Feathered Thursday!

I'm going to post birds rather than gardens today, because I think some of you may be interested by what I saw on my travels in India. It's a birder's paradise, and you see incredible sights all over Rajasthan, so here are just a few that I saw on my travels ....

Grey hornbill (Bharatpur)

Painted stork (Dungarpur)

Demoiselle cranes (Khichan)

Sarus crane (Bundi)

Spoonbill (Dungarpur)

Kingfisher (Jodhpur)

Farewell to India

I'm just coming to the end of my India trip, but have had no Internet connection for several days, so thought I'd post some pictures while I'm sitting at Delhi airport. I'll be returning to my garden visits once I get home ... but in the meantime, thanks for dropping in. Here are just some of the gardens I'll be posting next week.

Well, not a garden, but a wonderful sunset over Udaipur

The gardens at Deeg ... in the making, but well worth visiting

Silk flower in the garden at Tikli

Tikli - a really beautiful garden to be reviewed next week ....

Ladies at work in the gardens at Deeg... also for review next week ...

And.... more of my favourite.... bougainvillea

Friday Thoughts

I'm still in Rajasthan and spent yesterday in the villages near Udaipur - no time to visit gardens right now, but the flowers are beautiful .... as I said in my last post, so I'm just going to post some pictures today, including one of me on the road! Happy Friday and more soon!

And finally.... here's me (below middle), with some of the villagers in the Aravali foothills in Rajasthan. A wonderful day and some majestic views ....

In one of the villages outside Udaipur

City of lakes and flowers

It's been nearly a week since I posted, but I've been working here in India and it has been hard to get out and take pictures! I am in Udaipur in Rajasthan, near the village hospital we are building (see Raven Foundation), and it is simply stunning at this time of year.

I am not going to write at length on this post, but instead leave you with some pictures - this is the city of lakes and palaces, used in the shooting of the well-known James Bond film "Octopussy"; it is a magical place; the weather is perfect; the lakes have water after the monsoon; and everywhere you look, there are flowers.

Most notable is the bougainvillea ... which is everywhere ... and in every colour - ranging from white to the deepest red, but then there are many other flowers like those below, and I have no idea what they are! I'm sure some of you will know. This is definitely the time to visit, when the climate is kind and the city is in bloom.

I have been visiting the gardens too, when time permits, and if you're interested, you can check out the following links for posts written during my last visit in July. I will be posting again in the next few days, so do check in and in the meantime, you may be interested in the Gardens of Udaipur.

Fishing boats on the lake at sunset in Udaipur

RIP .... to blog awards!

Now this is a really serious message to all of my fellow bloggers out there .... please, please, please, no more awards. You can mention my blog, you can put me in your side column links, you can follow me, but I'm really serious, no more awards..... no, not for anything ... not for best blog, meme, youyou, usus or hehe, or should it be hee hee...??

I want you all to know that I do this blog because I LOVE gardens, I love visiting gardens and, because I am lucky enough to have a camera when I am out and about, an ability to point the lens at things that I like and take pictures.

The rest is history. Once I've put my eye behind the camera, downloaded the results on to my computer and then got on to "Blogger" and published, it's all down to technology. I'm really pleased that so many of you like the results. I'm deeply flattered that you want to pass awards on to me, but I actually feel that I'd rather read what you all write about so well.... rather than seeing you worry about passing on awards.

I'm sure that like most of you, I started blogging because I wanted to try something new, and then it sort of grew.... just like plants in the garden ... and then it grew again... need I say more?

I made lots of mistakes; I tried not to repeat those mistakes; I had a great passion for gardens and found that people wanted to read what I had to say and look at my photographs; but now I'd like all of you to enjoy those pictures and odd bits of text in between and leave comments...

Magical Memories on a Monday!

The weather is so awful here in England that I'm reflecting on some of the lovely flowers I've seen this year to cheer me up! Hope you'll enjoy them too. Off to India now, so I will be carrying on with my alphabetical gardens from abroad, interspersed with relevant garden entries from Rajasthan. Thanks for visiting my blog.

"I" for Iconic English gardens!

In my last post I featured wonderful historic houses with gardens, and in this entry there are stunning houses, but I'm concentrating on iconic gardens with a capital "I"! Steel yourself though, because you're going to encounter some interesting road conditions reaching them, plus the odd tractor, but all worth the effort when you arrive! These are English gardens at their best - you won't find anything like them anywhere else in the world.

Iford Manor in Wiltshire (above) ranks as one of my top gardens visited so far. This is Harold Peto's garden - a magical place, where you'll encounter something more extraordinary at every corner you turn! It took me three years to get here, but when I did, it took my breath away, with the amazing Italian statues and the feeling that you have stepped back in time and become an actor on an empty stage. This garden is a masterpiece!

Filled with statues and urns that Peto shipped from Italy, it has a predominately Italianate feel and the hillside position lends itself to an extraordinary landscape that Peto has used to the full, so you climb up and down steps; get views of the valley and stage sets below; and encounter a series of garden rooms at different levels. A simply marvelous garden and definitely not to be missed!

Combine this with The Courts (below) which is just a couple of miles away and you will be left wondering how you'd ever missed these two extraordinary gardens hidden away in Wiltshire. The seven-acre garden surrounds a lovely 18th-century house, and includes a fine collection of trees.

The water garden (below) is a particularly stunning feature at The Courts and although I wasn't there at the right time of year, I'm told that the Iris sibirica display is outstanding. Just a word of warning though - you won't be able to combine these two gardens on a Wednesday because The Courts is closed that day!

Check diary dates for next year in The Yellow Book published by the NGS to make sure you don't miss the open days at The Old Rectory, Duntisbourne Rouse in Gloucestershire (below).

Home of Mary Keen, the well-known garden author and designer. This is one that will make your spirits soar! Do check your map before you go, because if you take the wrong road, you'll end up crossing a ford, which might just take you by surprise! But this is a garden worth getting wet for - it's a classic English idyll.... need I say more?? Only open on a couple of days a year, so you may need to do your homework in advance, but there are many other stunning gardens in the area, so this is good to include in a garden break with a stay in the glorious Cotswolds.

Cothay Manor is another iconic house and garden in the heart of the Somerset countryside. The beautiful medieval moated manor (below) has another of the finest gardens that I've seen in my travels so far. Extending to some 12 acres, the gardens were only laid out early last century and have been redesigned and replanted in the last few years by the present owners. Particularly spectacular in May when the tulips are in bloom, but good to visit at any time of year for the immaculate topiary and summer flower displays.

This is definitely another garden in my top ten and will be well-worth watching in years to come as the owners continue to develop the outstanding work they have already completed. The surrounding countryside is stunning too and you won't be disappointed if you make the effort to get here. There are also many other beautiful gardens locally, so do your homework and visit several on the same day!

There will be more iconic gardens to come later this year, as I get details of open dates for readers.