Beatrix Potter's Lake District

'Peter lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.'

'Mr. Jeremy put on a mackintosh,
and a pair of shiny galoshes; he took
his rod and basket, and set off with
enormous hops to the place where he
kept his boat.'

When in the Lake District you simply have to visit Hilltop farm, the home of Beatrix Potter, illustrator and writer. I think we all read or were read her little books when we were young, and enjoyed the tales of Peter Rabbit, mr Jeremy Fisher, Johnny town-mouse and many others.

So it was that on a warm spring day in May we drove through the village of Hawkshead, parked our car and walked the short distance up to the house. I thought it would be incredibly busy, but there were only a handful of people waiting for the gate to open. Such a relieve to walk through the house undisturbed, and take it all in. Somehow I had always imagined the house to be large and light, but the ceilings were low and the rooms tiny, but all decorated in a simple, but sweet way. I enjoyed walking from room to room, see her writing desk and bedroom, the paintings on the walls, and to walk through her garden before leaving.

We only stayed for a week in the Lake District, but it's beauty left a lasting impression. Just as it had  done on Beatrice, when she first visited the lake district with her parents as a teenager. With the profits from her books she not only bought hilltop farm, but more farms and estates in the surrounding countryside as well. When she died in 1943, aged 77, she left fourteen farms and 4000 acres to the National trust, for us to enjoy.

I will take my daughters there this summer, so that they can see the beauty of the lakes for themselves. And perhaps, you never know, we will see see Peter Rabbit running through the fields in his blue jacket, or mr Jeremy Fisher sitting at the edge of a pond.

Have a good time!

Love,

Madelief x

* My photo's were taken at Hilltop farm, Hawkshead and the surrounding countryside.

 'One place suits one person, another place suits another person. For my part, I prefer to live in the country...'

Brideshead revisited

Have you ever been to Castle Howard in North Yorkshire (UK)? If you have, do you remember the drive with the blind summits leading up to the castle? We thought it was a spectacular start of the day. It felt a bit like a roller coaster ride, going up the hill and down again several times :-).

It wasn't my first visit. A long time ago I visited the castle with my boyfriend Jan. It was our first holiday together. Since I had seen the 1981 television serial Brideshead Revisited, an adaptation of the book by Evelyn Waugh, with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews as Charles Ryder and Lord Sebastian Flyte, I was hooked. Both to the serial and it's larger than life characters and to the amazing setting. So when choosing a holiday destination, it did not take us long to decide.

This post is dedicated to my boyfriend at the time, my late husband, whom I had one of the best holidays ever with.  

The house and grounds of the castle are magnificent. Building works started in 1699. It took almost a hundred years before completion. Part of the house was destroyed by a fire in 1940, but after extensive renovation it looks beautiful once more. 

When you walk through the park and surrounding hills, the view of the the house, the temple of the four winds and the mausoleum are breathtakingly beautiful. The garden is lovely too, with an abundance of roses, a large vegetable patch and borders with annuals and biennials. We were there on an cold and cloudy day, but enjoyed it very much.

If you would like to know more about the castle and gardens, please visit the website of Castle Howard.

Happy week ahead!

Love,

Madelief 

* Thank you for you kind comments on last weeks post. I enjoyed reading about your experience with dahlia's.  

Photo 2: Google images