Friday 1 February 2013

A brighter Friday...


On my way home from a nearby town today, 
I took a small detour via the lovely village of Holt...


Parking briefly near the old Glove Factory (now a lovely Art Centre and workshops), 
I was glad I did...


On one side of the road, I was greeted by an explosion of floral beauty (photos 1 and 2 above),
and on the other side this beautiful old red brick house serenaded me quietly.


Since living here in the UK, I have learned to recognize how the look of the houses changes according to the local stone in the area, and even though the area around Bath is indeed dominated by buildings in the gorgeous local sand-coloured Bath stone, you do not have to drive far south before you see red-brick buildings appear more frequently.


Even though the black pots on the steps of this building look like they are plastic, which may perhaps not be my favourite material, I love how the owners have placed one pot on each step. They almost look as if they are queueing for something fun... perhaps this is the local Night Club for plants...?! In that case it must be a very popular one, if you need to start queueing already at lunch time... Hm, perhaps not then. Maybe a Secret Green Society... only evergreens allowed?


And speaking of greens... Seeing the local farm shop (The Toll Shed in Holt) display their fresh produce on a table outside the entrance gave me spring vibes!


On the way home from Holt, I had to take a deep breath several times, as I drove through heavily flooded parts of the small country lanes, hoping they would not be too deep for my car. Here, just outside one of our neighbouring villages, the little pond was threatening to spill into the road too, but so far it just looks a little more like a lake than a modest pond, beautifully reflecting the cottages on the other side.

So, have you guessed the reason for the title of this post yet? Yes, the observant among you will have noticed a rare but oh-so-delicious light in some of the photos, as the sun, the stunning star in the sky with the power to warm our land and our souls, made an appearance today... and the world became a little bit brighter. Just like that. Oh, do come again, you lovely thing!

Wishing you a inside and out bright weekend!
Helena

27 comments:

  1. Det er VÅR hos dere....julerosen min på trappa er stivfrossen...:-) Må le av det du skriver om "plantedans", det ser jo virkelig ut som de står i kø ja..!!
    Her er den deilige fredagskvelden i gang, vi skal se på Norske Idol, og kose oss alle fem. God helg til deg og dine gutter,Helena!!
    Klem♥

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  2. Hej! Så himla fina bilder! Huserna, aaah:) Önskar dig en mysig fredag kväll!
    Kram Sirpa

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  3. vilka bilder ojoj...jag VILL till England...härligt att se att våren har hittat till er, här styr fortfarande Kung Bore över Sverige ...
    jag önskar dig detsamma
    Kram Åsa

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  4. I lived in England as a child for a couple of years while my dad served in the U.S. Air Force. These pictures, your blog, bring back so many happy memories and a longing to return for a visit. I can't wait to take my kids there some day and show them the wonders I got to see as a child. Old stone homes and castles, the Scottish highlands, where their great grandmother was born in Wales and maybe, if we are lucky, a fox hunt. Just wanted to say thank you for this beautiful post and that I know how you feel about the sun peaking out. I live in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and the sun in shining today when it would normally be raining or cloud covered. I am having the same sentiments as you today regarding the weather. Enjoy every minute of it; my baby girl and I are! : )

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  5. Hej Helena,

    Javisst gissade jag att det var solen som spred sina glädjestrålar omkring dig! Den har även varit på besök här idag. Genast känns allting lättare och ljusare i tillvaron. Det riktigt spritter i kroppen av energi och humöret har varit på topp hela dagen. Låt oss stanna kvar och njuta ett tag :)

    Krukorna i parad på trappan tycker jag var supercharmiga! Vilket enkelt sätt att piffa till det på och så gillar jag färgkontrasterna. Mjukt grönt, ruffig sten, den grönblå-målade dörren och de fina detaljerna på huset. Sååå fiint! Här skulle jag kunna stå och titta i evigheter.

    Ah, dina bilder ser så härliga ut och mer våriga än vi har det här. Visst är det skönt att det går i rätt riktning. Jag längtar till vidöppna dörrar, värme och gröna gräsmattor.

    Stor kram till dig och trevlig helg!
    Sanna

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  6. These photos come from heaven, really!They come from dreams and fairy tales. Soooo beautiful !
    Yes, I understand the desire for more light although here we have in excess.
    Love
    Olympia

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  7. Good morning Helena,

    Beautiful photographs! Yes, it has been wonderful to see a little sunshine here in Kent too. I adore your part of the world - my mother in law lives in the Cotswolds, so we enjoy your beautiful area when we visit. If I didn't live here, around Bath is where I would be........Have a lovely weekend, with hopefully a little sunshine too?

    Sophia

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  8. Att få denna underbara bild på näthinnan en mulen lördagsmorgon i februari - ja, det är lycka! Vilken fantastisk julros, vilken färg och så rikblommande! Tänk, att det blommar hos er och att ni har så vackra hus - dessa tegelhus är som sagohus för mej - så vackra!

    Jag läser ifatt i ditt förra inlägg här, att även ni har haft ymnigt snöfall! Oj, vilken vinter och så mycket nederbörd ni också har fått!
    Utsökt vackra bilder från ditt hem, och även snön ser vacker och gräddig ut - en njutning att se!

    Nu hoppas vi alla på sol och en tidig vår i denna del av världen!

    En härlig helg önskar jag dej!
    Kramar
    Lilsa

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  9. Nice reportage!
    Happy weekend
    xoxo
    Mari

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  10. Hi, Helena - beautifully sunny here today - I've been out in the garden for an hour. Hellebores and snowdrops and lots of bulb shoots peeping through - yay! We've had a horrid flu bug cascading through our family - all felt very low. This warmth and light is what we need! Bring it on. Hope you're feeling much better now. Abby x

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  11. Nu syns det tydligt att ni har mycket
    mildare klimat, ser vårlikt ut. Och att
    vattnet stiger då har våren kommit snabbt.
    Ha en fin helg Helena
    Varm kram
    AnnaMaria

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  12. Hi Helena
    Lovely photos again! Wow, the Helleborus are already blooming in England? Mine are just looking out of the soil. Lucky you, you've got sun and we've got rain and snow again *iiiiek*.
    Have a lovely weekend
    Alex

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  13. We had a really stormy week - it was getting warmer for some days, on wednesday we had 14 degrees Celsius. But it was very rainy, yesterday we had 25 litres per squaremeter. Today the rain stopped and I went out for a litttle work in the garden. I found the first violet, some snowdrops, some helleborus (all blooming) and some daffodils trying to come out of the earth. But then it started to rain again, and the temperatures of the new week shall be -5 and +5 degrees Celsius. So we are still waiting for spring ;-) Today Punxatawney-Phil said that it will soon be spring... it was groundhog day today!
    Claudia

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  14. Men oj vad vackert...och vilken underbar blogg du har!

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  15. Hello, I am Maria Grazia.
    Your blog is really nice.
    Compliments.
    A greeting from Como.
    Mary

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  16. Vilken underbar blogg som jag, märkligt nog, inte har hittat förens nu. Trots att jag är en flitig läsare av Charlottes blogg Trädgårds Flow. Har suttit och njutit av alla dina bilder och fyllt på inspirationskontot. Tack!
    Ha det bäst!
    Kram Hélena

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  17. Då åker du från ett vårlikt GB till
    ett vitt svedala. Du får nog ta tre
    djupa andetag...
    Ha en bra resa
    Varm kram
    AnnaMaria

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  18. Your photographs are incredibly gorgeous and inspiring. Thanks!

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  19. Såååå vackra bilder! Holt...verkar vara ett väldigt mysig ställe!
    Önskar dig en finfin helg,

    Titti

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  20. Jaa, jag ser ljuset och blommorna och stämningen i dina bilder från ett England från sin bästa sida. Vilka julrosor! Tack för den inspirationen! Du är en duktig fotograf.
    Trevlig helg
    Luna

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  21. This post definitely lift up my deflated spirit due to brute cold rain in here. Love the flowers and that gorgeous maison. Got my eye on your next posts.

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  22. Thanks for your kind comment on my blog, and I'm pleased to have discovered your lovely blog. At first I thought you had taken the photos in summer. It's great to see such summery images!

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  23. Jag kikar in och önskar dig en trevlig alla hjärtans dag!

    Kram
    Sari från Puumuli

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    ReplyDelete
  25. hello,
    thanks for sharing this homes photos is very grateful and all images for beautiful thanks for blog posting.
    Buying Charlotte Homes

    ReplyDelete
  26. So schöne Fotos ! Gratuliere....schaue gerne auf deine Seite.
    Grüße aus Österreich,

    Gabi
    Gabiscottage.blogspot.co.at

    ReplyDelete

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