Spring signs in Castle Combe...

Our sunny walk last Sunday, described in my last post, ended up in one of my favourite villages around here, in postcard perfect Castle Combe (I have posted MANY photos from here before, please look under Castle Combe in Categories in the column to the right).

Every time I stroll up and down the main road here, I admire and envy the ancient doors, the stonework, the many not so straight angles...

On weekends, visitors from near and far come to enjoy the beauty of this little gem, and what could be nicer than to "hang out" by the old market place, perhaps sipping a drink of one's choice, lapping up the sun...

The swans seemed to enjoy the tentative signs of spring too...

The beautiful cemetery offering its long-term guests a little floral feast...

And here they are, my boys, still in winter coats and hats, as the air was still a little chilly...

And yes, this may perhaps be a pot that is not particularly spectacular at first glance, but its colour explosion, lovely tulip buds and the fact that the little petal ensemble is in the Swedish colours, well, I think these are valid reasons for a little spring-y Swenglish cheer!

Next time I think I might introduce you to a couple of new members of the Swenglish cushion family. Think peacefully purple...

Wishing you a lovely and colourful weekend!

Helena

Wet but still wonderful...

Last weekend we had some lovely friends from Denmark staying with us...

(Some of you may recognise this stone planter, which I showed 

earlier this year, then full of yellow spring loveliness.)

... a reason as good as any to give them and ourselves a big dose of CUTE...

... by taking them to Castle Combe...

... where, with all the rain we have had lately, 

the green seems just a little bit greener, 

and the flowers just a little bit more... well, flowery...

The pretty garden house above was featured in a blog post here recently, but I thought it looked so lovely in its summer costume and with its characteristic dovecote above the top window, that I thought I would sneak in another photo of it today. If you want to read more about old dovecotes like this, you can do it here.

So many of the old windows in this stunning village are "drowning" in voluptuous verdure, 

which makes a visit a feast for the eyes in so many ways,

Yes, Castle Combe may be wet from all the rain, but it is still a wonderful, wonderful place to visit, packed with history, character, beauty and charm. 

And it is real. A living village where people get up in the morning, struggle to find their keys or discover that there is no milk for breakfast, just like you and I might do... Where they sigh over the never-ceasing piles of laundry and cobwebs in the corners. 

Still, in my mind, a little piece of paradise...

I hope you are enjoying summer, storing sweet memories 

to revisit during the darker months of the year...

Helena

Ps. THANK YOU for all your kind, kind comments on my previous blog posts - you are so lovely!

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.)

***

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!

***

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).

***

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

Yellow spells spring...!

Mmmmm, yum, yum! Now, where are we likely to find a stunning stone planter like this...?

(Click on the images if you would like to view them larger and against a black background..)

Oh yes. I have brought you here a hundred and one times before, but as our Saturday walk again took us to the yummy village of Castle Combe, my camera just happened to be bouncing about in my backpack, the sun happened to be joining in with the general spring mood... and this village just cannot seem to offer anything BUT pretty views... well, what is a girl to do...?

Sometimes I do have to pinch myself and stroke the old stone walls just to check that they are indeed hundreds of years old and not just some card board film set. But no, everything is real. The old car in the previous photo, the horse riders having a rest by the old market place, the horse poo - all real, all part of life in the English countryside. All reasons to be grateful that this is on my doorstep, particularly in severe missing-Sweden moments ...

Yes, indeed a gorgeous house, but now focus for a moment on the top left corner of 

the photo... can you see them? Pink blossom on the tree!!! Yippey!

Yes, spring is definitely here. Saturday's walk was done without a coat, flowers greeted us on either side of the path through the forest, and the ice-cream intake increased by 200 % or so. All in the name of spring. Aaah...

***

Featured in Sanselig Jul, 

a Christmas book by Franciska Munck-Johansen

To those of you thinking that "this whole spring thing is a little overrated, why can't we look forward to Christmas instead?", I have got some good news for you too. Norwegian interior writer, stylist and photographer Franciska Munck-Johansen - whose book Sanselig Sommer (Summer For All The Senses), published last year, offering lots of decorative summer inspiration from herself and a number of other bloggers - has just announced that her new Christmas book, Sanselig Jul, will be out in November. I feel very proud to be part of this book too and look forward to 200 pages of Christmas inspiration from Franciska and some fellow bloggers.

***

I hope you are surrounded by spring-spirited people and flower-lined paths, 

wherever you are, and if not, have faith, spring (and Christmas!) is just around the corner! 

Helena

One step behind...

Dear, oh dear... sometimes the wheels spin so fast one forgets all sorts of things...

...like the second anniversary of my blog! A week ago, it was two years ago that my blog took its first stumbling little baby steps, and little did I know that two years later, I would have enjoyed the most amazing experience being part of such a warm-hearted community! So many smiles, so many encounters - even if many only virtual - with lovely, lovely people, whom I feel very grateful to have met.

But this journey has not only been about virtual friendships. Some blog friends I have had the delight to also meet in the flesh, so to speak, and last weekend one of my very cherished blog sisters visited the Swenglish Home again. Charlotte, with the inspiring blog Trädgårdsflow (Garden Flow) ended a UK business trip with a day here, and you can imagine the rattling sound of our thoughts, ideas and giggles flying back and forth between us. Think squash game, but without the ferocity behind the serve...

We took a little stroll through Castle Combe...

...where the snow still lined the road of these two love birds 

(unknown to me, but my lens caught them showered with sun light and couldn't resist)...

Imagine my delighted surprise when on Monday we woke up to a completely snow-free world, 

and not only that, but one where GREEN seems to have been set as the new trend.... Yes!

Today, the spring-dizzy birds are singing as if their life depended on it, and when I saw these 

lovely snow drops on the side of the road, I let out an equally spring-effervescent tune.

***

As a special treat for my boys who are on half-term school holiday this week, I took them for a scrumptious lunch at our favourite sushi restaurant in Bath (Yen Sushi). This little coincidental leek heart in my Miso soup brought a smile to my lips that lasted long into the afternoon. For once, I also happened to have my camera handy, and there it is, ladies and gents, evidence that we only have to open our senses to the small signs around us, to see that there is love in the world, sometimes even in your lunch!

Soooo, last, but not least... a Valentine greeting a little late... 

This little heart is for you, for being the lovely readers that you are! :

Mother Nature's mood board...

A few days ago, we went for a walk in and around the lovely village of Castle Combe again...

... discovering that Mother Nature...

(The Old Rectory Tea Rooms, here decorated for autumn. See here what it looked like in August.)

... was in full swing creating her golden mood board for the season...

Our walk at one point crossed the golf course behind the village...

...but for those of you who are golfers, don't worry, despite being a snap-happy girl, not afraid to climb high and low for a good shot, I did keep strictly to the paths on the golf course...

There is a saying in Swedish that "green is lovely and yellow is ugly" ("grönt är skönt och gult är fult"). Yellow may perhaps not be my favourite colour, but when Mother Nature is holding the paint brush, her art work is FAR from ugly..!

In fact, I was so inspired by this golden glory, that I decided to bring some of it indoors...

... and in my next blog post, I will show you how...

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last blog post. You make my day!

Wishing you all a golden day!

Helena