Guest Post - Fancy House & Gardens

Hi all!  Luther here.  Mum and dad have finally taken me on an adventure worthy of sharing with you, my loyal readers.  Please don't blame me for the lack of adventure in my life lately.  If only they'd let me take the bus by myself....

Spring tends to be on again, off again here in England from what I can tell.  And today happened to be mostly on again so mum decided it was a good day for an adventure.  Dad has been working really hard lately, but it seems to be paying off.  But because of all his hard work, it's been hard to plan outings for the weekends.  He had now turned in his 1st year review paper and given his presentation at Oxford, so off we went. 

Mum and dad renewed their Historic Scotland membership because we used it so much last year and we get to go to sites managed by English Heritage for free.  Mum found this place on the site and found out that we could get to it pretty easily - so that's what we did.  

So two buses later, we started walking to Audley End House & Gardens.  It is about 1.5 miles from the bus stop - but since we're so used to walking, we didn't mind.  When we got to the property, mum and dad kept saying something about how they felt like they were at Downton Abbey - whatever that is.  I just kept thinking - look at all the grass and the water and the birds.  THIS PLACE IS GREAT!  If only I could run around properly.  But - stupid rules said I had to stay on leash.

Bus 1

Bus 2

We saw this door on our walk to the property.  I bet it leads to a secret garden full of lots of squirrels. 

It was lunch time when we got to the property, so we headed over to the cafe to grab some sandwiches.  After lunch, we walked through the kitchen garden which supplies the property with organic fruits and veggies.  I wasn't that interested because there weren't any chickens.  Chicken - yum!  Salad - I'll pass.

On our way to the cafe we stopped by the stables so that dad could practice to become a 'fine English gentleman'.  Whatever that means.

Apple trees 

Then, before heading to the house, we strolled through some of the other gardens.  

I wasn't allowed in the house but mum told me that it has been restored to look like it would have in its prime.  Because I'm not allowed, dad and I went to watch a cricket match while mum explored.  Then they switched.  I don't understand cricket - but if you get to play it in places like this, then sign me up!

After we got tired of cricket (which didn't take long), we wandered to the back of the property where there is a temple and a lovely view of the house.

On our way out, we learned a bit about life 'under the stairs' - the dairy, laundry and kitchen.  Nothing big to share here.

And then we headed home.  It was a great day.  I am now sufficiently tuckered out and I think it's time for bed.

Thanks for reading!

Luther x

My First Garden

This year, I decided it was time to plant my first garden.  Because we rent our house, I didn't think I could dig up the lawn, so I opted for things that I could grow in containers.  I figured I could give it a shot and see how things went.  

So - one Saturday in April, I hopped on the bus and then another bus to go to the large garden centre south of the city.  I probably should have done a bit more research before I got there to see what grows well in England and in containers.  But time didn't allow for that and so I wandered in hopes that the vegetables would 'speak' to me and provide me with some inspiration.  

I eventually decided to stick with plants rather than starting from seeds.  Since it's just Luke and me - I didn't think that I'd need the number of plants that would come from a packet of seeds.  And I tried to think about vegetables that I thought Luke would eat.  That narrowed down my choices a bit - but not too much.

I knew that tomatoes were definitely going to be a significant part of the garden.  You can't get anything better than a fresh from the garden tomato.  When I was small, my grandad grew so many tomato plants that he'd set up plywood and sawhorses in the basement for the tomatoes to wait until it was time to can them.  I'm pretty sure that I ate my weight in tomatoes each summer.  I always swiped the small ones because I thought no one would notice.  But the canker sores that eventually developed definitely gave me away.  I'm pretty sure Grandad didn't mind.  The hard part was deciding on the varietals.  There are so many!  I ended up with a couple in an attempt to diversify for success.  We'll see how it goes.

Courgettes (also known as zucchini) also made the top of the list.  I picked up a couple green and a yellow.  I also planted a cucumber - but it has unfortunately not survived.  I may try to pick up another if I can find one closer to home.

The other veg to make it into the garden are snap peas, garlic, red and yellow bell peppers, a hot pepper and spinach.  I also purchased a few herbs - basil, coriander (cilantro) and chives.  I don't really ever use chives - but it looked fun.

Because the spinach was already little plants when I transferred it into the container, it was the first to be ready for harvest.  We went away to Germany towards the end of April and I was sure that I'd be able to harvest spinach when we got home.  Instead I came home to find out that my spinach had already been harvested - by slugs!  And this first time gardener was not happy.  I have since been warring with the slugs.  Not sure who is winning yet but there are definitely four casualties dehydrating today.  Take that slugs!

So, after about a week, I was finally able to harvest some of my spinach.  There is definitely a sense of accomplishment that comes from eating something that you helped to grow.  I'm now able to harvest every couple of days and I use the spinach for salads or in my omelets.  I'm still finding some leaves that have been eaten, but it's not near as bad.

And other than the cucumber, everything is thriving.  The yellow squash had a bit of a rough start, but he's starting to fill out now.

I had to stake the beans a little over a week ago because they've started to wrap around each other and today I did the tomatoes.  And both are starting to flower which I'm pretty sure is a good sign.  

The peppers are still pretty small, but I think they just need some more time.  And lots of sun.  

And the courgettes are starting to require more space and are getting ready to flower as well.

I also bought two Gerbera Daisies.  The slugs have been taking their toll on these as well, but they're starting to make a comeback.

And I think the Luther-man enjoys the garden as much as I do.

Especially when Daddy scratches his head just right.

Not sure how long it will take before I will be able to harvest anything other than spinach - but I'll be sure to post about it here - in due course.

Love you & miss you,

Aubs, Luke & Luther

The White Cliffs of Dover

As posted previously, our good friends the Turners came down from Edinburgh to help us celebrate Luke’s 30^th birthday.  Because we live outside of Cambridge and have to take the bus to get anywhere, we decided to rent a car so that we could be a bit more free with what we wanted to do and when.  It was fantastic.  I miss that freedom – I just don’t miss the cost. 

Because we had the car and the weather was beautiful, we decided that a road trip was in order.  Luke did a bit of research and we decided on the White Cliffs of Dover.  Dover is on the southeast corner of the island and is where you can take a ferry to the continent or the EuroStar train through the chunnel (channel tunnel).  There also happen to be amazing chalk cliffs. 

So we packed a picnic lunch and headed south.  It look us right at 2 hours to get there.  After lunch, we headed off to see what we could see.  It’s always amazing when you top a hill and see something as amazing as the cliffs.  I can’t tell you how many times we stood dumbstruck by the majesty of creation. 

On our way home we decided to stop in to Canterbury to see the cathedral and have dinner.  Definitely a good choice.  The detail on the outside of the cathedral is amazing.  I have no clue what the inside looks like, but I’m sure the stained glass alone is awe inspiring. 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Love & miss you,

Aubs, Luke & Luther