Serenely yours
We had a great time. Provided I took N coffee in bed we were at work by 9.15am.
She really enjoyed the work. She varied the things she did, and didn't attempt any heavy digging, and managed to do 3 hours each day. The weather was kind as we had a sea mist in the mornings, which kept things cool. The gardens are wonderful, the colour and variety and the plantsmanship is just fabulous. I went back in the evening to photograph delicate backlight grasses and metallic blue sea hollies, and massive allium globes and a beautiful potager. We also walked the coastal path for 8 miles, but when we met a coastguard and asked how much further we had to do to the nearest town he took pity on us and drove us the last two miles.
We also went to St Andrews and tripped over American golfers.
It was a real retreat from reality and I loved every minute of it. I also enjoyed cooking. I took a bunch of staples, pasta, tomatoes, eggs, chorizo etc, and I really like the kind of cooking where you just raid the store cupboard and fridge and see what you can come up with. My bed was too hard, and my crappy hip ached, so I watched some early morning TV, this morning it was a series of film shorts on BBC2, a really weird mixture of things, made all the more odd by lack of sleep and the odd hour of the day.
Oh and I bought a great dress designed by a Thai woman, which is just so comfy and cool in this heat, and the head gardener gave me a present of a black stemmed bamboo (I'm sending him some of my pix as he gives talks on the garden and the planting and his pictures struggle to do it justice).
I think I could be a nun provided I got to look after the garden, and they weren't sticklers for actually believing.
My men had dinner waiting for me, and N stayed to eat with us. Dog is not speaking to me as we took N's dog and not him. They will all now ignore me for the rest of the weekend as the British Golf Open is on TV, and they have every radio and TV in the house tuned to it.
She really enjoyed the work. She varied the things she did, and didn't attempt any heavy digging, and managed to do 3 hours each day. The weather was kind as we had a sea mist in the mornings, which kept things cool. The gardens are wonderful, the colour and variety and the plantsmanship is just fabulous. I went back in the evening to photograph delicate backlight grasses and metallic blue sea hollies, and massive allium globes and a beautiful potager. We also walked the coastal path for 8 miles, but when we met a coastguard and asked how much further we had to do to the nearest town he took pity on us and drove us the last two miles.
We also went to St Andrews and tripped over American golfers.
It was a real retreat from reality and I loved every minute of it. I also enjoyed cooking. I took a bunch of staples, pasta, tomatoes, eggs, chorizo etc, and I really like the kind of cooking where you just raid the store cupboard and fridge and see what you can come up with. My bed was too hard, and my crappy hip ached, so I watched some early morning TV, this morning it was a series of film shorts on BBC2, a really weird mixture of things, made all the more odd by lack of sleep and the odd hour of the day.
Oh and I bought a great dress designed by a Thai woman, which is just so comfy and cool in this heat, and the head gardener gave me a present of a black stemmed bamboo (I'm sending him some of my pix as he gives talks on the garden and the planting and his pictures struggle to do it justice).
I think I could be a nun provided I got to look after the garden, and they weren't sticklers for actually believing.
My men had dinner waiting for me, and N stayed to eat with us. Dog is not speaking to me as we took N's dog and not him. They will all now ignore me for the rest of the weekend as the British Golf Open is on TV, and they have every radio and TV in the house tuned to it.
posted by apprentice at
12:02 am
5 Comments:
oh, it sounds like you all had a ball! that's wonderful.
8 miles? wow...
again, glad to read you had such a good time and made it back safely!
Sounds somewhat divine.
I too have always thought I'd make a good nun - I like the sound of the retreating into a cocoon world of gardens and slow, slow time.
Sounds like it was a very enjoyable break away from things. I know what you mean about the golf - any sport at the weekend is usually the soundtrack to the days.
I can really empathise with your nun comments. Having the space to let your own thoughts spread out slowly around and just do a spot of contemplating.
I was really mad at those women who did the BEEB's convent prog, I'd give my right arm to get that amount of peace.
The head gardener is a Buddhist, he was listening to meditation talks on his i=pod while working.
He had that unlined, calm face that those who meditate have. I should have realised when my suggestion about getting a ferret to control the rabbits went down like a lead balloon lol!
I'm a journalist in the US and I'm doing a story about American golfers in the UK -- I'm curious about your observations of American golfers at St. Andrews. Would you be willing to talk briefly, by phone or e-mail, about it? Please send me a note at loretta.chao@wsj.com. Thanks very much for your time!
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