This is one of my favourite photos that I've stumbled across this year. It is my idea of a little piece of heaven on earth, a magical wonderland. I found it as a blog post on Miss Moss ( missmoss.co.za)and loved the photo so much that I copied it and now it has a new lease of life showing up all over the place on my computer. It was originally taken by French photographer and artist, Jacques Henri Lartigue in 1960 of his 3rd wife, Florette Ormea in Opio, Provence.
I like it for the long pasture grass under the trees, the canopy of tree blossom, the fact that Florette is sitting knee deep in an ocean of meadow grass. I like it for the artists canvas and easel placed in the middle of it all. I love the leather stool and the painting inspires me to go downstairs and get painting on my own canvases.
Hence this photo is the opening shot for this blog post as I continue to reflect on the vital role that nature plays in reviving our souls.
" Summer is the time when one sheds ones tensions and the right kind of day is jewelled balm for the battered spirit. "
Ada Louise Hurtable
I happen to have access to an incredible garden at Loseley and I thought I'd share photos from the walled garden and a few thoughts on why this particular garden is such a delicious, soulful, reflective place.
First of all the daisies growing out of the wall. I mean really. How delightful is that? Not only are the stone walls weathered and chiselled by time but there are flowers growing out of the cracks.
The steps leading down to the moat are also peppered with daisies and make a magical wonderland for the resident doves to forage in.
During the summer there are often sculptures placed in the garden. This was one of my favourites, a few summers ago. The sunshine in this back section of the white garden is a bright, happy place to sit and read a book.
If it gets too hot along the back wall there is a second bench at the other end of the white garden that sits in the shade of the hedge behind it. Here the sound of the trickling water fountain in the central pond is calm & relaxing - a place to sit and watch the birds dip and wash in the water.
(Another steal from Miss Moss. Photo taken by Parker Fitzgerald. I added it in for the white flower theme. How wonderfully delicious and lush flowers are. What a blessing.)
My god daughter in the white garden.
Over in the Loseley vegetable garden are rows of sweet peas that create a barrage of colour and fragrance.
I love this hare staring at the sky. On a dark starry night I imagine him peering up at the moon.
And this little blue bird in hand. Precious.
Even the garden waste is a beautiful tapestry of colours.
Over in the herb garden the Hollyhocks are at their best in July/August.
My niece in the garden.
Above is my entry point to the garden, from the side entrance where the potting sheds are. Every day the garden is different and I find so much pleasure just slowly wandering the footpaths through the flowerbeds.
This love of gardens comes from my Father.
And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden ( delight)
Genesis 2: 8
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
Genesis 3:8
Walking in the cool of the day. I like that addition to the text.
Another beautiful garden is the one at Chilworth Manor. (It is only open to the public on special occasions.)
Here I am at Chilworth Open Garden in May. ( My goodness, look at those jeans falling down! - I will save photos of Chilworth for next week's blog. It deserves a post of its own. )
Summer is all about Roses. I spend my summer harvesting roses and filling the house with pots and bowls. I have two bushes out front and one that I keep pruned along the outer stableyard wall. The good thing about roses is that they need to be picked. The more you pick, the more they grow. It is an excellent exchange. I get to take them inside and enjoy them all through the summer and the pruning will stimulate the rose bushes to grow more roses for everyone to enjoy.
"They are not long, the days of wine and roses ..." Ernest Dowson, Vitae Summer Brevis
Just to mention, if you live locally, Shere Open Gardens are coming up in a couple of weeks. ( 25th June, 2-6pm) Pay for one ticket and you will spend a couple of happy hours exploring a multitude of hidden gardens in Shere.
And not forgetting to acknowledge the inspiring Chelsea Flower Show. I attended on a boiling hot Friday a couple of weeks ago.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Below - Tasha Tudor, another eccentric lover of gardens.
Black and white photos of Tasha and her family.
Oh the bliss of summer and a field, or an orchard and a garden!
Elegant sculpture in Loseley walled garden next to the Mulberry tree, a couple of summers ago.
"Summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." Henry James
Waterlilies and ducks in the moat.
Peaches on the moat wall at Loseley.
And to finish it all, another photo of Opio in Provence. We finish this little tribute to the beauty of gardens, orchards and meadows where we started ...
Once upon a time ..... in a magical wonderland. Florette & Stephanie in Opio again, this time in 1964.