The Edwardian Formal Garden at Hestercombe

It's about time I shared some of the photos from our trip to Hestercombe back in March. It's a garden that's been on my "to visit" list for a while, and had even got close to once before but only making it as far as the cafe after being caught in traffic unexpectedly.  Determined not to miss out again, our visit here was pencilled in for the day after our stop at the Bower Inn, so this time I was sure we'd make it into the garden. 

And despite the moody photo below, the weather spoiled us.  We were walking around the garden carrying our coats it was so warm, but little did we know that later that day we'd be dodging the hailstones at Castle Drogo.  Given the weather we've had more recently, I'm sure you can believe that.

THE SYMMETRICAL VIEW FROM THE VICTORIAN TERRACE

The moody photo above is fully of symmetry isn't it, and the silhouettes of the statues against the sky, along with the reflections in the pool make it one of my favourite photos from our visit.  Throughout the gardens there was much to explore, and like the best gardens and the best gardening advice, almost at every turn there was something new to discover.

Encircling the pool was this stone wall that also housed the more formal nooks, whose weathering added to the whole effect. 

It was the sort of garden that while formal, also was a haven for lichen, and lichen lovers like me.  I was shuffled along by MOH after taking many photos, most likely all very similar, and all equally as lovely...

LOOK AT THAT LICHEN...

The plants, especially the cheery euphorbias, seemed to be enjoying the sun as much as we were.  Seeing them here and in other formal gardens is I hope, helping see their versatility.

EUPHORBIAS ENJOYING SOME SUN

Beyond the pool, there was a view down to the pergola.  And as you'd expect there was another of these on the right-hand side of the garden.

I couldn't help but peer over the wall to the fountain below, until MOH pointed out the sign which asked people to avoid leaning over the wall.  Oops.  Hoping the sign was there for safety and not because the wall was fragile, I still took a quick step back. 

Adding these photos to this post also made me smile at the memory, but also because quite unintentionally I've managed to line the flagstones up.  If only it was planned...

The last part of the formal garden I'm going to share is the pergola, the plants had yet to spring into life, but that did mean it was easy to see the structure.

The pillars were something else, and not the usual wooden structures, but more of the stonework in circular columns as well as the alternate square columns.  Take a closer look at the photo above, it's a small detail that many might miss, and I'm sure there's some significance, but I've no idea what.

There's plenty more gardens to share from Hestercombe and I plan to do that intermingled (I love that word) with the other gardens we've visited and all the other posts I have planned.

A wow shower in the wellness room set

There seems to be a water theme to my recent posts, with one on Poolside at John Lewis and showing you my new swimming costume in yesterday's post, so today completing the three I'm sharing photos from the Wellness Bathroom, one of the room sets at this year's Ideal Home Show.  Often I think the bathroom room sets are uninspiring and quite unrealistically large. 

But not this one, one element had me completely wowed.

It wasn't the free-standing bath, nor the sauna in the corner of the room (just visible in the photo above), but the shower wall.  It's quite simply like nothing I've seen before, and you'll never believe me when I tell you it's wallpaper.

It really is.

It's waterproof wallpaper, the wet system technical wallpaper from Wall & Deco which combines the waterproof-ness of liquid membranes with the patterns of wallpaper.  And I think the results are stunning.

So much so, that in pretty much every photo I took of this room set I've managed to sneak it in somewhere.

Not even the sauna, which I'm a fan of, can overshadow it.  Although if I had a bathroom this large I'd seriously be considering adding an infrared sauna, but luckily for my purse, or rather MOH's wallet, we don't. 

The other striking feature in this bathroom was the size of the mirror (and yes, even that shot managed to capture the wallpaper), but I guess if you've got the space then, why not? 

So what do you think?  And would you go for this kind of wallpaper in your bathroom or shower?

Poolside at John Lewis with Sunnylife

Remember that hot spell, the one that some are referring to as our summer? Yes, well I hope it's not our summer, but that one - in the midst of the heat I popped along to a pool party at John Lewis at Oxford Street and the weather couldn't have been better for it. 

The Poolside I'm talking about though was indoors on the third floor - and is open to the public until 12 May - so it really doesn't matter what the weather's like outside.  Although wouldn't it be good for it to be warmer than the six degrees that's forecast for tomorrow, the last day of April, surely the zaniest of months for weather so far this year.  (By the way 2018, that's not a challenge!)

Arriving on the third floor at John Lewis' Oxford Street store I immediately spotted a riot of colour and headed in that direction. It wasn't long before I held the pretty cocktail above in my hand and entered the zone that was pretty much a one stop holiday shop, complete with plenty of inflatables by Sunnylife.

Image courtesy of John Lewis

The inflatables were great fun, and for this one I'd go as far to say it was FAB (sorry!), but you know what I mean...

By the Poolside there were plenty more inflatables: toucans, doughnuts, pineapples, flamingos and unicorns to name just a few, not forgetting the watermelon ring and the clever 'virtual' pool.  It looks real doesn't it, but it's not - it's a place where you can paddle without getting wet, but you have to mind your head on the mirrors as you leave the pool!

There's plenty more too - summer hat anyone?  I hope it won't be too long before these will be needed again.

And it seems that pom-poms and pineapples that we've seen as interiors trends aren't just for interiors - yay! - as this straw bag and sarong show.

I was quite taken with these lemon wedge pouches, and not just because they matched my shoes (but that could have been part of the reason, I'll admit).  I think they'd be useful for all kinds of things, on the beach to keep things sand-free, or to prevent your suntan lotion covering everything it shouldn't, or maybe just a fun bag as an accessory or for your lunch.  

You can see I've given this some thought can't you?

I mentioned a riot of colour at the start of this post and I stopped to take a closer look as I left the pool - it really was my kind of colourful place, complete with zingy colours and fun touches too, like the parrot on the jar with lemons and limes.

But even if colour - or so much colour - isn't your thing, there are still more subtle ways to add some zing to your summer. Whether that's the cute beaded cactus table linen, the colourful bowls, or the cushions. 

And yes, it's another of 'those' chairs - I've had to look up their name, it's an Acapulco Chair, I thought it only right as this is the third picture I've shared of this style on my blog so far this year.  Had you noticed I might be slightly smitten?!

* This is a collaborative post, but all views and opinions are my own.  Thanks to John Lewis for inviting me along to immerse myself in the colour and for wowing me with the Poolside mirrors and inflatables.