A Plant Lovers Paradise in The New Forest

We were just driving by and my daughter in law said 'ooh is that one of the gardens you mentioned on your blog?'

It sure was!  I visited this garden last year and when I look back it was just a week or so earlier in the year.  

Of course, tempted by the pics I published, my daughter in law wanted to visit.  

And we did just that.  

We received a very warm welcome by the owner, Emma Taylor, and she told us, to the delight of my grandsons, that we could feed the fish.

As my two grandsons, 7 and 9 were not to enamoured with the thought of going round a garden we thought it might be an idea to feed the fish first!

In a truly authentic and very peaceful Japanese Garden there is the pond with huge Koi .....

 who are very pleased to be fed.

I can just imagine someone sitting in this area meditating as there is a lovely covered area sheltered from the sun.  It is incredibly pretty and very peaceful.

One acre of garden formally designed

The garden is separated into 'rooms' and lots of passageways and when you walk through you never know what you're going to find.  

Like the pretty mirrors  ....

And plenty of areas with cute seats, all with cushions, so that you can while away the time ...... 

or for boys who get a little tired of wandering round a garden :)

The garden is full of charm and surprises, like this wheel in the grasses ....

and this tree which is called an 'Indian Bean Tree', which by the way smells divine.

And for plant lovers ...

The tightly packed pretty clusters of purple/lilac flower heads top tall stems as the Verbena brings colour to one of the borders.   

I'm not that clued up with names of flowers and plants but there are many which I'm sure you'll recognise. 

And, of course, you can purchase some too.

Unable to visit?  See more of this garden here

Applecourt Garden Opening Hours

How could I forget?

Gosh I nearly forgot to mention the tea and cake!  

Beautiful home made cake to go with a cuppa in these beautiful gardens.  Life doesn't get much better than that does it?

By the way, they may not admit it, but I think my grandsons actually enjoyed it too.

Until next time ....

A Postcard from Gouvia Marina Corfu

The first privately owned marina in Greece, not far from the International Airport and about 6 kilometres from the town of Corfu.

Fortunately for us too, a walk from our apartment.

Sail your soul ...

Even if you're not into yachts you will love the atmosphere here and the many restaurants and bars where you can sit and watch the world go by.

In fact the marina was our first stop by car where we ate our very first lunch and sipped our ice cold beer en route to Kontakali.

Celebrations ...

Today it was Malcolm's birthday and he had, from the time we left UK, decided where he wanted to eat lunch on his birthday.

So we sauntered down to Gouvia Marina and stopped for a Freddo Cappucino, which had become one of our favourite mid morning treats, prior to lunch.

Online booking ....

Kontokali Lake House has wifi, so we took the opportunity of booking Malcolm's birthday lunch online the day before. 

However, we hadn't received confirmation, so whilst Malcolm was having his coffee I popped along to confirm in person.  I received a very warm welcome and was told we could have a table overlooking the marina. 

Happy now :)

Olympia Mare here we come .....

And this is Malcolm's smug face when he gets what he wants :)

Bubbly?  Why not ..... whilst we choose from the delicious, get your taste buds going, menu.

Actually we had pretty much decided that we were definitely having fish.....and we weren't disappointed with our choice.

For me Tuna (which was huge!) and Malcolm had the 'catch of the day' Dorado.

Absolutely delicious.  Great food and very friendly service, along with bubbly and good company, of course, brings a smile to my face.

Now after that huge lunch we thought we ought to go for a stroll.  

And no better place than the Marina where you can get lost in a world of yachts. 

 And if superyachts are what you aspire to then this is the place to be.

Things you need to know:

• The Marina gets busier in the evenings so if you want to eat out booking is recommended.
• Changeover days for the yachties!  We found Friday and Saturday busy there and a real buzz about the place.  So if you like quieter days visit midweek.
• We highly recommend Olympia Mare for their food and service.

Thanks for visiting, look forward to seeing you again soon ...... wherever that may be :)