To Feather The Nest

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.

73 comments

  1. 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?

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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))) ❤️

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. The beauty and careful attendance of private gardens fills my heart … and in doing connects to fellow garden lovers 💐

  8. 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.

  9. 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 )

  10. 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.

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