Dorset Spring 2014 :: Part 2

If  Part 1 of my Dorset tales was all about enjoying the sea, Part 2 seems to be about enjoying views and vistas. We choose to return to the same familiar and much loved places time after time when we visit Dorset and this year was no exception. Sometimes this bothers me a little and I wonder if it must be boring for the Little Peeps, if they wouldn't rather be off discovering new places. But then I listen to Little B exclaim "OH! I remember this place!" when we arrive at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, and I feel an overwhelming sense of relief. His obvious joy at remembering he had been here before is wonderful.

The weather during the second half of our week away was glorious :: chilly at times, but with amazing clear skies and the brightest sunshine, perfect Spring weather actually.

Despite the very stormy winter that Dorset suffered, there didn't appear to be too much damage in the gardens. In fact, it was looking beautiful with the azaleas, magnolias and camellias in full (pink) bloom.

Each time we visit here we fall into something of a routine, arriving late morning and making our way through the first part of the gardens before climbing this gently sloping grassy track to the top....

....which makes for a very scenic picnic lunch spot. It is magical being so high up here, with sweeping views out across the whole expanse of Chesil Beach. The stunning views combined with warm sunshine makes our picnic taste even more yummy than usual, I'm sure of it.

 J points out that we can see one of our favourite places from up here too, if I can manage to pull my eyes away from the shoreline and look inland. There it is look, St Catherine's Chapel, sitting up there on it's exposed hill. We'll be going there a bit later on, another one of our family holiday routines.

After lunch, we head back down into the gardens and continue our journey through the lush green foliage. The Little People, fueled by tuna sandwiches and chocolate, are haring along these paths now, laughing and shouting as they race along.

Some things do have the power to stop them in their noisy tracks, such as this wonderfully carved fallen tree which they excitedly remember from our last visit.

Other things manage to stop me in my quiet tracks, such as the carpet of pink petals under this tree.

We are in the very centre of the gardens now, surrounded on all sides by lush planting. This is the watery bit, a series of interconnecting ponds and painted red bridges which the Little People love.

Visually, it's incredibly peaceful here. The gardens are unusually quiet with only a handful of other visitors on this midweek afternoon. But the soundtrack of my family is boisterous, especially thanks to Little B who's excitement leaves his body in the form of a constant stream of noise. Sweet boy, I do so love his enthusiasm for life. I have many photos of the Little Peeps taken at the gardens on this afternoon, mainly blurred images of them in full action. I realise not a lot changes really from year to year even though the LP are growing and changing at such a rate, and that realisation is very reassuring somehow.

There is the usual excitement as we reach the fish pond, the usual scrabble for 20 pence pieces to feed into the little dispensing machine to get handfuls of fish food. Disappointingly, the fish are not remotely hungry this time. They swim lazily around, occasionally coming to the surface for a half hearted investigation of the food that has been purchased and eagerly offered to them. Little B is very sad at this unexpected turn of events so we don't linger for long here, even though it is a very beautiful spot for lingering.

We come down the steps through the Mediterranean Garden which has yet to reach it's full glory (I adore this part of the garden in full summer). The Little People suddenly realise that we are now nearing the café and excited thoughts of ice cream replace the sad thoughts of the unhungry fish.

The café here at the gardens is very lovely indeed with a large outdoor seating area surrounded by greenery. There is a small avery here too with a resident kookaburra, and it's distinctive calling makes me momentarily think I might not be in England at all, but somewhere else entirely. J takes the impatient Little People off to climb, slide and swing in the playground, leaving me suddenly alone for a short while. I close my eyes and drift into a short but pleasurable daydream, fulled by the warm sun on my face and a huge slab of lemon drizzle cake in front of me. It's very pleasant indeed and I'm reluctant to return to reality.

Little People have a suprising amount of energy in them don't they? After we've emerged out of the subtropical gardens, we decide to climb up the hill to visit St Catherines Chapel (just as we do every visit to Dorset), and the decision is met with enthusiasm.

We ease into our familiar routine, we don't even need to communicate to know the ritual here. The blanket comes out and J and I settle down together with our backs against the ancient sun warmed walls. We chat and take in the coastal views while the Little Peeps race around. It's as it always is up here for us, and it feels reassuringly good. The beautiful, peaceful views, and the noisy soundtrack of our children squealing, yelling and laughing.

I find it interesting that when in Dorset, J and I have different favourite places that remain unchanged each year. For me, I love to be right next to the sea, walking the shoreline on any of the beaches where I spent my childhood. I like to be as close to the water as possible without actually being in it or on it. For J, he loves the high-up places of Dorset and no visit is complete unless we take a trip to St Catherines Chapel and also here, to Eggardon Hill.

I love it up here too, and this is also a place of my childhood where I used to come for picnics with my grandparents and cousins. I love the fresh openness of it up here, and on this morning the light was unbelievably bright and the views crystal clear.. It's not often that you can see the sea so clearly from here, it really was beautiful.

We were lucky to see a herd of deer in the valley, including one white albino deer. It's a long way down and the zoom lense on my old camera isn't good enough to show them to you in the above photo. But it was a wonderful sight and the Little People were suitably impressed.

 

I enjoy the Cloud Shadows as they move slowly across the hillside, one of my most favourite Nature Observations (Reflections-in-still-water and Sunshine-rays-through-clouds are up there at the top of my list too)

We mostly come up to Eggardon Hill for lungfuls of fresh air and to view the views, although the Little People don't really get this at their age. They spend their time devising games, looking for ways to expend energy. Lets scramble up the side of the hill! Lets run down the hill! Lets chase each other round in circles! I find that chocolate does the trick, and for a little while I can persuade them to cosy up with us up on our old picnic blanket while we fill our mouths with easter egg and view the views.

There is a tractor laboriously ploughing the field below us, and it's both ridiculously tedious and absolutely fascinating to watch it's slow progress in such a huge field. I feel a sadness creep in, as this is the last day of our holiday. We have bags to pack, family to say good bye to and a long five hour journey ahead of us.

It has been another really good holiday, and I hold onto the thought that we will be back again at the end of July for our Summer visit. Layering up those memories, building and shaping those precious childhoods.

Happy times indeed xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

♥...more Dorset Snippets from the Attic archives...♥

Dorset Summer 2013 :: part 2

Dorset Summer 2012 :: days 1&2

Comments

[pasutri pria perkasa]

i like poshting

[Alaine S.Q.C.Coelho/Lan Succi]

Paisagem realmente deliciosa.

[Ashlie]

It looks so pretty there! x

[PlainStitch Deb]

My parents live in this neck of the woods too and we also love to visit with our similar aged brood of 3 kiddies so I always especially love these Dorset posts - such a lovely part of the world - like stepping off the merry go round for a bit - sounds like you have the same experience x

[Mitsa Xida]

always travel with you Lucy!!!

[Louise]

Fab post about Dorset, did you find the great park in Abbotsbury at the bottom of the hill that St Catherine's is on? I'm sure your children would love it, mine do :-)

[Winwick Mum]

Food always tastes better outside, and never more so than with fabulous views and blue skies. Lovely pictures! xx

[Sandra]

Your photographs are lovely! We were in Dorset for the first time last summer, but didn't visit any of the places you mention here. Maybe we should consider going back this year, we're trying to decide where to go just now...

[Kate]

My absolute favourite bit of country.Wasn't the weather unbelievably fabulous? Perfect for seeing the views.

[Bev]

Daydreaming, lemon drizzle cake and sunshine........need one say anything more?
B xx

[Anne]

Hurray, the comments are working again! :-) I already tried several times to write you how much I loved this post but typepad wasn't happy with me...

The photos are lush (as usual!). I love exploring new places but returning to a well used holiday place holds dear in my heart too. My family goes to Danemark for a week every year since I was 10. Always the same town. By now the family got larger but the holidays are just as wonderful as 19 years ago!

Take care, Anne

http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de

[Angela-Southern USA]

It's all so beautiful, I love the carpet of pink petals, and the views from up high, how special to spot an albino deer, they're very rare here. Thanks Lucy as always for sharing it with us. :))

[Wendy]

Lucy, one day I hope that you will live in Dorset again. It is obvious that it claims your heart. So glad the little ones love going to the same places. It becomes important family ritual. I think it's great. Thanks for sharing all the lovely pics.

Wendy in New Hampshire

[Rural TN]

So beautiful.

[mo]

Thank you so much for sharing your spring holiday & your photos are lush... Spring is exploding on Vancouver Island BC Canada in rhododendrons, azelias, magnolias, and such. The colors are fabulous against all the new green foliage. Hugs, MO

[Laura]

Wonderful!

[Jenny]

All the family loveliness, splendid views, time together and a Kookaburra too! The world sure is a wondrous place. Here in Australia the Kookaburra song goes something like this. Kookaburra sitting in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he... then there is the urban version...Kookaburra sitting on the electric wire, jumping up and down with his pants on fire! I wont go on because it only gets worse!!!

[Anne Dearle]

Thanks again Lucy for sharing your holiday with us. Allowing us to see parts of England that I have never seen, but I am taking notes so that when I come to England from Australia, I can visit these beautiful spots. As a tourist you normally only see the tourist spots, but we like to go off the beaten track. I smiled when you said there was a Kookaburra - a liitle part of Australia there. Our family also had a favourite camping spot we went to each Easter at Augusta in Western Australia. It is on the mouth of a river, but the ocean is only metres away. We went with several families and their children. More the merrier, and the kids had so much fun. Our children still tell me they were the best holidays ever. Love your photos and your written blog. I feel like I am a part of your life - enjoying the scenery. Thanks again.

[Lynda Carroll]

I love that you enjoyed seeing a kookaburra! Here in my part of Australia, we have had two kookaburras feeding from my father's hand for a few years now, and - in a colourful torrent - we have visits from crimson rosellas, rainbow lorikeets and king parrots. They are all beautiful birds - the rosellas are a bit shyer, the lorikeets are called the 'rowdies', and the king parrots are curious about what's the other side of the window.

All is lovely as always, Lucy, and thank you so much for sharing. It's like a mini holiday just reading on the laptop!

Lynda

[Sue Webber]

The photos with all the cabbage trees, well you could be in New Zealand :D Great photos

[Lynda M Otvos]

Thank you, Lucy for sharing your family vacation with us. It has brightened my Easter afternoon and for that I am grateful. Illness forced us to stay Very close to home this weekend so enjoying the world thru the Interwebs is our way of celebrating. Your blog is on the tour and we are loving it-every bit.

Happy BunBun Day !~!

[Lucy]

I love coming here and always find your colours and the beautiful things you make and do, and all your joy in life such a tonic, but I don't usually comment here because you get so many! But your Dorset posts bring back so many memories and evoke so much nostalgia. We live in France now, have done for the last 17 years, but we were in Dorset for a year or two before we left, in Charminster and Eggardon Hill was one of our favourite places; we've still got three beautiful Jacobs sheepskins which we bought at a farm on the hillside there, which came from their own sheep. When I was very little, nearly 50 years ago now we went to Charmouth every holidays, we had an old pale green stationary caravan there called 'Lucy's Lodge'! We younger children would often stay there with whichever family members were around, even when my parents had to come home; Lyme and Bridport and all those place were a dear part of my precious childhood memories, which I later shared with my husband on our return there.

Thanks so much for bringing this all back so joyfully and vividly.

[Lee Hatcher]

Thank you for such nice descriptions. What a lovely place.
Greetings from Oklahoma US

[CJ]

Dorset is so very beautiful, we always enjoy our holidays there too. The kind of place you have to return to. England, in all her glory.

[hawthorn]

Lovely photos - lovely memories in the making