There is nothing better to do than reach for the paracetamol tablets and try to think about something nice. It does not take long before Olympia, our beautiful Granddaughter comes to mind. I open up my ipad and dive into my gallery of pictures. She is only 8 weeks old, yet there are already too many photographs of her for my boasting book. My heart flutters. We shall be seeing her in less than two weeks time and Doc and I feel like excited toddlers waiting for Christmas.
I have also come across some photos taken at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland. It was one of the few rain-free days of summer, just before little O was born. Our daughter-in-law is Irish and we have visited this National Trust House and Gardens several times. It never ceases to thrill and part of its attraction has to be driving to it, along Strangford Lough where dramatic views are punctuated by birds taking flight.
A grand house needs a grand backdrop and the south-facing Italian garden is never disappointing, whatever the time of year. There is also a series of magnificent outdoor 'rooms' which contain rare plants that thrive in the mild climate of the Ards Peninsula. Gunera, eucalyptus and pots of beschornia, (a plant similar to a yucca, with huge pink flower spikes), create a very exotic atmosphere. There is also a wonderful ‘Leylandii’ hedge which shows just what this much maligned tree can do for a garden when planted in the right place.
The garden is less than a hundred years old. It is slightly eccentric and all the more beautiful because of this. The garden was the vision of Edith, Lady Londonderry and is now of international importance.
Above all, Mount Stewart is a garden for children. They can explore acres of space and leave with memories of giant trees, secret paths, steps they have climbed and plants which look like they belong in a Harry Potter story. In fact, the Mairi garden was named after Viscountess Bury, Lady Londonderry’s daughter, who spent much of her time in her pram when the garden was just virgin, waste ground. In the centre now is a statue of her and a depiction of ‘Mairi, Mairi, quite contrary’ where campanulas are the ‘silver bells and cockle shells’ and saxifrage represent the ‘little maids all in a row’.
A collection of fanciful stone creatures is a big attraction. There are monkeys clutching urns, a Noah’s ark and a couple of Dodos. And this brings me back to little O because it will not be long before we are introducing her to Mount Stewart because it is a garden of wonder.
Currently, the National Trust is making plans to actively connect children with nature because so many children have no relationship whatsoever with the outdoors. We feel very privileged that this will not be the case for little O. She will be digging up potatoes before she is five!
All this has started to make me think we need to create our ‘Woodland walk’ which is a tunnel between the trees that border our lawn and our neighbour’s boundary. It is dark and spooky, just what Olympia will like. But we first need to tidy it up, lay lots of bark chippings and build some steps at the house end, to lead visitors up to the terrace. I am sure there will be dens made along the path!
And of course, we need to fix Olympia up with a set of her own special tools. Not the cheap, bendy kind but a decent trowel, fork and junior spade. With a packet of marigolds and a game of ‘hunt the gnome’, we are good to go. As long as she brings her wellies!
No comments:
Post a Comment