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 :)

Train, Boat, Bus & Chain Ferry to Osborne House and a Warning

My friend and I were sat chatting and recollecting our last visit here and I suggested we go again.

Yes, she was up for it so plans were afoot without further ado!

Umm?  Looked up the journey on Wightlink Ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth.  Shock!  Horror! Way, way too expensive for a day trip.

However, not to be put off we settled on train to Southampton, Red Jet to West Cowes, chain ferry over to East Cowes (much cheaper)

and a walk (quite a long walk) up to Osborne House.

Like a circle in a spiral ....

going through my mind, the journey sounded quite exhausting!  But let's do it!

So we did ..... and to my surprise it wasn't anywhere nearly as tedious as I thought it would be.

Lunchtime arrival...

So all this meant a lunchtime arrival and an early light lunch prior to further walking.

It was a glorious day, so we decided to give the house a miss on this occasion and do the walled garden and ....

taking in the glass houses and fab plants

and then the long walk down to Queen Victoria's beach, the Beach Hut Cafe

and an ice cream, of course.  We chose to sit in the shade to eat ours as the sun was melting it quicker than we could eat it ... be rude to waste any wouldn't it 😉😜 - apologies I had to lick mine before taking the picture!

And then a meander back - well for me anyway, friend is fitter - oh and younger :) but she kindly slowed her stride for me.

A beautiful house and I would definitely recommend you go in if you haven't already.

  

Our last visit the sunflowers were amazing and the grounds were more colourful, but any time of the year is lovely for different reasons.

A warning comes with this blog ....

If you choose to travel our way, put some good walking shoes on, take a bottle of water, a very small handbag (aimed at the women that one of course!) with small camera or make do with phone camera, and be prepared for some quite long walks.

I, of course, took my trusted Nikon D7100 with 28mm lens which is the lightest of my cameras and lens.  However,  I have promised myself I'll get an even lighter one for my days out with friends.

  

Of course, I had my phone with me but you can't see the image on a bright day on your phone can you 😏 and I find it incredibly frustrating when I can't see what I'm taking!

Need to know basis :) 

• If you do travel on Red Jet and you need to catch a bus back to the station, your Red Jet ticket acts as your bus ticket too.
• There is an Osborne bus that takes you to the beach and a buggy so you really don't have to do the walking bit!   
• OK Fitbit how many steps?  22000 eeek if I didn't feel tired before I do now after knowing that! 

Enjoy..  if you do go we'd love to hear your comments or 

let us know what you think by email and we'll be happy to share here.

A Sunday in Godshill and You Can be Forgiven if you Think You're in a Time Warp

Malcolm had an appointment in Godshill on IOW.  Knowing I love a trip to the island he said 'd'you want to come'?  

Well, of course, I want to come!

But I wasn't expecting this ..... going back in time.

We pulled up at The Old Smithy and the car park was being invaded by Classic Cars!  The smile on Malcolm's face was from ear to ear and, of course, he was deep in conversation without any delay!

When I could prise him away from these amazing little cars, he went off on his appointment and I sauntered around The Old Smithy's pretty landscaped garden.

Then a wander through this quaint little village of Godshill.

I didn't venture in to Godshill Cider or Candy Cottage mainly because there was so much more to see and I wasn't sure how much time I'd have.

 There's a model village here too, which I'd love to go back and see some time. 

This village is only small but there's so much to see and explore.  Many cute little shops, tea rooms and, of course, the odd pub or two.

When Malcolm returned we felt a little hungry so we opted for Sunday lunch, well it was Sunday after all.   

I have to admit peeking 😉 in the window of the Taverners earlier at someone's lunch, which looked good so opted for there.

Absolutely love these little squidgy table numbers you're given when you order your meal!

Highly recommend this pub!

As you can see the Sunday roast is a gastronomic delight 👇 

More Classic Cars?

You'll have to forgive me if I seem to be posting images of many Classic Cars on this occasion, but Sunday here you definitely go back in time and apparently it is Isle of Wight Austins meet up most Sundays in the car park at The Old Smithy.  It's absolutely lovely.  

Me thinks we maybe going to visit again 😉

Before I go I need to post an image of my favourite .....

So in Godshill on a Sunday and you can be forgiven if you think you're in a time warp ............

Thanks for visiting ..... see you next time.
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