I have been visiting Easton Walled Gardens for several years now and it is always high on my list of favourite gardens to visit. I had recently booked a week off work and one of the days had to involve a garden visit. I decided seeing the Easton snowdrops just could not be missed.
It was a beautifully sunny, late Winter day when we visited. The sun shone mostly, though as the afternoon wore on the air got that decidedly nippy feel about it. 'Tonight there will be frost' we said to each other as we met. We started our visit with lunch at the Cholmeley Arms, which is just up the road in Burton le Coggles (what a great name this is). Lunch was fantastic (I can recommend it and go hungry as the portions are large).
As regular readers will expect, on arrival I went to stand in my favourite spot overlooking the walled garden. One day I will get tired of this view, I will let you know when that happens.
We were there for snowdrops and made our way through the gardens to where they can be found. There are snowdrops there aplenty.
Not only are there snowdrops in the garden, there are ones you can see in the further landscape that you cannot get to. They look like white shadows in the distance. We had passed various snowdrop moments you could glimpse on the way to Easton, they have escaped into the wild successfully and it is a joyous thing to see. I commented that I want my legacy from my garden to be random snowdrops that will appear for years to come long after I and the house has gone. People will see these snowdrops and wonder how they got here and the snowdrops will smile knowingly.
I waved hello to the giraffes.
and we chatted and walked and walked and chatted
and the sun shone, albeit coldly.
Of course I ended up in the gift shop. I always buy smelly soap from Easton, they sell good smelly soap. They have a 'sweetpea scented soap with tin of sweetpea seeds' offer at the moment. Well of course I had to buy some, it was rude not to.
and they come in such a pretty tin too.
We had a lovely visit, tea and cake was consumed and it was lovely to have a chat with Lady Ursula as well. I know we will be back at sweetpea time if not before.
Good days are made like this.
Take care and be kind.
