An English Country Garden

Climb the well-worn steps

where the campanula sprawl

in dainty beauty

Under the leafy boughs

A place for contemplation

and quiet reflection

Where red and green leaves

swathe the walls and frame lattice windows.

We follow the perfumed paths overlooking the fields

and walk beside dry stone walls dotted with overhanging snapdragons

and ferns growing tall.

and here and there through the trees and flowers

a house appears

The peace is hardly broken by the gentle buzz of bees among the flowers

and behind the abundant red valerian sits the house.

The simplicity of a stone wall 

where lichen has etched colour and texture

and plants seek out nooks and crannies in which to grow

Walls have such stories to tell,

don't you think?

This one leads us to a five-bar gate and the fields beyond.

Among the reeds, 

elegant bird sculptures

inhabit a pond

 Old-fashioned roses flounce their petal skirts

inviting us to drown ourselves in their loveliness

until we see nothing else.

Feel the soft grass beneath your feet

and drink in the beauty of an English country garden.

My trip to England in June was full of many joys

and whenever I go to my home-country,

visiting lovely gardens is always at the top of my list!

This one is called Bourton House Garden.

The busy gardeners do a wonderful job of planting

different plants for each season and care for the upkeep.

To learn more about this lovely place in the Cotswolds, 

you can follow this link: Bourton House

Sit outside in the garden at one of the tables

and enjoy a salad or a quiche followed by homemade cakes.

I can thoroughly recommend Carolyn's superb carrot cake!

In her comment below, Sophia has reminded me of this lovely song:

"In a English Country Garden".

This is sung by an American singer: Jimmie Rodgers

The musical accompaniment is very whimsical

of an unidentified tinny sounding instrument!

Why not?!

I love jumping out of the box into the unexpected,

don't you?

If not, surprise yourself!