A Mid Week Walk in the Park

I didn't feel well after getting the 'flu jab on Tuesday, but a walk in the park and a visit to the library to return a book that was on hold for someone else did me good especially as there's a lot happening in the walled garden.   

It was a gloomy sort of day, but the colourful flowers and changes that are taking place in the different areas of the garden were cheering to see.

There's a new pergola over a place for sitting down in one corner near the rose garden.

The wall that had been rendered and painted orangey-red on one side by the gardeners' quarters has been stripped and built up.  There's a barrier along the path so I shall have to go back and take a closer look.  The volunteers were out in force as usual digging, sweeping up leaves and generally doing garden maintenance work.

There's a new structure in the kitchen garden area and the cosmos, fuschias and other flowers are still in bloom because of the shelter from the high walls.

The shed wall has been decorated with a pretty mural.  Surely the garden will attract all sorts of  creatures especially in the warmer weather.

Work continues on the area around the stable block which is going to be converted into a community hub and refreshment area.  Again there were barriers, but it looks as if there's a ramp for wheelchairs and visitors will be able to access the community facilities from the walled garden or vice versa.

I'm fascinated by the pattern and colours of the trunks of this eucalyptus tree especially where the bark has peeled off and fallen to the ground.

Edmund de Waal's non fiction book has my attention at the moment.  It's rich in descriptions of a house and an era that interests the writer because of personal connections.   It's written in the form of letters to someone he calls 'a friend'.

The Cover Blurb:-

Dear Friend,   As you may have guessed by now I am not in your house by accident.  I know your house rather well.

Count Moise de Camondo lived a few doors away from Edmund de Waal's forebears, the Ephrussi, first encountered in his bestselling memoir The Hare With Amber Eyes.  Like the Ephrussi the Camondos were also targets of anti-semetism.  Camondo created a spectacular house and filled it with the greatest collection of French eighteenth century art for his son to inherit.  But when Nissim was killed in the First World War it became a memorial and, on the Count's death, was bequeathed to France.  The Musee Nissim de Camondo has remained unchanged since 1936.  Edmund de Waal explores the lavish rooms and detailed archives and uncovers new layers to the family story.  In a haunting series of letters he writes to the Count who journeyed from Constantinople and became a French citizen before all that was gained was torn away. 

It's a thought-provoking read.

We haven't really thought too much about Christmas yet, but these Christmas-themed doughnuts were brought to us on Sunday by our granddaughter and boyfriend for us to enjoy with our espresso coffee.  There was one left  in the takeaway box for our daughter M when she came around in the afternoon for a cup of tea.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends who celebrate this day!  

An Advent candle will be lit each day until Christmas.  We're looking forward to seeing Daughter D when she comes to stay for our Christmas family gatherings. 

It's something to look forward to next month. 

Thank you for your visit.  Have a lovely weekend!