Jackie and I drove to Abbotsfield Garden in Bennett’s Lane, Burley, which was open under the National Gardens Scheme, where private gardens are open to the public.
Each of these pictures is titled in the gallery.
Jackie photographed me while I was going around with my camera and she
was seated with cake at a table beneath a fine red Japanese maple.
She also pictured her lemon drizzle cake and the NGS programme; potted succulents, bedded ferns and
another garden scene with an emphasis on the camouflaged shed housing the pump
serving the carp pool
which reflected
a splendid clump of Arum lilies, while photographing which, I also pictured
the camouflaged pump shed.
Looking up I watched a small bird bearing a large item of plumage
until making off to feather the nest.
This evening we dined on two prawn preparations, namely hot and spicy and tempura; spring rolls; beef in black bean sauce; served with Jackie’s tasty savoury rice topped with a thick omelette, with which the Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, I drank more of the Bordeaux, and Becky drank Diet Coke.
How pretty, I love those two yellow flowers!
Thank you very much, M.B.
Beautiful gardens. Fish pond reminds me of the one my father built when I was growing up.
Jackie, do you deep fry your tempura, pan-fry with oil or air fry them?
The prepared prawns are from the supermarket, GP Just heated up in the oven 🙂 Thanks very much
Beautiful garden!
Thanks very much, Aletta
I love the way the pump shed camouflaged. Very clever. The gardens are beautiful.
Thank you very much, Chrissy
What a beautiful gallery documenting a beautiful location. And Jackie looks so comfortable enjoying a bite. Glad you two had such a nice outing together.
Thank you so much from us both, Maj
Sitting in a garden eating lemon drizzle cake sounds good to me! My favorite photo out of today’s group is the header. I’ve never seen a bird carrying a feather that large.
Thank you so much, Liz. Good choice 🙂
You’re welcome, Derrick–and thank you!
Aw, your photos of the little mama bird carrying the feather are lovely! She’s busy nesting before the BIG day! 🙂
Beautiful photos, Derrick and Jackie! 🙂
Communing with nature is always a wonderful way to spend a day…good for the body, mind, heart, and soul! 🙂
I always love seeing irises! They were my dad’s fave flower. And he grew a lot of different kinds of flowers, trees, fruit trees, and always had a huge veggie garden every year. 🙂
(((HUGS))) ❤️
Thank you so much from us both, Carolyn XX
A wonderful place to visit, that is for sure. And cake to go with the beautiful gardens! Doesn’t get much better than that.
Thank you very much, Laurie
I’ve been putting out strands of hair as nesting material, but so far, no takers!!
🙂 Thanks a lot, John
That’s a very beautiful garden, Derrick! ❤️🇬🇧
Thanks very much, John
I liked the artistically disguised shed. The flowers looked well worth the visit, even without the bonus of lemon drizzle cake..
Thanks very much, Tootlepedal
I would love to wander through those gardens–but I’d also like to sit in that setting and enjoy a slice of lemon drizzle cake!
I agree with others about the little bird with the big feather in it’s beak.
Thanks very much, Merril
The gardens are lovely. Nice way to spend the day.
Thank you very much, Pat
The gardens are lovely. Nice way to spend the day.
Oh, what a gorgeous garden!
Thanks very much, Jodie
xo
Jackie looks so happy! Beautiful photos by both of you. You are quite the talented pair! The garden looks fantastic.
Thank you so much from us both, Jill
How wonderful to be able to visit private gardens open to the public!
Thank you very much, Rosaliene
Wonderful photography Derrick. This is the first house I’ve stayed at without a fish pond. I love seeing them
Thanks very much, Gary
Your pump shed is nicely painted. It reminded me of the collection of stories and essays by Tom Wolfe published as The Pump House Gang. Wolfe was a bit of a quirky one, but he captured the mid-60s psychedelic/surfing culture perfectly.
Interesting, Linda. Thanks very much
The pictures today are different, interesting focus and very detailed, also crisp colors.
Thank you very much, Bridget
English/Brit gardening is an art of its own… 👏🏻
Thank you very much, Brian
The beauty and careful attendance of private gardens fills my heart … and in doing connects to fellow garden lovers 💐
Thank you so much, Val
It looks like you both enjoyed this lovely garden. I’m wondering if the leaves were trimmed from the first azalea. My city is famous for azaleas and ours have more green leaves.
That is a good thought, JoAnna. Thanks very much
This is a private garden? Splendid!
Yes. We will be visiting a few more now they are opening again. Thanks very much, Dolly
You are very welcome, Derrick.
That was a magnificent outing: all those flowers look very pretty. The pump shed has been camouflaged thoughtfully.
Thank you very much, Uma
My English aunt used to take me on such garden visits. This post reminds me of the absolute splendour of some of them and I can only imagine there must be a team of gardeners at work to keep them looking that way. These pictures suggest you both enjoyed a good day out )
Thank you so much, Anne. Perhaps that was how the fairy gardens began.
Definitely a beautiful looking garden Derrick ..
Thanks very much, Ivor
Jackie looks like she is studying the form guide. The Floral form guide, that is.
She was, indeed, Gwen. Thank you very much
Such lovely pictures of that glorious garden. The header with the bird carrying the feather is stunning.
Thank you so much, Eugi
I very much enjoyed the virtual tour of Abbotsfield Garden, Derrick and Jackie. The dinner Jackie made sounds wonderful, too.
Thank you very much from each of us, Lavinia
Such gorgeous floral displays; a fabulous day out.
x
Thank you very much, Melanie X
I especially appreciated the “splendid clump of Arum lilies” and the cleverly decorated shed. Thanks for sharing your visit with us today, Derrick. Hugs to you & Jackie. Our daffodils are making a gallant effort to survive after a few days of wind, rain, and snow.
Thank you very much, Jan X
Very beautiful.
Thanks very much, Mrs W
You’re welcome.
Seems like a perfect day!
Thanks very much, Leslie
So beautiful! I think you should consider opening your garden to the public too 🌸🌸 because it’s absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks very much, Ribana