The Swenglish Home

Coming back to... Castle Combe!

Most of us living in the south west of England have been rather starved for even the tiniest ray of sun lately, so when Saturday morning offered blue skies and a beautiful bright bulb high up above, we skipped out the door, hungry to soak up the light. Being a keen bluebell fan, I convinced the rest of the family that another walk in and around Castle Combe would be a rather splendid idea...

As you come in to this lovely village, you are met by a sweet sign, putting a smile on your face and invariably your foot on the brake. Just after we moved to the UK and went for spring walks in this area, I - with my Swedish default spring flower perception- , started oooh-ing from afar at the sight of what I thought must be white anemones (Sw: vitsippor). But soon the smell caught up with me and I realised the white carpet was wild garlic! Horrified and confused as my senses were, I did not know if I ought to stop and admire what my eyes were soaking up with delight, or follow the desperate instinct of my nose, which howled: RUN, RUN!

"Safe" in the village, some more olfactory-appealing flowers 

can be admired in well-manicured borders here and there...

 ... many a lieutenant's/bleeding heart pounding with feverish floral infatuation...

... and the golf course offering tranquility with its almost unnaturally green grassy hills.

And all of a sudden, there they were, the bluebells. Perhaps not a massive forest, but filled with an abundance of sweet little bluebell heads, watching carefully where this young gentleman would next put his feet, willing them not to crush their bowed blue little necks...

Watching the buds yearning for the same light and life as us light-starved humans, forcing their way through the thin, protective shell that was their guardian until they were ready to "fly", it is magical, is it not?! For many years, I rushed past this precious spring event (I still do, sometimes), but when you take the time to stop and really look, it is like witnessing the Maternity Ward of Mother Nature from front row seats. Awe and humbleness sitting right there beside us.

Castle Combe, a stunning, stunning little village, 

and one we love to come back to again and again! 

(You can find more blog posts and photos under Castle Combe in my Categories.)

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Cesar's Trädgård

Today I would also like to draw your attention to another wonderful place in Sweden I myself dream of visiting one day. My dear blog friend Charlotta, with the blog Cesar's Trädgård (Cesar's Garden)  - and her family - share Voltaire's famous motto "Il faut cultiver notre jardin" ("Let us cultivate our garden"). They have strived to create a garden paradise focusing on an enhanced quality of life and the joy of growing things. Charlotta and her family welcome us all to be inspired by visiting Cesar's Open Gardens,  Cesar's Shop and their "farmer's orangery" in Älmeboda (between Emmaboda and Tingsryd in southern Småland, Sweden). Click on the company names above to read more.

Wishing you a fabulous gardening season, Charlotta!

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Go Wild Landscaping

Do you remember the blog post a little while ago from my sister-in-law's garden? Since I posted that, I have learned that in addition to her own wonderful work with her garden, my sister-in-law also enlisted the help of garden designer Andrew Marshall at Go Wild Landscaping, so credit should also go to him for that gem of a garden. If you live anywhere in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire or Bucks., like what you see in my sister-in-law's garden and need a little help creating your dream garden, clicking on their company name above will take you to their website).

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Last, but not least, a warm thank you for visiting and for all your kind comments. 

I apologize for being so absent on your blogs and I hope that 

I will one day be able to come and "see you" and say hello.

Wishing you all a fabulous rest of this week!

Helena