The magic of Great Dixter......

On Friday I met up with Andrea, we were to catch a train out of the city to get to Great Dixter. It is about an hour and 15 minutes South of London.-- Great Dixter will be my home base this summer and is one of the best gardens in England. It is home to the late Christopher Lloyd who was very influential in pushing the boundaries in the garden. -- So we finally arrive and it is dark now when Tom picks us up. He is a gardener at Great Dixter as well. We drive down so many windy roads in the rain and the windshield of the car was fogging up. I had no idea where I was going and couldn't see except out of a little patch free of fog near the dashboard. There were huge hedges on either side of the road (of Prunus spinosus) so i couldn't see anywhere but forward. I was beginning to feel like a package that was being delivered somewhere. Once we arrived it was so dark i could not see anything but the wind and rain were definately making their presence known. As we were greeted at the door by Gabby(a gardener from Hungaria) I felt as if I had stepped into a dream. She fed me dinner by the fire in the Solar room and i couldn't even speak. The house is like something out of a fairy tale. This is the front of the house.This is my room, known as the night nursery(that's what it was originally used for) and there were 2 beds. Of course i had to have the one with the red canopy, i have never had that before.My first view of the gardens from my bedroom window the next morning.

Gabby was kind to leave a flower arrangement for me so i took a photo. I realized i could see myself in the mirror without seeing the camera.The front lawn filled with crocuses and daffodils and the walkway to the front door. I feel much more settled now that i have a bed of my own and can unpack. I am off to bed and hope your all doing well........