🌿🌻🌿Summer's end...

The last weeks of Summer turned into glorious sun most days... Beautiful early morning skies & evening sunsets... The start of August was heavy rain clouds. My Summer journal took an unexpected back seat as we've had three major break downs and shocking expense with the car, so we're now on the hunt for a new one. So Ive not visited any National Trust houses since the beginning of August. I will get back to journaling through Autumn though. At least it meant we've been doing some lovely walks.

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Picking the last tomatoes & late summer posys from the garden.... Enjoying the views from the hill top part of the garden...

Lots of wonderful bunting around my Market town... We all had a trip to the city and gifted ourselves some new books... My favourite was this lovely folklore book on woodland and forests... Something to enjoy in the Autumn months ahead. 

Beautiful Dahlias from the Market... 

Everytime I walk into the kitchen and look at the dresser top I instantly smile they're sooo pretty. 

Simple pleasures: enjoying hanging out the washing in the early morning sun 

Lighting the candles in the evening... 

Feeling cosy and snug in the kitchen... 

Painting again... Rabbits & fairies... Whimsical wonders... Garlands in the making... 

I had a lovely walk in the park with my mum and we ended up in the Community garden, beautiful day Sunny but breezy... 

While we chatted my daughter whizzed round the whole park on her skateboard (one of her early birthday gifts) 

We ended up with late afternoon tea & coffee cake by the river cafe.Lovely to catch up. 

This bank holiday we escaped the car stress, packed backpack of lunch & drinks and headed on the Drake's trail across gem Bridge, through the woodlands, through the old railway tunnel, back across the another bridge over looking the woodlands then headed down to the river Bank, we paddled bare feeties in the cool Dartmoor river water...then back home by the farmers field... Beautiful day... Peaceful. 

Wonderful to be enjoying these precious sunny days...

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Summer journal🌿🌞🌿

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I've suddenly got into the swing of being creative again, which fills my soul with happiness. I had really been lacking that creative flow... I always find its good for mental health to keep being creative... Mainly, watercolour painting in an illustrative style at the moment ... I've found journaling my Summer adventures to National Trust homes & Gardens has given me a reason to reach for my paints and pens... Its a lovely way to record your day. I love photography too. I do not own expensive lenses and super duper cameras but I try to be creative with what I have, usually just my mobile phone camera these days. So I have lots of photos to work from when I get home and paint. 

I take small elements of each photo and plan out how it will all link together leaving the left hand side for writing up about the house, garden and general visit. There's so much that inspires me it's hard to fit it all in... 

🌿💚🌿July round up... 🌱💛🌱

August has arrived so quickly... And my weeks holiday with sophs and stevie has come to an end... But it's been a really good week. We didn't plan anything each day... Just went for a drive and ended up somewhere... Like Buckland Abbey nr Dartmoor national Park. Another wonderful National Trust House. We all love walking and sophs loves history and I so enjoy the gardens... 

The wildflower boarders were stunning! 💚

 Wonderful kitchen gardens too... 

Its a huge estate, holiday cottages, bee hives, woodlands, fields with horses, cattle and sheep, the great barn and museum... 🌿💚🐑🐏

The Hollyhocks along the medieval Wall... 

Bug~land Abbey gave us the giggles. 

Beautiful bee hive ceiling inside the house🐝

The house is well known for its links to Sir Frances Drake. And used to house Drakes drum. There is a beautiful painting of Lady Drake on the walls...  🌿💚🌿And we've also visited Antony House and Gardens...nr Torpoint, Cornwall...we had all weather's, a real mix bag, beautiful blue sky and hot sunshine then overcast and after an hour monsoon rains! We went on the car ferry from Devonport in Plymouth... And Torpoint is on the other side. 

My mum saw dolphins here, but none when we crossed the sea. I kept my eyes peeled. 

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Antony House and Gardens was also used for the filming of Alice in wonderland that starred Johnny Depp. Its still a family home so only open certain days... The upstairs was closed since covid and the tea room shut too. But still much to explore... So many beautiful paintings in the entrance hall and up the huge staircase. 

Wonderful gardens to explore... 

We had a lovely time but slightly cut short due to the weather... 

Wonderful home... I love all the textiles, paintings, tapestries & ceramics... 

So I've started another watercolour painting in my journal... 

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💛Sweet peas in Summer💛

Oh' my its been a hot couple of weeks💛

The temperature is too hot for me, I do love the sunshine but not the intensity of heat. So, well, due to that major factor my productivity & energy levels have been awful. But my feelings of being on a low eb have slightly improved... Just been taking life a little slower has helped. Soon it will be Friday and then the starts of the Summer hols for my sweet Sophs... And Stevie gets a weeks holiday too... So hopefully we can plan some outings... Stay cations mainly. We haven't planned a thing yet!. 

Posy of garden blooms... Wonderful colours of Sweet peas... 

Two weekends ago we had a drive towards Plymouth to Saltrum House, National Trust House and gardens, huge estate... The house was only allowing groups of 6 people and we joined the back of the group, it felt like we had the beautiful rooms to ourselves... My jaw dropped at the entrance... 

So mainly huge, wonderful paintings... Some by Joshua Reynolds... 

Saltrum House was also used as a filming location for Sense & Sensibility which starred Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson & Hugh Grant. 

Wonderful grounds to explore... 🌿🌞🌿

My favourite part of any historic family home as big as this is the area where the cook and maids, butlers and bottle washers worked so hard away... It fascinates me the old rustic kitchens... The big kettles on the open fires, pot & pans and large dressers filled with all the kitchen wares... Like Downtown Abbey. The real hub of the home... 

The garden boarder was beautiful with lavender pink poppies... 

Next time we will need a few more hours to explore as there's so much more to explore... 

Friends from the estate came to say hello. 

Below, back in my Market town Community garden roses... 💖

Enjoyed a wonderful slice of ginger spice cake... 

Wonderful blooms... Really enjoying the National Trust gardens around Devon & Cornwall. 

We had a Sunday in Totnes... 

(I'd had a fall down my hill top steps so we were taking it easy as my leg and ankle were still healing just cut & badly bruised ) 

We also drove to Buckfastleigh Abbey Gardens on the way home for a walk about and sit in the shade of the gardens. 

Due to the heat mainly & taking a bit of a break I've hardly done any creative work... But I decided to sit under the apple trees in the late afternoon with my sketch book and watercolours and just let my imagination appear on the paper... A little fairy being emerged... 

Thank you kindly for the supportive comments on my last post... 💖 I'm healing & still giving myself time to breathe and slow down. 

Enjoy the Summer, 

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