Dreaming of Summer & Hanham Court.....

My Christmas decorations have not come down and yet and wont until I feel ready to strip the house. Its too harsh for me to take them all down in the grey January light. Apparently the Queen also has hers up at Sandringham till Feb. My mother used to do the same, and even then, sometimes guests were greeted by a jolly " Happy Christmas" sign in June.
However thoughts are turning to the garden and roses, lavender and cosmos, Dahlias and sweet peas....here is some inspiration from gardens we saw last year. These were taken at Hanham Court near Bristol, private garden of the Bannerman's.

The most enchanting Garden....

What I  particulately liked about the garden was the house, amazing back drop, and then a large expanse of lawn to the front, fringed with large pots full of lilies, then to one side gravel and a wild but formal part with pathways, a sublime hidden swimming pool, but, beyond that was rolling fields and all round the huge garden you could see rolling countryside.

Sublime, I was sorely, and I do mean sorely tempted to sneak into this....

Round by the pool, path ways with a frothy profusion of roses spilling forth with scent and flowers.....

A tent where the family were celebrating a birthday.

Although I enjoyed the garden immensely I couldn't help feel I would rather be tripping merrily along the pathways, a glass of wine in hand, on my way for a cooling evening dip in the pool....

Unbelievably they are selling the house, they do a few open days a year, they have a website  if you Google Hanham Court, its without worth a look, if your lucky enough to still be able to take a look. I feel very privileged to have done so.