Hastings Battleaxe enjoys a bright day in Winchelsea. Lovely gardens

Yesterday was a rare bright sunny day – it has been unseasonably cold and miserable after a few good days when we were away in Yorkshire.  Battleaxe went on a WI garden visit to Winchelsea. The gardens were open for St Michael’s Hospice. Everything was looking fresh, rain-washed and crystal clear.

Winchelsea Churchyard

   One of the best things about Winchelsea is the red brick/tiled roofscapes. Lovely against the blue sky.

     Have been to those gardens many times but they never fail to please. This time many of the flowers that one would expect to be out this time of year were not in evidence – and some had got a bit bashed by the previous day’s extraordinarily heavy rain. Speaking to the garden owners, it was clear that they had been at their wits end clearing up the debris and getting ready for the opening. Nevertheless, it was all beautiful, and inspired me to spend the afternoon scrabbling in our garden, which still looks like a war zone…  The water feature has got clogged up and smelly, the badgers have dug up the lawn and some of the flower beds, there are still dead plants all over the place….
       Here are a variety of pictures from Winchelsea:

Romantic view
A peony
Apple blossom
Tulips really do best in containers….
Lots of lovely tulips
More tulips
This beautiful garden belongs to the Jempsons. Maybe they can maintain it out of jam doughnut sales to Battleaxe
The Jempson’s lawn
The Jempson’s vine house. Battleaxe used to look after a vine in a house just like this when she was a teenager – our house was called ‘The Vine House’
Sun-lit acer
This view was from a house new to the programme this year. That’s the Royal Militiary Canal down there, with Dungeness out on the horizon
View of old Winchelsea gate from the same garden
I think thats exochordia
Someone’s beautiful home

  I think all us WI women enjoyed our outing – Philosopher came too – no, not identifying as a woman – but he went round without us.

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