Norfolk Tulip Fields

I’ve always wanted to visit the tulips fields in the Netherlands (Holland), as these are some of my favourite flowers, but in it’s stead I was able to visit some tulip fields in Norfolk. They are only open to the public for a couple of weeks and my sister was lucky enough to get some tickets for us.

There were several fields full of tulips, with rows and rows of various colours. They really were beautiful to see.

I love how block colours had sprinklings of others. And I also like the ones that looked almost hybrid, colours varying and also shapes.

We spent a couple of hours walking among the rows taking in the sight and then relaxing on one of the nearby hay bales that were dotted about the field

It was a really lovely to take in the vibrant colours of the beautiful flowers and to visit a place that you wouldn’t imagine would exist in the UK.

Cold Snap

We’ve had an usually cold December in London. I woke up one morning to find everything covered in frost. It did make for some cool finds in the garden though.

I found white threads around the garden and upon closer inspection saw they were in fact spider webs!

And this poor rose looked quite beautiful but sad as it was covered in ice

It turned even colder in the following days and we had a good dousing of snow that was quite unusual. I didn’t venture out much but it does look so pretty and calm.

I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this Winter amidst any snow and blizzards that may arrive.

Chelsea in Bloom 2022

The Chelsea Flower show takes place in London every year, showcasing beautiful gardens. To coincide with the event, businesses in the borough of Chelsea and Kensington hold an alternative floral art show called Chelsea in Bloom. Shopfronts are decorated with pretty displays and this year’s theme was the ‘British Icons’, to celebrate all things British and the Platinum Jubilee. My sister and I went to have a look at what creative designs would be on display.

There were so many displays but here are some I liked the best. Some displays were truly creative, like this Spitfire one, and other’s really detailed like the emblem with the horse and lion.

I really liked the display outside the Royal mail, Postmen on ladders and a collection of the iconic red postboxes. And the biscuit Buckingham Palace was artistic.

One of my favourites was this Queen’s head outline in different colours, I thought it was simple but really pretty.

I thought the bus was iconic too, and I really liked this floral tunnel with top hats, pocket watches, teacups and cards. It was super busy so only managed to get a couple of photos.

These cakes on a giant cake stand was another of my favourites, I thought it was really creative and very British.

Here are some more icons, The Beatles and Elton John, and representing fashion, Vivian Westwood. I thought the upside down table, chairs and cakes was cool.

I really liked the giant 50p coin, simple and fun. Paddington bear made of flowers was lovely too.

Another of my favourites was the Mini Cooper on show. It was quite a big display with flower hearts surrounding it.

These are only some of the displays we saw, there were many more with floral archways and window displays. It was really nice to go and see these imaginative displays, especially after it was cancelled for the last couple of years. The winners have been announced on the website.

Dutch Garden

In Holland park in West London there a place called the Dutch garden. The garden is called as such as every late spring/early summer hundreds of tulips bloom. When I heard about it I decided to make a trip to take a look; not only because I love tulips but who knows if I’ll ever go to the Netherlands and visit one of their famous tulip fields.

It was a really bright and sunny afternoon so I didn’t just get really hot, but unfortunately the flowers look quite saturated in my pictures.

In a nearby section there were other types of tulips and flowers too. This section was also a little less busy. I really like the sundial. And these murals are quite cool too, depicting people in old fashioned dress and how they might have enjoyed the garden in the past.

On my way out of the garden I spotted some wiseteria too.

The garden was really lovely, it was great to see swathes of tulips and just take in the colourful sight (also the sounds of a nearby quite loud peacock!).

Farewell 2021

2021 has been a tough year; the world had aims of leaving the pandemic behind and returning to a more normal life, but sadly the pandemic is still with us, still raging in too many places. Vaccines have brought us hope though, and more freedom. I pray that less wealthy countries have access to them just as we have. I would specifically like to thanks the NHS health workers for the endless hardwork in vaccinating us and caring for those that are ill.

This year has been a quieter, more reflective one for me, I have taken time to look at the world around me and have tried to shape a path for myself that I hope will lead to fruition in the future. Below are some of my favourite photos of the year that we now leave.

I hope 2022 is a happier, healthier one for all of us, I pray that we can finally leave the pandemic behind us and have more gratitude for the freedom we have. I hope that 2022 is one that allows us to fulfil some of our ambitions and gives us drive to be better to ourselves and each other. Happy New Year.

Ever After Garden

In Grosvenor Square in London is the Ever After garden. The garden is made up of over 25,000 illuminated roses, each rose representing a person that has been lost due to the pandemic. Roses can be dedicated to a person, the cost going to charity.

From above the roses are arranged in the shape of a butterfly.

The garden was peaceful and the display felt poignant. A beautiful way to remember those that are being missed I thought.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall

It was really hot and sunny in the UK recently so to make the most of it my family and I wanted a day out. The place we chose was RHS Garden Hyde Hall, which is an outdoor space with various types of gardens.

There were so many different types of plants and flowers, some I’d never seen before and most that I’d never be able to name. We started off looking at a little garden that had a variety of flowers, my favourites were the huge, eye catching, red poppies. I’ve never seen them that size before.

We then walked down to the fish pond that also had water lilies.

As it getting quite hot, we stopped for ice cream and a little rest. Nearby was a dry garden that overlooked the far reaching green hills below.

We walked on and saw beautiful flowers wherever we looked. It was amazing to see such a variety of flowers in every shape and colour you could imagine. Although I seem to be drawn to the purple ones the most.

I also spotted some light pink poppies, again I’d never seen this colour before and never in this size (they were about the size of a melon). Maybe there’s something in the water here.

We then took a path that led us to the Sky Meadow. Curious as to what this could be we came to a field full of wildflowers and a lovely calming view. I imagine the name comes from the fact that the sky meets the meadow and that’s all you see.

After resting for a while we made our way past a huge lake and a lovely green expanse which was lined neatly with tall trees and an interesting sycamore structure in the middle. The kids wanted to play so we headed in the direction of the play area that also had some fun animal structures .

The last part we saw was the Winter garden which consisted of foliage that would keep growing and survive the cold. There were some figures of leaves, showing stages of decay as you walked along, that I really liked. Nearby was also a pathway lined with hundreds of foxgloves.

We then made our way to the shop, where we picked up some lovely plants for my mum. My favourite being these Galaxy sky petunias that were quite striking.

The visit to RHS Garden Hyde Hall was a really nice one, there was so much to see and so many winding pathways that lead to unexpected spots. I felt a little rushed on this visit and the heat tired us out too, but I’d like to come back again in another season, see what else is growing and hopefully take it a little slower.

Colours of Spring

Spring is in full swing here in London so went to our local parks and into my garden to see what kinds of flowers I could spot.

The earliest flowers to be seen are the daffodils and croci. There were swathes of bright yellow daffodils in some parks that I visited, which was always pleasant to see. The flowers blooming early in my garden was a huge camellia tree with vibrant perfect looking pink flowers and magnolias. These magnolias were on a huge tree I spotted in someone’s front garden. It was quite a magnificent sight.

Later the flowers that opened up were varied and some I haven’t seen before like Blue Pasque flowers which I thought were quite fascinating. And as always a tree full of blossoms is a sure sign that Spring is here.

I’m lucky to have a few parks where I live and am able to go for long walks with lots of visual stimulus to enjoy. I always find myself stopping to tale a closer look at flowers I come across, each that brings it’s own beauty and joy.