End of the year 2022, Part 2

JULY

The Gypsy Caravan in the garden of The Lantern Inn, Martin Kent.

Seagulls enjoying their boat perch!

AUGUST

Gazen Salts Nature Reserve, Sandwich, Kent

Just two men sitting on Deal Beach, feeding the seagulls!

SEPTEMBER

On the 8th September our beloved Queen passed away. This photo was taken in front of St George's Church, Deal. Inside the church was a condolence book which I signed. 

Mist in the garden of Walmer Castle.

OCTOBER

Pumpkins of course!!! 

A beautiful rose blooming late in the year.

The Dining Room, Lamb House Rye.

NOVEMBER

Small Hythe Place, the home of Dame Ellen Terry, now owned by The National Trust. Well worth a visit.

The main gate doors into the Precincts of Canterbury Cathedral. Normally they are wide open, so it was nice to get this photo :)

DECEMBER

Enchanted Walmer Castle beautifully lit up by many lights.

The Club Room, The Lantern Inn, Martin, nr Dover Kent, a really lovely country pub :)

I hope you have enjoyed these two blogs, I nearly didn't get them done in time!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year :)

End of the Year 2022, Part 1

Here we go again, the last blogs of the year. I have had a varying year, a holiday to a place I had always wanted to go to, followed by some health problems which are now getting sorted out. 

JANUARY

A very moody photo of Deal taken from the pier :)

The Pier on a beautiful calm day in January, such a change from the first photo.

FEBRUARY

Walmer beach in the winter sunshine.

Thhe River Stour in Sandwich on another bright February day.

MARCH

Signs of Spring :) Russell Gardens Dover

Jonquils, again in Russell Gardens, Dover

APRIL

We went to see the lambs on a nearby farm, they were so cute.

A bee in one of the poppies in our garden :)

MAY

Venice, The Grand Canal. The start of our amazing holiday in the city :)

The Rialto Bridge.

The Grand Canal at dusk.

Those beautiful horses :)

JUNE

Gorgeous poppies growing in a crack between a house and the pavement.

Had to have a rose for June, this one was just gorgeous :)

 

Enchanted Walmer Castle

Before Christmas we were lucky enough to be able to visit the 'Enchanted Walmer' lights at the Castle

The grounds were beautifully lit up :)

Fruit trees with the Castle in the background.

The trees looked amazing with different coloured lights shining on them.

The bird carving is always in the garden, but it looked particularly nice surrounded by lights and toadstools :)

Half way round were the stalls selling mulled wine, various snacks and marshmallows to toast over a fire. Just what we needed as it was a very cold night. We then carried on with our walk.

Here be dragons!!!

Isn't he or she gorgeous? Love the eggs :)

Beautiful centrepiece.

The main walk bordered by the 'cloud' hedge.

The Queen Mothers' Garden looking amazing.

Finally a lovely reindeer had found its way into the moat.

We had a lovely couple of hours looking round and all thoroughly enjoyed our visit :)

 

Smallhythe Place, Tenterden, Kent. Part 1

Smallhythe Place near Tenterden was the home of Dame Ellen Terry, a famous Shakespearean actress during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Situated in the heart of the Weald of Kent, the house was built in the 16th Century, when Smallhythe was a busy port.

Ellen Terry bought Smallhythe Place in 1899, and lived here  until her death in 1928, aged 81.

She was married three times and had two children Edith Craig and Edward Gordon Craig. When Ellen died her daughter founded the Ellen Terry Memorial Museum at Smallhythe Place. The Museum was taken over by The National Trust in 1947.

It is a beautiful House, inside and out with many of Ellen's belongings on show.

A painting of Ellen Terry entitled ' Choosing' painted by her first husband George Frederic Watts

The fireplace in the Terry Room, the frieze above the fire shows Ellen Terry in all the roles she played.

A beautiful work box, with Ivory and Bone sewing implements. I would love something like this!

Some of the many beautiful items on show in the house.

A corner of the Terry Room.

A lovely House :)

Looking out towards the Front Garden.

On the other side of the hall is the Dining Room, which was probably the kitchen when the house was first built.

More amazing items in the display cabinets.

Such a lovely fireplace, the setttle on the right has the date 1715 carved on it.

Ellen Terry loved cats, in front of the fireplace is this lovely mat :)

The next blog will show the upstairs of the building, including some of Ellen's costumes and the Theatre in the garden.