Stowe garden | The Little Room of Rachell

Hello there, how are we all today? It’s 1° here and the ice I tipped out of the bird water dishes YESTERDAY is still frozen on the lawn. Brrrr!

Going by my blog stats which show the varying number of countries this is read, I bet someone reading this somewhere right now is wearing shorts and a T-shirt, has been fanning themselves or cranking up the A/C, and complaining that it’s too hot…tell me if that’s you so I can turn a light shade of green.

I’ve brightened this photo and it still looks really dark and grainy, doesn’t it? Sorry. It’s that kind of day.

My Ana Lucia shawl (free pattern by Wilma Westenberg) is going on nicely. I’ve crocheted a few times over the last few weekends and enjoyed it a lot. Taking it easy on my hands, as is usual these days, but loving making each stitch. I’ve enjoyed the variety in this pattern, especially after crocheting good ole granny squares for my Coast Blanket.

Katia Silver Paint yarn (discontinued now I believe)

I picked up Snowflake by Louise Nealon at Stowe Gardens National Trust truly excellent secondhand bookshop on Saturday. There are always good finds. Often I buy recipe books but I’ve found myself missing reading paperback fiction lately. I am very attached to my Kindle, but have decided I’m going to keep a paperback downstairs for evenings when the TV is off and it’s a reading night, or there’s chance to read a page or two while something’s cooking etc.

‘Debbie lives on a dairy farm with her mother Maeve and Billy her uncle. Billy sleeps out in a caravan in the garden with a bottle of whiskey and the stars overhead for company. Maeve spends her days recording her dreams, which she believes to be prophecies. This word is Debby’s normal, but she is about to step into life as a student at Trinity College Dublin…’

Nealon’s style is fresh and her writing does seem unique, as promised in the blurb. This is a debut novel. I’ll add it to a future book recommendation post if it ends up being as good as it promises.

I’ve finished a few books this week so will decide what to read next on my Kindle and whether I want to start a new audiobook, or maybe I’ll stick with podcasts until my Spotify premium hours are back.

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What are you making? Anything crafty going on? Any good books on the go?

Joining in with Kat’s Unravelled Wednesday, a weekly link up sharing making and reading. Whoop! I still miss Ginny’s Yarn Along at times and so am jumping in with Kat and gang.

Another Tuesday walk with my friend B and this time it was at Stowe, a National Trust garden. There’s fascinating history to the house and estate (see here.) During a tour several years ago I heard lots of stories about Queen Victoria. She visited in 1845 when it was owned by the second Duke of Buckingham. She was not impressed with the over-spending and complained a lot about the opulence, he became heavily in debt. The house later became Stowe school in the 1920s, a private boarding school, but as you can see you can walk right in front of it. The school donated the gardens to the NT in 1989. I’m very glad about this, as it’s a superb place to visit.

Daffodils are appearing everywhere now. I love their bright yellow cheery bobbing heads. They seem to be extremely resilient to low temperatures, blasting winds and the snow we have experienced again over the weekend.

Primroses, I also love seeing these little pretties.

OH LAMBKINS! These were a lovely surprise, my first glimpse of lambs this Spring.

There were plenty of dog walkers walking the route. All were on a lead of course, but neither the lambs, nor ewes seemed worried by the dogs going past fairly close on the lane.

You can stay in this Gothic Temple, a folly overlooking the gardens. Someone was I think, as some of the lights are on and there was a car parked at the back. I’d love to have been invited in for a peep…

Imagine how spooky it would get at night, maybe red wine and plenty of it would help. Maybe not.

It’s ok Mum, I’m not coming close. I’ll just use my zoom.

Lambkin on the right is smiling! He looks glad to be alive.Rachel means ewe in Hebrew. There’s a random fact of the day for you.

The beauty of walk in Stowe gardens is that you never know what you will see next. There are sculptures, buildings, bridges, a waterfall, an ice house (I always like seeing an ice house) and much more, plus a grotto that I had not come across before. The best way to show you is on this walking map, it’s a fabulous place to visit.

Who doesn’t love seeing a lamb? Or even a lamb piccy? That’s really why I’ve written this post. Why dress it up other than as a chance to show you some photos; to maybe make you go “Ahhh” and “Oooh!”