Garden colours that make me go "woo-hoo! Yipee!"

Hello my ever so lovely readers....... You really are the most fab readers leaving me such wonderful comments you know! I love feeling happy, which I do most of the time, but you all make me extra happy with the positive, warm hearted and complimentary things you say. Sigh of happy contentedness................... 

I've been looking forward to showing you these photos I took last Sunday, when we visited an open garden.  The colours are so..................... whizzy! And happy, and very very jolly. 

Just as an aside, while I'm on the happy subject, I once succombed to my curiosity, and did something I'd always sort-of wanted to do, visit a fortune teller, who read my palm. Bloomin expensive it was too, £10! And you know what? She barely looked at my palm. She spent most of the time staring at my face, which I was trying to keep expressionless, telling me things like, you'll have three children, (no I bloomin will not), your husband doesn't listen to you,  (doesn't he?! I never realised that!). Actually, she kept on repeating that one, probably because when we were outside her caravan, she'd been watching intently as I said to Hugo I really, really wanted my fortune told, and Hugo said it was a waste of time. Then lastly, she said something that really surprised me, she said I was a happy person! It really took me by surprise! I honestly didn't think of myself as a happy person. Well, I've cradled those words inside me like a fragile egg, ever since. I think that has to be one of the best things in the world, to be a happy person. After she told me that, I'm afraid I squandered away the rest of the time my £10 should have bought me, by asking her loads of questions about herself. Couldn't resist! I mean, fortune tellers, they're fascinating, don't you think? I can't really remember what I asked her................ I had a sense she was a bit surprised! I remember leaving her caravan, feeling ecstatic that deep down, I'm a happy person!

This open garden we visited was beautiful, in parts. The lady of the huge house the garden surrounded, does the garden single-handedly. Apparently she moved in to the house about five years ago, and has been trying to restore the garden to its former glory. She's doing an amazing job of it, and what she's done is beautiful. There were a lot of areas that looked newly planted, like, the week before.

I took a few photos in a walled garden that had been in quite good repair when she moved in. Gosh it was gorgeous.

There we go, I've been itching to put this mosaic of photos in! I've long admired how other people put mosaics of photos on their blogs, and have been wanting to give it a go myself, so today I found out how to do one. It's been a bit like getting a complicated new toy. For those of you who would like to do a mosaic on your blog, I did mine through Big Huge Labs. There are loads of different things you can do with your digital photos.

Oooohhh I did so love those bright pink poppies. I don't have what it takes to pinch seed heads from gardens, like I know some people do  : ) , so I was relived to see they had a poppy for sale on the plant stall. I'm hoping to have these lollipop pink sweeties all over my garden next year!

Yep, I was on my knees, photographing these beauties, for quite a while.

Here was the view from the house. It was raining at this point, but as I said to Hugo, while my precious new camera got wet, "We're British, we should be able to have a good time in the rain".

I adore foxgloves. (I'm letting them seed themselves around our garden at the moment). So I was thrilled to see foxgloves had been allowed to grow everywhere. And they were all flowering beautifully.

Although foxgloves love to be growing against a sheltered wall, they will grow in exposed places too, and in shade or sun, how useful is that?

O.k..................... that's my last foxglove photo today! Sorry, I can't stop myself including lots of photos of foxgloves, I just love foxgloves! I'd like to have them positively rampaging round our garden.
I took more photos, while we were having a cup of tea at the open garden. They were of the table cloths covering all the tables, the beautiful table cloths! But I'm going to save those for tomorrow, because now I'm going to go and have supper, and do a bit of joining of my crochet squares, the one's I've been crocheting for my crochet blanket. Yes, I'm starting to turn my pile of squares into a blanket! Yipee! See you tomorrow, for a bit of special table cloth spotting! Love Vanessa xxx

 

 

 

Comments

[Isabelle (France)]

Hello! I'm a fairly new reader of your blog and must tell you how much I look forward to reading it every day! Thank you very much for what you do. It is funny because I found your blog by following a link on another blog and then realised you were the illustrator of "the best gift of all" which we've got here in French! Me and my girls bought it for my husband earlier this year as he had been unsuccessful in getting rid of a mole in our garden :o).
Anyway, it's lovely to come here! Bye!

[Deborah]

I've so enjoyed your pictures today. Foxgloves are a favourite of mine too and I let them do their own thing everywhere. In fact, I can't bear to dig them up so they take over a bit!
Deb x

[Pippa]

Foxglove lover here too! I especially love watching bees disappearing up inside them and then reversing out again!

I love your blog, it's so happy and colourful and makes me smile. I'm so glad I found it!

[Pipany]

Hi Vanessa. Love the pictures and admire the fact you were out in the rain! Too heavy here ALL DAY...yuk! xx

[Menopausalmusing]

I hadn't realised you were the illustrator of "A Magic Donkey Ride".... a book that myself and my charge shared and adored...... I shall be able to whisper: "Hey, guess what....." in her ear tomorrow.. Lovely post, lovely blog. x

[ellouise88]

Gorgeous photos. Glad to know someone else lets the foxgloves take over. Trouble is I let the forget-me-nots do it as well!

[Laura]

The foxgloves are beautiful and I adore the view of the countryside behind them!

[Bee]

The above comments have prompted me to also leave a comment on your lovely blog I read daily. :-) My little grandson loved your illustrations in 'There's a House inside my Mummy'...he now has a baby sister but I had to read the story again today.

[susand]

Love the Pink!
I've always been tempted to go have my fortune told....there are 2 things that I need to hear to know if it's fake or not..
1) I have a twin sister
2) My Mom died when we were 4 months old.

I am a very happy person, but I still wake up EVERY day and say to myself "today, I CHOOSE happiness". I have found it keeps me far away from any negativity all day! =)
Have a most wonderful weekend!

[Maggie]

I so look forward to reading your blog and looking at the latest photos, and was quite beside myself - there was just room enough - when for some reason blogger removed my 'blogs I follow' contents. There was nothing there.... and it was too darned hot to try and rectify it, but thank heavens when I came on this morning, it all opened up as per usual.
We have rampaging foxgloves too, as you will have seen from my blog, growing wild against a fence at the bottom of the garden... and under the cherry trees... beside the summer house... in a dark corner, in a bright and sunny spot, they are just so accomodating aren't they?
I like to think I am a positive person as well as a happy one... have always been the latter, but not always the former, but age has definitely improved me in many ways. Sadly, the ways you can't see!
Enjoy your weekend with Hugo.. how are your lovely dogs, no pix for a while....

[Karen]

Oh Vanessa those foxgloves are lovely. It seems to have been an exceptional year for them as the lanes here in Sussex are full of the beautiful spires. I especially love your photo of them against that gorgeous stone wall; foxgloves and old stone walls are two of my favourite things. Have a lovely day - Andy Murray to watch later! Karenx

[Mary Poppins]

Beautiful :)

X

[Beth]

Lovely lovely flowers and the colours are amazing! I love what you did with the photo's too.
Big Hugs, Bethxx

[The Curious Cat]

Such gorgeous photos once again - how do you do it? Fortune tellers are very clever at reading people... by being expressionless, you certainly made it harder for her. I once spoke to one over the phone. It was a bit errie...he said I'd fall in love with a guy significantly older than me and at first I would resist him - that happened like clockwork! He also said a load of other things that happened! Weird!

[Kate Bruning]

They must be opium poppies because I feel so happy and high when I look at them. How did you not eat all the plants in a goat-like manner - they are so delicious.

[Julie]

those colours are just zinging! Such brightness. Reminds me of your crochet necklace - happiness in colour form. x

[Julie]

PS Meant to say re the fortune teller - I went to see one about 20 years ago, and thought it was just for a laugh, but he told me I'd marry someone who was connected with Australia but not Australian - he was a bit vague and said he couldn't quite follow what the link was but that was the best explanation he could give - turns out I married a Kiwi, who was, at the time the reading was done, living in Australia! So perhaps there is something in it all after all...

[greedy nan]

I once visited a palm reader when I was in my previous life. She told me all sort of strange things and I remember going away thinking "what a load of rubbish". However, some of the more serious premonitions did come true and my life has been all the better for it. Hmmm!

[Helen Cowans]

Can you tell me where this beautiful garden is please? I guess its somewhere local. My favourite flowers are poppies and foxgloves. Thanks.

[Liz]

What a beautiful garden! It is lovely to visit such places! Our front garden has wild orange poppies growing and they are in 3 stages, bloomers, dead ones and seeded buds. I love bursting the buds and seeing the seeds fly out...I know I'm strange!!

[Kate MacDonald]

That was really cheery & happy and really everso colourful and has made me all smiley! Thank you!
CKx

[Helen Lambert]

I love fox gloves too...they remind me of my childhood...I could have told you that you were a happy person, well thays how you come across, please make cheque for £10 payable to H Lambert