Dunsborough Park – Dahlia Day.
Dunsborough Park – Dahlia Day.
NGS Garden Open (National Gardens Scheme)
Dear friends of Mindfully Bertie. We have often shared our love of gardens and flowers with you.
And then, just a few weeks ago, we were honoured when the the National Garden Scheme (NGS) asked us to write a piece for their Gardens and Health Week . “Bobby’s Story” is here in case you missed it:
www.ngs.org.uk/whats-new/lifestyle/post/garden-visiting-in-remembrance
Reading it again, we would like to mention that the reverence we gave Wintershall was for the special part it played in a romance. It has wonderful memories, revived years later.
We also mentioned Dunsborough Park. At Ripley, in Surrey, and wrote a blog about the Festival of Tulips there in May.
Dunsborough Park – Open Today.
We went back for the Wisteria Day in June and then most recently for their Dahlia Day. All under the NGS flag. In doing so, we realise that this is undoubtedly our favourite garden. The relationship with the NGS is paramount and each of our visits has included a charity providing a garden party atmosphere with the essential tea and cakes. The Queen would not feel out of place there. Their open days are well attended, but you never feel crowded, hemmed in. It is a truly friendly place, where you feel you can walk round and admire the flowers and the landscapes. The secret nooks and crannies. Or just sit and and enjoy true peace and tranquility. I really like being the only bear and getting a lot of attention. But there is one little secret that I shared with Anne.
Back in 2015, Bobby had never heard of Dunsborough Park. This despite being a regular at Wisley Gardens close by. One day, in that April, Diddley showed Bobby an advertisement in the local paper for the Tulip Festival. They went and loved the garden. But didn’t get passed the formal gardens. Going back three years later was then a revelation. But also a sobering thought. That day in April 2015 was the last time they went anywhere, for illness came shortly after and just three months later we lost her. But we accept our good fortune now. We have wonderful memories and wonderful days ahead. Hopefully just like last Sunday. Just the way Diddley would have wished it.
2015 Tulip Festival
Pink Tulips.
Yellow Tulips.
2018 Dahlia Festival
The pictures that follow reveal a serious flaw in Bobby’s nature. In talking too much, he didn’t notice the camera had moved itself to a different setting. One that produced darker “antique” images, with a little vignetting thrown in. Whether by design or fault, blurred edges to some pictures. Rather than not show them, we thought “see what you think”! And here they are, so please enjoy our “Dahlia Day”.
Assistant Receptionist.
‘Ere Bobby – howabout we run a Market Stall – Get yer loverly apples here!…
“Buy my loverly tomatoes”
Pumpkin Pie?
Charity for the day… the Royal Marsden.
The garden party. Antique plus vignetting.
It’s the dog…!
See the bee.
See the Comma Butterfly.
So there you have it. Dahlia Day in the wonderful garden that is Dunsborough Park. Looking forward to the Tulip Festival for 2019.
Lighting a Candle for Diddley.
This is Ipomea “Heavenly Blue”.
The Morning Glory. In the evening!
One of Diddley’s favourite flowers and a challenge to Bobby to grow them in a container outside the kitchen window. In successful years, the game was to fling back the bedroom curtains and exclaim “20 flowers this morning”. And watch as the day went by – the flowers started to fade and wrinkle up completely after dark. Hopefully to be replaced by brand new gleaming heavenly blues the next morning. A somewhat shortened version of life in general.
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those apples look tasty!
Cookers I reckon. Apple pie….luvverly