The Beauty of Nature

This is the Flower House at the Four Seasons.

What surprised me was the no smoking sign. Why would you want to smoke inside, you wouldn?t be able to smell the flowers? Is it just me or is that logical?

As far as doors go, this one looks well worn and beaten. Just how I would expect it to be after so many years of use.

I always find fruit trees like the ones below to be fascinating. My trees have never grown like this. There seems an almost methodical process behind how the branches have kept away from each other. Some might say it?s sinister, but I think it is wonderful to look at.

I know some of you might not like spiders, but I have to say I find them fascinating.

While walking the Four Seasons gardens, I spotted these complex patterns of webs. I cant believe that a single spider did this, but I have never heard of spiders working together to make one large web. It covered about two meters of the bush. A real feat for a single spider I would say. It must have taken a long time to complete.

This reminds me of a fountain I once saw called the ?Floozy in the Jacuzzi?.

Of course, I like it because we would all like some time to just sit and stare into the water. It can be so relaxing and no one would argue against that. Could they?

Continuing my trip round the Four Seasons Manor, I saw this rather large pestle and mortar.

You could do a lot of fresh herbs in this as it was huge. If I say the ball to the right was the size of a football you?ll get the idea.

These are some Alliums that I photographed when visiting a garden earlier in the summer. I went down to the four seasons manor in Oxfordshire and took a walk in their kitchen garden. These were the first plants to greet you as you came off the car park.

I have already eaten quite a few of the squash, they have come on really well. They needed that long dry spell to take and now the rain just keeps adding bulk to them. It has become like the courgette and just given me more than I know what to do with. Still, soups and pasta and roasts are just lovely summer meals, so I am not too worried.

I have been so impressed this year with the courgette. It has given me so many to eat or give away. I have been experimenting all summer with different soups to try and eat as many as possible. I’ve been quite good and discovered that there are many flavours that go with courgette, such as celery and turmeric. Lovely.😉

My broad beans did well this year as I kept on top of the black fly and got them off as soon as possible. I am quite pleased really as I now have a surfeit of broad beans and can plan some nice meals later in the year as I have frozen most of them.

My sweat pea’s surprised me this year. I thought they would grow much taller but they kept low. I was disappointed as I like the fact they go wild and all over the place.