchen table was a nice touch, as was the carrier bag full of purple snake beans. And the bottle of fizz in the fridge.

welcome flowers at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

The cottage is a former granary and the kitchen still has the original first floor doors, and the walls were full of character - most noticeable in the pretty ground floor bedroom.

The bedroom at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield
 
THE CHARACTERFUL BEDROOM WALL

THE CHARACTERFUL BEDROOM WALL

It wasn't just the bedroom that was full of character, the whole cottage was and unusually for a holiday cottage the kitchen was full of useful items, and some decorative ones too.

Quirks and a well stocked kitchen at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield
 
A pretty double height kitchen at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

There's those doors I mentioned before. 

The original doors at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

For me the kitchen was the best space in the cottage and the double height area meant those doors could really shine. The photo below is taken from the galleried upstairs and gives a good view of the kitchen (and all of our junk - I really should remember to take pictures before we empty the car!)

looking down on the kitchen at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

Upstairs there were a couple of comfy sofas, a church pew and a TV which we didn't even attempt to turn on, it was one of those restful holidays were our usual routine went out of the window.  From upstairs there were also great views of the front garden of the owner's house which we were welcomed to use, along with their vineyard - more on that another day.

homely sofas with great cushions upstairs at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield
 
looking down to the garden below at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield
 
Investigating the front garden at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

I think you can tell a lot about a cottage from its bathroom, and this one didn't disappoint with it's lino-ed floor, duck boards and toiletries.

the bathroom at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield
 
toiletries at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

Throughout the cottage there was some great artwork, the first two below hanging in the bathroom.

Some of the nostalgic artwork at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield
 
A framed magazine at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

The French theme continued with the artwork in the bedroom with this "Le Journal de Mickey" something I've not seen before.

Great artwork at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

Upstairs though the walls were adorned with plenty of modern art, my favourite is below.

Plenty of modern art too at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

Although it provoked some debate amongst MOH and I - was it a stack of records, or blueberries or just purple shapes. I guess that's what modern art at its best does, provokes reaction. But I still think it's blueberries...

I was glad I'd packed a colouring book and some coloured pencils as it was the perfect peaceful evening pastime.  I must remember to carry this on now I'm home!

Creating my own art and taking some time to do some mindful colouring at Oak Hill Granary in Fressingfield

Do you abandon your normal routines when you're away, especially when holidaying in the UK?