🌺 October Highlights from Perth 🌺

I’m joining “Changing Seasons” and “What’s Been on Your Calendar” for the month of October. Feature photo is from my garden.

I see from most of the posts people are enjoying the Autumn months and getting reading for winter. Here in the South Hemisphere we are coming up to our hottest months. We are still having a few cold nights here and there. So, I haven’t put away my winter clothes yet. Although I have been here too long to really appreciate what cold actually means!

It’s been a fairly quiet month, no travelling, having just returned from Bali at the end of September. The school holidays still had a week left at the beginning of September. So, I spent a day with the munchkins. In our local town they had arranged a dinosaur hunt. This entailed looking for posters of dinosaurs in and around the shopping centre, with prizes and games along the way.

We sure had a big long walk around town, which made for a quiet afternoon.

I thought my garden could do with some new flowers, so one week I took Rosie to the local garden centre. We had a lovely wander through the plants and flowers and Rosie chose a Kangaroo Paw.

I love Alstroemerias, also known as Lily of the Incas. They are always in flower and are a great ground cover adding plenty of colour to the garden.

We enjoyed a visit to one of our favourite wineries, Stringy Bark. It’s an hour’s drive, so Anthony’s car had a good run.

Iron sculptures at Stringy Bark

There are some new murals in a nearby suburb, I managed to see two on our way to dinner.

The mural below is by Wild Drawing. A Balinese artist. His work can be found around the world. WD is based in Athens.

Artist – Finton McGee

As we move into November it’s high time we sorted out the garden and patio areas. This means weeding and cleaning in preparation for a houseful of guests, arriving in late December.

There’s always time for a cocktail though.

~ Hazlewood Castle, Tadcaster – A Historic Gem for a Memorable Overnight Stay ~

This year on our way back from Glasgow we had an overnight stay at Hazlewood Castle. I only happened upon this castle when looking at our route home and saw that it was also a hotel. I was extremely excited to find that it was quite reasonable for an overnight stay. We didn’t manage to get a room in the castle itself but in one of the buildings surrounding the place.

Hazlewood castle dates back to 1066 and was in the possession of Gamel, son of Osmund. It was during the time of King Edward the Confessor.

1086 Doomsday notes that it was given to Mauger le Vavasour by William de Percy.

From 1183 until 1826 it was in the hands of the Vavasour family and it was only due to the death of the 7th baron that it was passed to a relative – Edward Stourton, who then took the name Vavasour.

In 1290 it was granted a licence to crenallate the medieval building.

In 1908 it was put up for sale and the Vavasour family moved to New Zealand where they started the famous Vavasour Winery.

This of course is just a very short timeline and below is the history of events that took place during the different reigns. The family certainly had their ups and downs but always seemed to come together again.

Coincidentally Vavasour is one of my favourite Sauvignon Blancs so I was especially intrigued that the name was originally from France. The restaurant was also called Vavasour.

The surrounding buildings and gardens

The castle is situated in beautiful countryside and the views are amazing. We had a pleasant walk through the gardens and were also surprised to be given a key to enter the small chapel. I think the key must date back hundreds of years as it was extremely large and difficult to open the door.

The door to the chapel

Inside the Castle

This is a fabulous hotel for a night or two, great for an anniversary or birthday treat. There is also a day spa offering relaxing and revitalising treatments, ideal for a girls’ weekend away.

Also posting for Lens Artist Challenge, In the Garden, hosted by Ann-Christine.

Sunday Drives – Masonmill Cafe and Beer Garden {Carmel, Western Australia}

Sunday seems to roll around far too quickly as the weeks just fly by. As usual Anthony suggested a drive out to the hills, his job to drive and mine to find somewhere. There’s not many wineries we haven’t tried and a few of them are now just cellar doors with no restaurants or have just closed completely. So on opening up google maps I spotted Masonmill Cafe. It said it was reopening on Sunday 5 November and I managed to book a table for 4. We had definitely not visited here before.

The drive is around 40 minutes from where we live, it’s a beautiful drive as well. As we approached I couldn’t believe how massive this place was, covering ten acres and already from the car I could see fantastic landscaped gardens.

We walked up to the restaurant only to find out that I had booked the cafe instead! Who knew there was a difference? Disappointingly there were no spare tables so we trekked back down again to the cafe. On hindsight this was the better option as we heard there were 90 minute delays for food. Although the cafe was not without problems too, as the owners had changed the food and wine menu, leaving staff confused!

After lunch we had a walk around the gardens. We couldn’t believe the many different types of roses on display and other flowers, tantalising the air with their floral perfume. The waitress in the cafe made us laugh as she spotted a lady with a bag and secateurs cutting herself a few blooms to take home – the cheek!

This place is ideal for a wedding, the bride wouldn’t even need a bouquet, just stand behind a rose bush or the abundant flowering jasmine.

There were many places to just sit and relax and enjoy a picnic, which is something you can order also instead of eating in the restaurant or cafe.

Tree canopied walkways and rose lined paths, a wonderful way to while away a Sunday afternoon.

**Cheeky mosaic mural on the wall of one of the courtyards**

We had a glorious afternoon here and I think we will go back and try the restaurant next time.

Have a great week and don’t forget to wake up and smell the roses!

Linking to
Weekend Coffee Share/PPAC
Pull Up a Seat

🌺 A Visit to Monet’s House and Gardens, Giverny 🌺

Day Two

My friends had planned a day out of Paris today to see the house and gardens of Monet. It would take around 90 minutes to get there by metro and overground train. Once off the train there is a shuttle bus that takes you directly to the house and gardens. As there was a queue to enter we decided on lunch first. There were many places to choose and all looked so quaint. We settled on one by the entrance and I had the largest omelette, cannot imagine how many eggs were used.

‘My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece. I can only draw what I see. Everything I have earned has gone into these gardens. It took me time to understand my waterlilies.“

Monet’s House

Claude Monet lived in his house in Giverny for forty-three years, from 1883 to 1926. You can see and feel his passion for gardening as you walk through the beautifully planned gardens and especially the water gardens.
The windows of the house all look out onto the garden and I could imagine sitting there with a summer breeze gazing out onto this spectacular array of colour.

Looking Out

Looking In

Exquisitely decorated rooms, my favourite was the kitchen with the blue tiled fireplace.

After we had wandered through the house we ventured out into the gardens and down to the water gardens.

“I am following Nature without being able to grasp her… I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.“

I must have flowers. Always and always. Water Lilies’ is an extension of my life. Without the water the lilies cannot live, as I am without art.

“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration”

Finishing up in the gardens we had a wander through the village just outside the grounds. We saw some beautiful ivy clad houses, including the mayor’s. There were many art galleries as you would expect displaying all of Monet’s works.

The famous Hotel Baudy, once a humble grocers and cafe owned by Angelina and Gaston Baudy. In 1886 Willard Metcalfe, a young American painter living in Paris, came looking for accommodation but was turned away by Mrs. Baudy as she only had the one bed. Many months later he returned with a group of artists and Mr. and Mrs. Baudy gave up their house and stayed with a neighbour. Realising they had a new potential business on their hands they turned their house into a hotel. Over the years this hotel housed many famous painters such as Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

We had an incredible day here and I’m so glad my friend made the suggestion. It wasn’t something that was on my agenda and was a wonderful surprise.

~ Five Minutes with Vera ~

Ju-Lyn from Touring my Backyard recently posted a new challenge (although I am not sure if she is actually hosting this!) but I’ve linked to hers anyway. It’s about taking time to capture objects or scenes from different angles, to spend around five minutes looking at it from other perspectives. I generally just snap and dash or just take one or two.

So here you have mine for this week.

This Aloe Vera just gets bigger every year and is a main attraction for honey eaters and bees and wasps. I wasn’t lucky enough to get a honey eater, they are too nervous and fly away when I got too close.

Up close and personal.

The old and new petals with the back of a visitor

Difficult to focus on the flitting wings!

~ A trip to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple ~

Today we were going to take a trip out to see the lake at Ulun Beratan Temple. We had booked June the day before and he arrived promptly at 10.30 am. Our first stop would be the lake which was just over an hour away. Anthony loves to have a chat with taxi drivers (I think this is a male thing) and before long they were discussing the politics of Indonesia. My hubby seems to know something about any government. I could see June was very impressed by his knowledge.

When we arrived we could see it was super busy and a very popular place to visit. Once we had parked we ventured off into the beautiful gardens and down to the lake.

The details on the bird above looked like dried petals, beautiful to see up close.

We wandered around the gardens admiring all the different statues and flower beds before making our way down to the lake.

The History of Ulun Danu Beratan Lake

“It is said long ago there were several groups of people who found a very large area of land. It was part of an ancient volcanic eruption. They decided to make their home here. They started farming here and planted rice and other crops. The land was very fertile.
The crops thrived and were ready to be harvested. It is normally the women who harvest the rice while the men carry it to the barn to be stored.
A miracle happened and the rice grew again. The rice they harvest never runs out.
The people soon got tired of all the harvesting and had a habit of sticking glanggang (sic) into the ground which in turn hit the water vessels in the ground. Soon the water emerges from the ground and gets bigger every day, inevitably the water drowned all the rice and became the lake”. Source: ulundanuberatan.com

🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕

Posted as part of Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share

Changing Seasons – Joyful June

Each Month Brian from Bushboy’s World and Ju-Lyn over at Touring my Backyard host a challenge where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone.

Many of you will have already have seen some of my posts about the first half of June which was spent in Malaysia and the drama that unfolded there! I’m glad to say my dear husband is well enough now to take up his household chores once again, phew!

Although it is officially winter in Perth we continue to have the most glorious sunny dry days. Good for the laundry but not so great for the garden. There aren’t that many flowers in bloom at the moment, although the Aloe Vera is looking stunning.

**This monster has been living in the corner for many months now and is definitely getting larger**

I have continued to play Bridge twice a week, I don’t seem to be improving in the slightest though, but practice makes perfect so they say! I have also gone back to playing Mahjong with some good friends and we catch up once a week for breakfast first and then a few games.

**Pull up a Seat**
**City Beach, Perth – our view from the cafe where we play Mahjong**

Our book club this month was held at a friend’s house who had chosen the book, where we were served the most delicious carrot cake and champagne. The book this month was “Naked” by Eliza Redgold about the story of Lady Godiva. We have been theming our bookclub meetings for a while, I’m not so sure I would feel comfortable rocking up naked on a horse to this one. We had a wonderful afternoon discussing the book amongst other things.

I had a night at the cinema with a couple of girlfriends where we saw “How to Please a Woman”, it was hilarious and but I think I laughed more at my friend who was actually snorting with laughter.

My cheeky cherub of a grandson turned four at the end of June and we visited him for cake and presents.

These two beautiful little people bring the most joy to my life and I love my day of looking after them both. Although I have to say it’s hard work taking them to the park, it’s like having two run away puppies, I have to have my wits about me.

A gallery of June

I hope everyone had a good June also. Now onto July and looking forward to more sunny days in Perth.

Some photos here for

Pull up a Seat
Weekend Sky
PPAC
Thursday Doors

🌼 Enjoying Essex – Hyde Hall Gardens, Chelmsford 🌼

I had been meaning to visit Hyde Hall Gardens for some time but the weather was always against us or we had other plans. So on the first fine day we decided to drive over and have a look. My dear husband seemed aghast when we arrived and found out it wasn’t an old building we were visiting but a vast garden!

Hyde Hall Gardens is owned and managed by The Royal Horticultural Society and covers more than 365 acres of land. It is divided up into different types of gardens ranging from Mediterranean, Australian/New Zealand, Winter, Vegetable and Dry gardens. There is a large nursery from which to buy plants from. There are panoramic views of the rolling hills and the Essex countryside. We had an amazing morning here walking around and marvelling at all kinds of plants, trees and flowers.

Sculptures by David Watkinson

Coppiced Willows
“Allow yourself to bend like a willow in the wind, so that you will not break”

“Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty“
~ William Shakespeare ~

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope”
~ Lady Bird Johnson ~

As you can see it was a glorious day, bitterly cold but the sun was shining making the water glisten and the flowers look brighter.

Blooming magnolia tree

**Gabion Wall**
A gabion is a cage, cylinder or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, road building, military applications and landscaping. – Source: Wikipedia

Finally time for a rest!

We enjoyed our time at Hyde Hall Gardens, it’s a great place to visit to stretch your legs and get your daily exercise. A place of peace and tranquility with many places to sit and rest and enjoy the magnificent views.

This is the last post for the “Enjoying Essex” series as we are now back in our homeland of Perth, WA. I hope you have enjoyed travelling along with us in Essex.

I’ve linked this post with a few challenges that I’ve enjoyed over the years.

Flower of the Day – FOTD
Pull up a Seat
Photographing Public Art Challenge – PPAC
Restless Jo’s Monday Walks

~November in Review ~

Taking a look back at my November. Another month gone past in a flash and Christmas is now just a few weeks away. Here are some of my memories of November.

We started off the month with a little trip to Dunsborough which I’ve already posted about.

“Pull up a Seat“

In the middle of November we had a day’s outing to a winery in the Chittering Valley to an event called “A Taste of Chittering” held at Nesci Winery with some good friends. The only thing that spoiled a lovely day was the masses of flies! We hardly dared open out mouths.

Don’t these two lovely ladies look cute as gumnuts. They are so talented walking around all afternoon like that.

🍷 We made some time for some tasting after lunch 🍷

The fourth Thursday of every month is when we hold our Bookclub meeting. The November bookclub is the last of the year and our Christmas get together. This year we gathered at a house overlooking the ocean. We had a fabulous lunch and Mango Daquiries with a great discussion of the book.

🌺 My November Garden 🌺

Now the Summer has finally arrived I love to sit out for my happy hour 🍹 and listen to the different birds that congregate in my neighbour’s tree. From Kookaburras to Rainbow Lorikeets, Willy Wagtails and Parrots, not all at once of course. My jasmine is out and also the gardenias are in full bloom and the garden smells divine.

I’m now looking forward to a few parties in the coming weeks and tomorrow the tree 🎄 goes up with some help from my little elf.

How was your November?

Battling beautiful bushy bougainvillea brambly branches

This is a job that needs to be done at least four times a year. Beautiful to look at but a pain to maintain! The more you cut the more it grows.

Posted as part of Six Word Saturday

Tag: Gardens

🌺 October Highlights from Perth 🌺

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~ Hazlewood Castle, Tadcaster – A Historic Gem for a Memorable Overnight Stay ~

The surrounding buildings and gardens

Inside the Castle

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🌺 A Visit to Monet’s House and Gardens, Giverny 🌺

Day Two

Monet’s House

Looking Out

Looking In

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~ Five Minutes with Vera ~

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~ A trip to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple ~

The History of Ulun Danu Beratan Lake

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Changing Seasons – Joyful June

A gallery of June

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🌼 Enjoying Essex – Hyde Hall Gardens, Chelmsford 🌼

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~November in Review ~

🌺 My November Garden 🌺

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Battling beautiful bushy bougainvillea brambly branches

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The surrounding buildings and gardens

Inside the Castle

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Have a great week and don’t forget to wake up and smell the roses!

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Day Two

Monet’s House

Looking Out

Looking In

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The History of Ulun Danu Beratan Lake

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A gallery of June

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🌺 My November Garden 🌺

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