Saturday 17 September 2022

A mid-September Walk


The flag stands at half mast and the church bell tolls.

But all around there is a sense of peacefulness and calm.
The village War Memorial was designed by eminent architect Edwin Lutyens, designer of New Delhi, now the seat of the Government of India. Lutyens had a close professional working partnership with the garden guru, Gertrude Jekyll, their joint garden designs helped to define the look of his Arts & Crafts style country houses. 
Lutyens iconic garden bench now a familiar feature seen in gardens around the world.
We, however, are leaving the village behind as we head off down into the valley.
Touches of yellow are sprinkled amongst some of the trees as Autumn slowly makes her golden entrance.
Having had weeks and weeks without any rain there have now been two days of heavy rain, and it is cheering to see just how quickly the grass has managed to 'green up' again.

“In life, there are many hills and valleys to pass and you cannot avoid them! The most important thing you need is to know this: You must pass them!”
Mehmet Murat ildan

28 comments:

  1. Fotos muito bonitas de um lugar paradisíaco
    .
    Cumprimentos … feliz fim de semana
    .
    Pensamentos e Devaneios Poéticos
    .

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  2. Edwin Lutyens was a super architect and, as you say, the designer of New Delhi. But what I was most impressed with was his association with the city beautiful tradition eg the central Town Square was the most important part of Hampstead Garden Suburb.

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    1. Although born in Kensington, he grew up in the same small village in Surrey where my husband also grew up too. The Surrey vernacular houses and buildings around that area greatly influenced his designs for the many wonderful country houses that he designed.

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  3. A beautiful post, Rosemary. We too have had rain recently, not a lot, but enough to make a difference, although Miriam was digging in the garden yesterday and she said that it is still very dry. Weather is always a subject of conversation it seems, but this year the word "drought" has been dominant. I hope it is a one-off event, but more likely it's an augury of the future - sadly.

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    1. I didn't realise that you had a drought too David until I saw one of your recent posts. The ground in our garden tends to be dry anyway because we live so high up on oolthic limestone - the fallen rain all runs down to the people below down in the valley.

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  4. Your village is so beautiful, Rosemary, and the flag so poignant at this time. It is very special to have a War Memorial designed by Lutyens, who was indeed a brilliant architect. I would love to have one of his benches in our garden. I can see that the grass is indeed greening up, just as it does here after a dry spell. We have had our first hot day today: perhaps we are having a very short Spring and going right on into Summer.

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    1. Dear Patricia - I suspect that you are right and that your summer might already be with you. It is very difficult to predict the weather these days. It is very pleasant here, just how I like it, blue skies, sunshine, and a very comfortable warmth.
      By the way it is not my village, but one that is local to us. It too sits high up on a Cotswold escarpment.

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  5. Oh what a beautiful place! I love every picture Rosemary...the stonehouses are fantastic!
    Hug, Titti

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    1. Thank you for your very kind comment Titti💙

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  6. I love that garden bench -- so elegant!

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    1. He designed this garden bench in 1902 - it was a hit then, and continues to be so now, 120 years later.

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  7. Such beautiful scenes from the English countryside. The garden bench by Lutyens has such pretty lines.

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    1. I wonder what he would think if he knew how popular his design still is today.

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  8. Thank you for the lovely walk, Mary. And yes, the Lutyens bench is everywhere, even in the garden of our condominio!

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    1. Are you sitting confortably?

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    2. Truth be told, if there's to be a little lingering with a book or something, I always bring down a pillow. It can be a little hard on the derrière :)

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  9. What a wonderful walk, Rosemary. Thank you for sharing.

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  10. It's a nice time of year to be in the countryside. Golden days of autumn ahead.

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    1. I had imagined that having had such a long hot summer, autumn would arrive quickly, but it appears not to be the case.

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  11. Dear Rosemary - I’m always envious that you live in such a beautiful place. What a lovely walk! Autumn makes up for the heat of summer.

    I was so happy to find your comment upon my return. The typhoon brought no damage but autumn air. Yesterday (last night, here) I was glued to TV to watch the solemnness and grandeur of everything. It felt sad and peaceful at the same time.

    Yoko

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    1. Dear Yoko - I am really pleased to learn that the typhoon did no damage as the report that it was arriving sounded quite frightening.
      Apparently the TV was watched by many millions all around the world.
      However, now we need to get on with the business of trying to run the country. So many problems have arisen recently especially through the Ukrainian and Russian war - our cost of living is soaring, energy costs are rising day by day, and businesses suffering.

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  12. What a beautiful walk, and beautiful weather. We are enjoying glorious warm sunny days, I sat in the garden reading yesterday. I like Lutyen's architecture, and love those benches.

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    1. Another Lutyens fan here too Polly.
      I can hardly remember the last time we saw rain, but recently we have had the lawn treated with a special autumn dressing and it needs rain to help start the process of improving the grass and getting rid of the weeds.

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“You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you - you have to go to them sometimes”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh