We headed out to the National Trust site Cliveden on a gorgeous sunny Saturday. (This weather is in contrast to the rainy 50F we had the day before.) We had visited Cliveden before, and it just wasn't the best day for us then. Grumpy moods and empty flower beds were not a good combination in December 2012. I'm glad we paid Cliveden another visit.
If you are going to see the bluebells, be sure to park at the Woodlands parking lot, not by the house. It is about a mile walk through the forest to get to the house. We made the walk, enjoying some exercise equipment and natural play area along the way. Then we had a nice lunch at the Orangery cafe. And then a walk back through some formal gardens and the woods. Note that the house is now used as a hotel, so Cliveden is only toured at certain times. We also skipped the maze and playground.
The sunshine and fresh air helped with the jet lag too. As you can see in the pictures, England is green, green, green right now. No photoshop needed!
After we found the natural play area, we got our first glimpse of the bluebells.
Grace and Jack asked several times to take pictures with the big camera. They got some great shots. Next time we go out, I'm going to take our old "fancy" camera and our little camera too. So everyone will be capturing shots.
Grace told me she would love a career in photography or horseback riding. How cool is that! I told her that they could be great hobbies even if she didn't work in those fields. Then she proceeded to ask me the rest of the day about every field of science available. The wheels in her mind must be turning about her future. We ruled out entomology and microbiology, while forensic science, ecology, and psychology sounded interesting.
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| Photo by Jack |
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| Photo by Jack |
I love how bright green all the leaves are at this time of year. And look how big Jack's hands look. He is growing so fast. I remember loving his long fingers when he was a baby.
And here we are around the formal gardens near the house.
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| Photo by Grace |
Some other people asked this little old couple about the tulips. They were such a great couple who looked like they had walked this path for many years. They said the tulips this year had a disease and we could see some spots on the petals.
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| Photo by Jack or Grace? |
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| Photo by Jack |
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| Photo by Grace |
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| Photo by Grace |
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| Photo by Jack |
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| Photo by Grace |
Can you see the yellow rapeseed fields in the distance?
Great photos by all of you! Looks like a great place to visit. We need to be making more use out of our National Trust passes.
ReplyDeleteJust lovely photos - loving the bluebell season as well. I have only visited Cliveden in the winter - I am sure I would like it even more in bloom. Nearby is Ashridge Estates, if you are needing another bluebell fix - the best location I've ever seen in my four years. xo
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! Who would have thought Texas had such lovely magical spots! Thanks for sharing! You have lovely children.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely!! I have enjoyed seeing all of the bluebells springing up in the parks I run through. We finally made it on an actual walk through them when we visited Kew Gardens last weekend. I loved it!
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