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Friday 29 June 2012

The Secret Garden

On the Sunday of the open gardens weekend, we took my Nan down to the Church to look at the Church flowers. She's 86 and not really up to making the long trek around all of the gardens anymore. After Mr Bogert dropped her back home, we went back to The Old Rectory for a ploughmans lunch. The Small Person is friends with the little girl who lives there, so she disappeared to play for a little while and we had wonderful peace and quiet!


Chocolate chops :)


Sitting in the back garden of The Old Rectory


Mr Bogert chatting with one of the local event volunteers.
We spent the next few hours checking out the last few scarecrows we had missed and then we wandered down to one of the garden centres (we have a few in our village) that was offering free entry to their landscaped gardens.

The garden is actually located in an old quarry, so it has rocks, hills, ponds and plenty of plants and grassy areas. The locals know it as the quarry garden, but the garden centre has named it "the secret garden" and it really is an appropriate name.

There is a small opening in the hedge alongside the edge of the carpark, and once you walk through it, the space opens up and you are greeted by different paths, hills, a little stream and open space. You really feel like you've entered a secret world.





Pausing for a break in the shade.




It's hard work with a pushchair!









I can't wait to take the Small People back in the summer holidays. I figured a sketchpad and disposable camera for the Small Person, lots of running around for the Smaller Person, and finish it off with a cake and drink in The Potting Shed cafe (the garden centre cafe) will make quite a nice trip out.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

The Scarecrow Trail

On Saturday, as we made our way around the open gardens, we also got to enjoy discovering all of the scarecrows dotted about.

Just look at all of these that the villagers made for the weekend's event!


Olympic Torch handover.


Repair job.


Mowing the lawn.


Humpty Dumpty.


Worse-for-wear England supporter.


HRH The Olympic Footballer.

The Hulk, a defeated Superman and scared to fight Spiderman.



Robed Queen and raincoat Queen.


Viking and his ship.





a "Grumpy Old Man" - this was actually made by my Dad and features my Uncle's clothes and face! I don't know if he saaw it or not!



"The Royal Flush" - also made by my Dad for the British Legion Club.



Kermit (with Olympic Torch) and Miss Piggy - Made by my Dad's partner, Karen.


Elvis - Not sure if this was my Dad or Karen or perhaps a joint effort...



Bonnie and Clyde.




We also stopped off at The Old Rectory for tea and homemade cake :)





Monday 25 June 2012

Baginton Village Open Gardens - 2012

Well, we safely made it through one of the busiest weekends we have had yet (and believe me, we've had some pretty busy weekends this past 18 months or so!). We managed to help the Small Person get her flowers and portrait of the Queen ready for the Church flower festival, we managed to get our scarecrows made and put out on display (can you believe someone smurf-napped our boy smurf on Saturday night? Poor Smurfette was all alone on Sunday), Mr Bogert made the brownies for the the ladies selling refreshments over the event weekend at The Old Rectory, I managed to make sure the Smaller Person's flower fairy was at the Church in time for the Toddler Group display, all whilst still dealing with the usual day to day running about. Madam had Apple Club on Friday evening, dancing Saturday morning, and then we had to go back for a dance group photo shoot for the summer show program. Her little life is far more active than mine!

By 2pm we were free to wander around the open gardens, and we were lucky enough that it hadn't rained. Mr Bogert's Mum and Auntie Dawn joined us.


Nanny, the Small Person and Auntie Dawn.


Garden one.











Garden two.







Garden three.










Garden four.





Garden five.







Garden six.







(still garden six.) Imagine sitting in the shade with a drink with this view from the end of your garden :)


(still garden six.) And this is where you would be sitting.






Garden seven.




Garden eight.



(still garden eight.) The Smaller Person examining a stone hedgehog :)



Garden nine.


Garden ten.




(still garden ten.) Searching for the mouse from The Gruffalo.


(Still garden ten.) There he is!


Garden eleven.

I wish my garden was as lovely as any one of these gardens!