Sunshine At Last

It's half-term here and I'm really enjoying a break from work. The grey rain and cold of January just seemed to go on and on, and I felt a great sense of relief when we arrived in February. I couldn't seem to get warm, and being without heating and hot water for a weekend didn't help, when our boiler broke down and had to be repaired. I've craved sunshine and warmth, and felt in need of being perked up. P and I have continued our runs/walks (more in another post), so I've been outside a good deal, but indoors has called me back inside to cosy up and knit or crochet.

However, a change is in the air and although there are still grey, wet, cold and very windy days, there is also sunshine. Warm sunshine. And I can't tell you how glad I am to see it.

Yesterday P took the day off and J is home on a short visit, so we took ourselves off to Tyntesfield, a nearby NT property, for the day. It was a day of sunshine and showers, with a heavy hailstorm at one point, but when the sun came out, as it always did, it brought with it a breath of spring. The house is a recent NT acquisition and is still a work in progress. It's built in Victorian Gothic style, a mass of turrets, gables, pinnacles and so many architectural features.

Inside it is stunning, with a light and ornate central hall which all rooms radiate from.

There was pattern and ornamentation everywhere in the form of stencils,

carved wood and stone,

metalwork,

and lots and lots of colourful, intricate stained glass. Since I've been learning this art I'm fascinated and inspired by the windows I see in buildings around me.

The colours and traditional glass-painting are just gorgeous.

After dodging another shower, outside was just as lovely, despite there not being much in bloom. The orangery was a place I could've settled down in for an afternoon, surrounded by the colours and scents of warmer climes in the form of oranges, lemons and bright camelias. I could imagine myself whiling away the hours here in a rattan chair with a good book and a cup of tea.

Next came the greenhouses, most of which were closed to the public for maintenance work. I must confess I was disappointed as I would loved to have wandered through them, but I consoled myself with taking photos of the beautiful spring and summer flowers inside them through the glass. 

The scent of these hyacinths was so strong you could smell it as it wafted through the vents at the top of the greenhouse.

Inside this one were fan-trained fig and apricot trees.

Next came the beautiful kitchen garden. I do so love the order and neatness of a walled garden with its rows of onions and netted cabbages. Here there was forced rhubarb and fan-trained fruit trees.

There's something so beautiful and well-tended about these trees. They have been carefully pruned and trained and, growing on this sunny wall, must produce delicious fruit.

The gardens surrounding the house were a mix of formal and parkland, with structure and symmetry.

The topiary holly trees were clipped to perfection and must be a job in themselves.

As we left the gardens we dropped by the rose garden where two gardeners were busily pruning, ready for the year ahead. In two corners were these pretty little arbours. We sat in one out of the cold wind and felt the warm sunshine. They were also heavily decorated with these pretty tiles. 

I'd love to come back later in the year to see the roses in bloom and the fruit trees in blossom. I really can't wait for spring to get going now.

I've also been busy creatively in recent weeks, and plan to show you what I've been up to soon. Hopefully I'll post about that this weekend before I go back to work, fingers crossed.
See you soon! x

Cornish Holiday - Trelissick and Roseland

Thank you for your interest and lovely comments on the first of my Cornish holiday posts. On the second day P and I visited places which were new to us, and started with Tresillick Gardens, a lovely NT property not too far away. It was a misty, drizzly morning and we took our raincoats and umbrellas with us.

Walking around large gardens is something that our teenagers grew out of, so it's great to be able to take our time and just wander. Tresillick Garden is on the banks of the river Fal, and is made up of parkland, woodland and borders. There are some fantastic trees there,

like this gnarled sweet chestnut,

and this furry palm. It reminded me of an animal.

The Hydrangea Walk was eye-popping. I love the shades of blue and purple that they grow in in Cornwall. Because of the less acid soil at home we only have pink ones in our part of the world.

My favourite part of Tresillick, however, was the New Cornish Orchard which is a wild flower meadow full of old varieties of Cornish apples. It reminded me of the cider apple orchards near to us in Somerset.

The trees were full of fruit and beautiful pale green moss.

There was a huge cider press,

and an apple sculpture.

But best of all were the names on each tree. My favourites are 'Pig's Snout' and 'Cornish Honey Pin'. I saw 'Pigs Nose 1', but missed 2 and 3. Great names.

There was a little wooden building which was decorated with halved pine cones

and beautiful stained glass.

Further on there were tree ferns,

jungly-looking hostas

bananas,

echiums,

and cardoons.

Lots of feathered friends joined us while we drank our tea outside in the cafe.

As we left we passed this fairytale building which is now holiday accommodation.

I chuckled at the weather vane - I've never seen a squirrel one before!

We crossed the Fal on the King Harry Ferry, an old floating bridge which reminded me of my childhood trips into our city centre on a floating bridge. 

Once across, we were on the verdant, wooded Roseland Peninsula and headed south to the pretty village of St Just-in-Roseland.

We walked down a steep hillside, and found ourselves in a lush hillside garden.

The little village church stands at the edge of a tidal creek, and is surrounded by a sub-tropical garden. There are many very old gravestones there which mingle with the palms, ferns and gunnera.

Weathered Celtic crosses mix with the most luxuriant planting around the headstones.

The church itself is very pretty too.

It was quite unlike any churchyard I've ever been in,

but a very beautiful and restful place, and well worth a visit.

We finished our day in St Mawes, and here the sun came out. An old fishing port, the town is pretty with little houses tumbling down the hillside to the edge of the estuary. There seems to be a mix of quaint little fisherman's cottages and some quite smart and expensive holiday accommodation in the town.

We walked along the tiny beach and bought chips from a sweet little hut, and they were delicious (I can't stand soggy chips).

The views across the estuary were gorgeous, and I felt very happy as I breathed in the fresh, salty air.

The bright coastal colours drew my eyes, as ever,

and the deep blue water contrasted so well with the green hills.

As we left, lights were starting to twinkle along the seafront, and it was time to head back.

I shall leave you with a selection of whitewashed cottages which line the seafront. So pretty.

See you next time for day 3!