In Between

As for the time being my son is still located in Portsmouth and before the garden season starts again, there was a need to have a quick hop over to the island for a weekend. Just the two of us :-).





Saturday morning, blue sky, cool and breezy, ideal to see what is round Dorset.





I have documented once about a fleamarket find, that was a leather book with lovely hand written poems and drawings from a girl, more than a hundred years ago, who was educated in different schools in Germany, Belgium and Boscombe near Bournemouth.





We found Boscombe and this is the seaside there. A lovely place and I can imagine that those girls had a fantastic time at the beach and could almost hear their laughter.





After a full English breakfast (outside!) overlooking the sea, we went over to Bournemouth.



Bournemouth is a lovely place, very "Riviera-like", mild and kind. A colleague once went there for a weekend and he told that Bournemouth is one of the best cities in the UK to live (Wikipedia says the same) :-).



We drove further on the coast through places with nice names like Barton on Sea and Milford on Sea and up to Lymington.



Sunday morning it rained and decided to not to stop for the whole day.
Son's preferred Taxi driver had given a hint for a place like "BULY" and Her at Home had given the tip to go to a car boot sale in Hedge End. That was easily to be combined. After having found Windhover Roundabout, it turned out that only TWO cars were brave enough to stand in the rain, not really worthwhile to stop.



Suddenly we entered the New Forest National Park. And there were ponies and horses all over, no fences.



Even donkeys behaving like telecontrolled one behind the other on the side of the road :-0
Sorry for bad quality of pictures. They were made out of the car and it was too dark.


Here we are in "Buly" which in fact we have pronounced BEAU LIEU as it sounds in French for NICE PLACE.



There is a nice garage with vintage cars. Beaulieu is known also for its National Motor Museum.

This picture is for EG.



This picture is for a lady in Canada ;-).



We then went into a fabulous pub, the Turfcutters Arms. Great food and great atmosphere. I had my obligatory Fish & Chips :-))).



This picture is for Ben.



Monday morning it was nice again. I had to leave but could not resist to pass Wisley without going into the garden center.



Snowdrop-Mania and Helleborus-Mania in full swing there.
Some of those wee bulbs are at 30£ each :-0.



I had the pleasure to discover one of the new ships -Spirit of Britain-. Nice experience, they have added some terrace decks which is certainly a bonus when it gets warmer.




Back home in the evening, I had the pleasure to discover my "Valentine" and his gift:

Those are nest boxes for house martins. Summer can now come!

Autumn in Wisley

Before I am leaving for the next journey to the UK, here are some impressions from RHS Wisley. It was the last garden visit on our escape trip and my friend Georgia had to be left at Gatwick to take her flight to Hamburg whereas I continued to Dover for the ferry.





Admirable long borders were in their best colour show. So many salvias



and still some very nice roses





The perennials were all very tall!









Eventually, we reached the famous greenhouse.





Every corner opened up to a new discovery.





All plants were labeled. This Saxifraga was so highly praised by Georgia. As it was also for sale in the garden center, it sits now in my front garden.





The scabiose 'Ace of Spades' is on my shopping list - perhaps I find some seeds this weekend?



The picture on top right has even captured the visitor :-).



A fantastic last day to close the escape album with.





Luckily, just then the card of the camera was full.



I must come back to Wisley with EG.