A newly mown path through the long grass leads the eye to the paddock beyond.
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Enticing prospect, but instead I take the shingle path snaking down through the big herbaceous bank to the lawn.
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Ceanothus and tree-lupin to my right…
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… and iris to the left.
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Continue down past mass-planted euphorbia…
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… pausing only to glance back up to the house.
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Approach the shade of the viburnum where under-planted lily-of-the-valley scent the air.
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Turn back and admire the black elder…
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… before continuing under the newly-flowering laburnum and out into the open.
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A cardoon next to the drive has exploded into magnificent growth!
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Surprise surprise. Look who’s under it waiting for me!
And how did he know which route I’d take?
Oh, it looks glorious again–and all vicarious paths through the garden should end with a little Jackanapes and a red dot!
Soooooooo gorgeous! And just what I needed to see. Thanks!
He knew…’cause he’s SMART!
It seems Persephone has returned to her mother’s embrace, the earth once again a flowering paradise . So lovely, touching actually. We have flowers all year, but they are so robust;there is a tenderness to your garden that Southern California cannot achieve. Enjoy your pathways freshly mown and that magnificent cardoon (reminds me of a handsome acanthus or artichoke). Spring clearly has settled in.
LG
We certainly have to earn our seasons here, as the inters can be pretty terrible. In the depths of them when the days are short and cold has us in its grip, I ache for the spring.
That is an artichoke Leonard, though of the ornamental rather eating kind.
I grow globe artichokes as ornamentals, they are magnificent, the blueish coloring makes me bonkers. I’ve heard of the word cardoon, I think one of my Renaissance artists that I fancy, Giovanna Garzoni , placed them in her small and wonderful still-life paintings. Now i must go about and research some more.
ohhhh what a glorious garden!!!
and look at that perfect gentleman with his frisbee!
The gardens are just beautiful and I love that the path you chose leads us to Jack!
Looks delightful in a mouth watering way Clive. Enjoy!
Ha ha! I was actually thinking when I was out there taking the photographs, ‘Cripes, if Julia saw the weeds in these beds she’d strip me of my Blue Peter badge for dereliction of duty!’
Ah, but what’s a weed??? All have use – apart from ground elder and couch grass and . . . !
Oh, so lovely! This is my idea of heaven. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Oh Elizabeth, you might not think it so paradisiacal if you saw the carnage here. The semi-tame pheasants taken by foxes, the squirrels plundering the nests of collared-doves for eggs, the magpie I saw knocking seven bells out of a lizard on the boiler-room roof and the family of mice drowned in the horses’ water-trough. Nature is nothing if not cruel, and even when all appears to be calm, you have only to look down to find evidence of the daily ebb and flow of life. It’s wonderful and terrible in equal part, and I never tire of it, even when I know the surface tranquility on a day like this is deceptive. Late last night the air was suddenly full of the shrieks of owls, and I lay in bed wondering about all the small mammals being hunted down on lethal, silent wings.
Hi Clive,
I am lucky enough to have discovered your blog via Rima’s Hermitage blog. I’ve been working with the idea of trying to get movement into my figures and what a find you were! The series of maquettes and your book work has pleased and inspired me no end. I’ve had alot of fun making the maquettes and hope at some time to try a little stop motion animation to put on my website.
Anyway, I just wanted to say Thank you for sharing your creative know how, it’s always interesting to see the working process of other makers.
Kind Regards,
Annie.
Lovely Welsh garden………
Hello Annie. Thanks for dropping by.
I’ve tried to link from your name in the comment-box, but it leads only to a discontinued site. If you have a working site somewhere, you’ll need to update your information so that the link works. I’d love to see your maquettes. Maybe you’d give permission to show them here when I do another maquette exhibition. What do you say?
Thanks for the garden comment. Yes, it is looking beautiful today.
Hi Clive,
Yes, sorry about that,only discovered today a change in my website server,so setting up on new server asap……crapity crap.
When you do another maquette exhibition…………………….. i would love to!
Your’e on then!
Haha fabulous Clive. Glorious garden as well. I’m sitting looking out on a lawn that desperately needs cutting but it is covered this morning with small daisies and a smattering of buttercups I’ll leave it until tomorrow and enjoy the delicate flowers today. I do wish the lilac lasted longer, we have a really deep purple one that smells delicious but the heads are unfortunately all faded now, however the huge poppies in the front garden are about to burst forth with all their rich pink blowsy lusciousness – I shall have to be starting a blog of photos soon!
Oh let the buttercups and daisies linger a while yet. They bring such cheerfulness. Our lilac is probably later than yours. The purple is going strong right now, though I fancy the white is not looking so robust this year. Getting old and woody! (Like me!)