Waxwing

Waxwing
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."

From "Auguries of Innocence"

by William Blake

Friday 9 March 2012

Packwood House



I paid a brief visit to Packwood House at the end of last week and finally got round to sorting out the photos today. (My mum finally came out of hospital a few weeks ago but sadly her condition (she has Alzheimer's) has deteriorated rapidly since Christmas and there's a lot of sorting out to be done about her long-time care and decisions to be made - so life has been rather hectic recently.)

A photo of one of the sundials which are to be found on buildings at Packwood




Various species of hellebore were putting on a lovely show











Euphorbia



Twisted wisteria branches on the walls of the house



I don't remember seeing this tin bath before - it will be interesting to see if it becomes a feature somewhere around the grounds





A plaque of the Green Man





The Seventeenth Century Yew Garden is believed to represent "The Sermon on the Mount"





The Carolean Garden

















There's a lovely display of snowdrops at the side of the house in a meadow but unfortunately part of the gardens and grounds are still closed so it was only viewable from the lane



I popped into the Kitchen Garden before I left and found this Dipping Pool. Apparently Dipping Pools have been a feature of gardens since the 14th/15th century and were used for watering garden plots. Although more ornate shapes were made, a typical pool was round and shallow and usually placed at the centre of the garden. This particular pool at Packwood has been based on evidence from an old garden plan and has been constructed using recycled bricks from the estate.







Edith Holden regularly visited Packwood House gardens and grounds but I will do a "Following in the Footsteps..." post later in the year to tie in with her mention of Packwood in the Country Diary.

Finally, a photo of some lambs I spotted in a Warwickshire field yesterday - the first I've seen this year although these look several weeks old.

8 comments:

The Quacks of Life said...

Packwood is nice thanks for sharing.

Sorry to read about your Mum

Rohrerbot said...

Hi there,

Lovely set of pictures. Looks like a beautiful place to visit. I especially love the wisteria vines and now they cling around the side of the brick building. I'm sorry to hear about your mum. I know that at times it must be extremely difficult. I went through the same thing with a dear friend of mine. There are times you want to cry, others where you laugh....and it is emotionally draining. I found a support group to deal with all the emotions and frustrations of the disease. I hope you have some wonderful support in your own circle and just enjoy the time you have left. Hang in there. Chris

Ragged Robin said...

Pete - many thanks for your kind comment re: my mum. Packwood is rather lovely - I can never make up my mind whether I like Baddesley or Packwood best!

Chris - glad you liked the photos of Packwood - agree with you about the wisteria!

Many thanks too for your kind comments about my mum. I'm ever so sorry to hear about your friend and I think you summed up the emotions you go through perfectly. It is a really cruel disease especially in the later stages. My husband is going through a similar situation with his own mother which, whilst it makes things doubly stressful, means at least we understand what each of us is going through. I might look into the existence of support groups - because at times you don't really know which way to turn for advice.

Rob said...

The lovely blue of the sun dial reminds me of Himalayan poppies, and those yew hedges are really bubbly.

Packwood looks like a delightful place to be lost in for a while.

Best wishes to you and your mums.

Ragged Robin said...

Hi Rob - Many thanks for the best wishes for me and my mum.

Packwood is a good place to escape too and it was fairly quiet being so early in the season.

The shapes of the yews are amazing and I love your bubbly description.

Jerry said...

What a super place to visit (especially when you have a lot on your plate). These are lovely pictures - the next best thing to actually going there. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry to hear of your Mum and Mum-in-Law becoming ill, it must take a lot our of you both.

Thank you for the lovely tour of the gardens, the Lichen on the Green Man is rather charming.

Ragged Robin said...

Jerry - many thanks for your kind comment - I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos of Packwood. One of the things I love about blogs is that you can see places that you might not be able to visit yourself.

Toffeeapple - thank you so much for you kind comments. I am really pleased you enjoyed the tour - I must admit I love looking at the ways lichens and mosses sprawl over various surfaces.