Friday, August 10, 2007

the joy of surprises

Today has been huge fun. We invited a friend to lunch (a very simple collation of mushrooms a la grecque; a dip made from canellini beans, carrot and dill; baked halloumi cheese; all washed down with white wine spritzers) and finally, finally we brought out our picnic table and dined in the garden for the first time this year.

Despite the blistering heat, I gave Margie a scarf that I'd crocheted for the occasion(today is the 20th anniversary of her arrival in the UK from South Africa) and she presented us with a bunch of deep red sweet peas (such seductive scent) and a large bundle of spinach and spinach beet from her garden. But she had an ever better surprise up her sleeve: a trip to the gardens of Docwra Manor, just on the other side of Cambridge. Here 2.5 acres of erstwhile farmland have been transformed into a series of garden "rooms" (I was going to say "miniature gardens" but as each of these little enclosures is about the size of our backgarden, that might be exaggeration!)

You can take a virtual tour here! But if you live within travelling distance I recommend going in peson. Every corner holds a new surprise (my favourite was a tiny circular water feature with a resident frog) and there are lots of gorgeous sights, scents and sounds to enjoy.

3 comments:

The Mushroom said...

HI !
This garden looks very nice ! If I have the time, I will go to visit it.
Have a good evening.

fluffbuff said...

I wish I was within visiting distance. Those little gardens look marvellous.

Daisy said...

What beautiful gardens! Thank you for the link. I hope I'll get a chance to visit sometime!