Paris 2024 Olympics -What Did You Think?

Well that is the Olympics over for another four years!
My interest has built over the years initially watching purely the Equestrian events. I remember urging Ann Moore on Psalm to the Silver Medal in the showjumping at the 1972 Munich Games and then over time my interests began to broaden. I was enthralled with Nadia Comaneci of Romania receiving a perfect ten on two separate pieces of apparatus at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Carl Lewis caught my attention at the 1984 LA Games walking away with four gold medals winning the 100 and 200 meters, the long jump and the mens relay. Suddenly the explosion out of the blocks when that gun went off had me gripped and I have been hooked ever since.

All the photos of Paris were taken last year when we completed a three month trip
around Western Europe

And so to Paris and the Opening Ceremony……
The first Olympic Games to hold the Opening Ceremony outside of a main stadium.
Did it work? In my opinion -no!
Taking away the fact that it rained which, excuse the pun, put a bit of a dampener on the evening it was just so long winded. It seemed to take forever for all those 85 boats to get the 4 miles up the Seine.
For those with tickets watching from the stands, in all their wet weather gear, and I have a friend who had flown over especially for this ceremony, they felt like they had completely missed out. They could only see what was in front of them and yes they saw the GB team float past but there was no atmosphere. All the entertainment that we saw on the television was spread out along the route so those who paid for tickets were sorely robbed in my opinion. I tried to imagine what this would have looked like on the Thames in London and quite frankly could fully understand my friend’s point of view.


There was mass condemnation that parts of the ceremony brought Christianity into disrepute which I will come to later. However what was clearly evident was that the French organisers had included many references to their own culture. Great, but the rest of the world didn’t necessarily understand these references.
You could argue that it is the Parisian Olympics and, therefore, it is their right to include whatever they wish. However it is also important for people around the world watching to be brought on board and connect to the show and to be frank I don’t think they were.
One of the key reasons may have been that previously commentators were invited to the “dress rehearsal” so they could make notes and ensure they were able to explain to their specific audience, in their own language, the significance of each part of the ceremony. There was no dress rehearsal in Paris. I’m no expert, maybe the worldwide commentators were given supporting notes but it certainly didn’t appear to be the case watching on BBC 1 here in the UK.

I personally researched certain elements of the Opening Ceremony afterwards in order to try and understand what was taking place. For example the first part of the ceremony after the opening performance was entitled “Ça ira.” This roughly translates as “It Will Be Ok” and was the title of a popular song during the French Revolution. That went totally over my head!

It then became evident that unlike other hosting countries France was going to utilise people/entertainment acts from other countries. This was a little lost on me but I came to the conclusion that there are possibly not enough French born entertainers who are worldwide recognised to do them proud.
And thus the entertainment began with Lady Gaga, dressed in black surrounded by men holding pink feathers, singing “Mon Truc en Plumes”. Apparently this is a famous cabaret song but who knew? I certainly hadn’t heard of it? I thought on the night it was a tribute to the can-can and Moulin Rouge. For me it wasn’t a very impressive start and I usually like Lady Gaga.

The section entitled “Liberte” paid homage to the musical Les Miserables with dancers performing around a barricade in the centre of a stage as the masked torchbearer made their way through the theatre.
Then there was the section with the legendary Louis Vuitton cases on wheels. I later discovered this was an introduction to the fact that later in the Games, the medals would be handed out in (much smaller) Louis Vuitton cases.
Both of these parts baffled me along with Marie Antoinette (after her head was severed) singing the opening lines of a heavy-metal song. What on earth was that about?

I quite enjoyed the part where the dancers dressed in construction uniforms performed around the scaffolded cathedral of the world famous Notre Dame. It’s a shame the repairs couldn’t have been completed, as originally planned, for the games but at least this was a recognisable Parisian landmark. We visited the site during our three month travels (photo below) around Europe last year and it inspired me to write a post on my blog: https://amidlifeadventure.org/2023/04/21/adventure-old-notre-dame/

During the section of the ceremony celebrating “Equalite”, statues of significant women in French history rose from the Seine apparently in homage to the gender disparity of statues in Paris. If you’ve never been to Paris and are viewing it somewhere, anywhere else on the globe, you wouldn’t have understood this either!

And finally to the controversial long table with drag queens seated around or “Last Supper’ scene which viewers including Pope Francis and Ayatollah Khamanei believed was based upon and mocked Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting.
I am not religious but the Last Supper is the event that Christians believe instituted the Eucharist celebration and thus Christianity itself. This caused outrage around the world including amongst the anti woke contingent which doesn’t really help the idea of inclusivity.
It’s not exactly the introduction to your Olympic Games that you perhaps want.

Wondering whose idea and ultimate failure this was I was interested to see that the Director of the Ceremony, Thomas Jolly, did explain afterwards that the scene was based upon a painting by Jan van Bijlert called The Feast of God. The painting depicts the marriage of the characters from Ancient Greek mythology Thetis and Peleus, with the god Dionysus and his satyrs dancing in the foreground. The painting is on display in Dijon but as a painter from the Dutch Golden Age he does not really rank amongst the great painters around the world. It seems a massive error of judgement to me and I certainly questioned after the ceremony where Mr Jolly was going to retire to? Perhaps he just thinks it will all blow over but unfortunately I do think the Paris Olympics will be remembered now for all the wrong reasons.

The Games Themselves…….
And so the actual events themselves. The first real positive for us in the UK was that they were held more or less on the same time zone. We should be grateful for this because the next two sets of games will not be and thus televised coverage will be adjusted accordingly.

However, and this is no fault of the organisers, because we were in a similar time zone BBC took advantage of this and took over the whole of BBC1 and parts of BBC2 every day. For television licence payers who have absolutely no interest in this event there was barely anything else to watch. Do they get their licence fees reimbursed for two weeks? I personally feel this was a massive mis-judgement.
Secondly despite having the opportunity to watch everything live I still recorded every programme. Why? Because the programmes were so full of conversation, debate, analysis and then more analysis it took sometimes three hours to watch half a dozen events. Totally unnecessary in the world we now live in. The percentage of viewers in the UK watching live TV falls year on year and the statistics show this is increasing exponentially the younger you are. So are we once again still catering to the older age group in the UK because we cannot stay on trend?

Why do the BBC feel we need this commentating overload? I have nothing against the commentators themselves and have to say I thought that JJ Chalmers and Jeanette Kwakye did a good job in the morning, although I must admit I didn’t know who Jeanette was beforehand. I guess I wasn’t the only one given her name is currently at the top of the Google list of Jeanettes!
The swimming coverage by Clare Balding, Rebecca Adlington and Mark Foster was entertaining and did keep my attention longer than other presenters did. Input from experienced athletes such as Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Chris Hoy was beneficial but what on earth was Fred Sirieix doing there? Was he our token French presenter?
And the athletics trackside reporter, who was she? I was totally not enamoured with her. She evidently wasn’t a well known previous athlete and literally rolled out the same questions every time she spoke to someone. “How did you feel emotionally?” was in there in some format every time. After listening to the first couple of trackside interviews I fast forwarded her away. Sad because maybe some of the athletes had quality feedback.

You cannot comment on the games without highlighting some of the new sports that have
arrived on the scene. Who knew watching speed climbing was going to be so exhilarating? I have to admit I love the skate boarding too which is still fairly new and the BMX racing was real daredevil stuff.
Conversely the issues with the River Seine quite rightly hit the headlines. Following reports that France spent 1 billion pounds to make the Seine safe to swim in, with reports of unsafe levels of pollution and even E.Coli we all watched anxiously to see whether this investment would actually bear fruit. The jury is still out on this but suffice to say events were postponed throughout the games and I think all of those who actually jumped in and swam in it, in the name of sport, deserve their own medals.
It seemed that despite the money invested no one had taken account of the currents with swimmers taking diversionary tactics to overcome this known phenomenon and some becoming ill afterwards. Again excuse the pun but what an insane idea that was. Why didn’t they just spend the money on a new stadium to host the opening and closing ceremonies which could then have benefited Parisians going forward as a legacy of these games?

The Closing Ceremony…….
I have to be honest following the Opening Ceremony I was sat ready with my remote for this event. Fast forward times 30 where necessary.
Recognising all the volunteers and thanking them for their contribution at the start of the ceremony was exactly the right thing to do. In their green outfits they had been there throughout the two weeks helping everyone from those taking part to the supporters trying to find their way around.

The athlete parade is always a highlight too. They’ve trained for four years, competed against each other for us all to see and now it’s over. It’s time to relax, enjoy themselves and make their way home. Unfortunately I feel the French got it wrong again when they started the celebrations with French songs. French is only spoken by 3.6% of the world’s population so needless to say it wasn’t until “Freed From Desire” came across the sound system that all the athletes and spectators could actually join in.

You couldn’t fail to be impressed when the lights at the Stade de France went out and tens of thousands of wristbands lit up all at once, illuminating the stadium as the sun fully set. The Bluetooth-synced wristbands started to not only flash and blink in time with each other, but individual sections of fans were, without prior knowledge, suddenly thrust into the show itself with their wristbands showing scenes of athletic competition moving across entire ends of the stadium.
This breathtaking display ended with the Olympic rings being raised above the stage in the centre of the stadium, and the wristbands of the fans throughout the venue being illuminated in this iconic image. It was a modern take with a technical performance of synchronicity on a large scale that was truly impressive to watch.

The organisers, alas, got it wrong again when they hadn’t quite taken into consideration the reaction of the athletes later in the show. Releasing them from the assigned areas around the stage and initially encouraging them to get up close to the performers some contestants misunderstood and actually joined the band on stage. Announcements were then made over the stadium’s loudspeaker system asking the athletes, politely, to get off the stage. Not quite what you want to see and hear.

The final handing over of the flag was somewhat of a spectacle. Was it the James Bond and Her Majesty the Queen’s opening ceremony in London that inspired the moment when Tom Cruise jumped from the roof of the building? Landing on the field below he then made his way to the  Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, was handed the prize of the Olympic flag and then found a motorcycle and rode out of the stadium with it. Driving through Paris to an airfield nearby he then flew off to the USA which then led into a party on the beach in Southern California. I guess it’s an example of what is to come when the next Games are held in Los Angeles, the Hollywood capital of the world!

Thank you and goodnight!

Los Angeles taken when we drove Highway 1

I was intending to comment about the cost of the Olympic tickets and how this reflects on availability to all going forward but this post was lengthy enough. I’ll keep that for my next post. In the meantime I look forward to your comments about this post and hearing about your own experiences of Paris 2024


The Cotswolds -The Cotswold Lavender Gardens

Location:

High up on the Cotswold Hills overlooking the spa town of Cheltenham and the Malvern Hills beyond is Snowshill. This cute village with its golden hue, authentic Cotswold stone cottages has been home to many different groups of people across the years. The village dates back to the Bronze Age and in the late nineteenth century an early Bronze Age hoard was found just outside Snowshill. The items were excavated from a barrow in 1881 and include a picrite battle-ax, a bronze pin, dagger and spear-head. This wonderful find dates back to between 2100 and 1600 BC and the lovely artefacts now have a home in the British Museum.
Snowshill is famous for its Manor House and Gardens owned by the National Trust and in the last twenty plus years its famous Cotswold Lavender fields. A great combination of places to visit if you have a whole day to spare.

The Gardens:
Alerted by a Facebook post, with the sun shining down on a beautiful August morning we decided to pay the Lavender Fields a visit. They open for just eight weeks every summer from around the start of June until the beginning of August. Their website gives more information on this along with up to date opening times and admission fees.

The first lavender at Hill Barn Farm was planted back in 1999. Over the years it has grown to a 70 acre purple spectacle stretching out across the hill top. The lavender is harvested around the end of July each year hence the limited opening period. The harvest produces the essential oil and lavender grains needed to make the products sold worldwide by the farm.

Walking Through The Gardens
Once you have paid your admission fee you can enter and exit as many times as you like providing you keep the ticket on you. This is really useful if, like us, you bring your own picnic. We were able to leave it in the car until such times as we were hungry and then we picked it up and spread it out on one of the many wooden picnic tables scattered around the first part of the site. They also have a small kiosk selling hot drinks, snacks and ice creams if you just want to take a break during your visit.

There are approx 20 acres to wander around and enjoy. Weirdly the customary smell of lavender doesn’t fill the air but instead there is the constant buzzing of bees as they fly amongst the purple flowers gathering the nectar to make their honey. I was expecting to see some hives tucked away somewhere but alas that wasn’t to be.
There is no set trail, you can basically wander at your will keeping to the pre made pathways between the rows of lavender or around the outside.
We arrived not long after opening and the fields were quiet enough to take photographs without too many problems but as we were leaving after lunch it was definitely much busier and a couple of coaches arrived no doubt transporting day trippers from London or Oxford as part of their Cotswold tour.

In addition to the lavender in recent years the farm has also begun to plant an area solely dedicated to beautiful wild flowers. It is so picturesque, the colours almost take your breathe away.

Again there are pathways to walk upon but sadly in this world of Instagrammable photos people have taken to sitting within the flower displays and thus damaging the flowers beneath (as you can see below). I personally found this incredibly sad, selfish because it spoils the vision for those visitors who come after the culprits and upsetting. It is so unnecessary. Pathways are provided for a reason, please stay on them.

Finally there is also a woodland trail that takes you out onto the edge of the hill so you can admire the fabulous views across the valleys and hills beyond. A site locator board is available so you can pick out the relevant places when scanning the view. There are also plenty of strategically placed wooden bridges, tunnels, animal painted wooden markers and den-like structures for children to investigate and let off some steam.

The lavender fields are an awesome site to behold and we happily spent a couple of hours here. I love the fact that you are experiencing something natural which is only available for a limited time each year. If you are in the area I would definitely recommend a visit.

NB: This is the ninth post in my series about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture. Check out previous posts in this series plus more to come soon.
Please don’t forget to comment and/or like.
I love to hear what my readers think and also look forward to your recommendations of places to see in the Cotswolds for my future adventures Thank you

Gardens of England and Wales – Welcome to Dyffryn Gardens

It is so hard when ill health strikes and you suddenly find that all the days out, weekends away and holidays have to be put on hold. This is what happened to us in March when completely out of the blue hubby was diagnosed with a heart problem.
I’m happy to say, as I write this, that after being in hospital for two weeks, then undergoing open heart surgery and being in another hospital two hours away for another week before spending six weeks mostly confined to home, he has, today, been signed off by the surgeon.

During his recovery we were only really able to go out in the last two weeks as his heart grew stronger and he was able to walk for at least thirty minutes twice a day. It took us a bit of research on the Royal Horticultural Society website to find a partner garden near to us which we hadn’t already visited and thus we set off for Dyffryn Gardens in South Wales.

History:
Before I take you through the route we took around the gardens I thought I would just give you some background to this estate.
Situated on the outskirts of the capital city -Cardiff, Dyffryn covers more than 55 acres and can be traced back to the 7th century when it was given to Bishop Oudaceous of Llandaf and named the Manor of Worlton. It wasn’t, however, until the 16th century when the manor was bought by the Button family that the first house was built. They continued to live here for several generations and changed its name to Dyffryn House.
The estate was sold in 1891 to John Cory, who was a wealthy coal merchant and founder of the port at Barry, making his home here within easy commutable distance of his business. Along with his brother John they owned collieries across South Wales and together they were also reputedly the largest private railway wagon owners in the UK.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was a key factor in their expansion. Welsh steam coal was, at the time, considered to be the best in the world and thus as demand began to rise the brothers continued to acquire more collieries shipping their coal around the world to countries where it was needed for steam ships and newly developing railway networks. Their business grew until they were exporting to over 120 different ports worldwide. In 1893 .John utilised some of his wealth to build the house and grounds we see today where he lived with his wife Anne and two of his four children, Florence and Reginald.

Reginald was a passionate horticulturalist and so in 1906 he collaborated on the garden design with the famous Edwardian garden designer Thomas Mawson. The majority of what we see today is true to the original.
Reginald also loved to experiment and enjoyed propagating and breeding many exotic and foreign species that he would bring back from his travels abroad. The Pompeiian Garden, built in 1909, was inspired by his trip to Italy and thus designed to include an impressive colonnade, a loggia and a central fountain.

The gardens include a series of themed outdoor rooms not dissimilar to the gardens we saw last year in Cordoba which were designed around original Roman houses with central patios. It was also a typical feature for grand houses like Dyffryn back in the early 20th century.

The house remained in the family until Florence’s death in 1937, when the estate was sold to Sir Cennydd Traherne who later leased it to the Glamorgan County Council in 1939. During the war years and for some time afterwards it was utilised as a police academy, dog training centre and education conference facility. Whilst the house and gardens are still owned by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, who are committed to their conservation, in January 2013 the National Trust took over the maintenance and running of Dyffryn on a 50-year lease. The Trust have continued the work here to restore these garden rooms back to their true beginnings from the 1920’s.

Walking the Gardens:
Having left the car park and crossed over to the entrance we were given an introductory chat by one of the NT employees/volunteers and furnished with a map we set off to explore.
Walking up to the main house, which is currently under restoration and thus not open to the public, we gazed in wonder upon its architectural brilliance before walking around it to the left and then making our way around the back. This Southern side of the house is resplendent with borders of mainly bright, orange flowers, no doubt at their best around this time, which really makes this area glow.

It’s also worth stopping to gaze upon the statue of the man on a cow which has an air of the Himalayas about it.
We walked across to the picnic tables at the far end and took some time to eat our lunch and peruse the map to plan a route.
Our first stop, after lunch, was the Mediterranean Garden with pathways that meander around allowing you to fully experience its various plants and flowers and also a great view back towards the house.

Having circumnavigated this section we made our way through to the Herbaceous Borders. During the Covid epidemic this area was unfortunately completely lost to bindweed. The gardeners here at Dyffryn are currently restoring one border at a time. In so doing they have created gardens that attract more than 50 species of bees who happily forage in the beds and borders and continue the pollinating cycle.

You can then gain access from here into the Walled Garden and then on towards the Tropical Glass House. We decided to enter at the far right side and then wander along its full length. There are three distinct areas and the first area we visited was the cacti and succulents. With over 30 different species it’s worth taking a look at these plants that otherwise wouldn’t be on display without their cosy tropical surroundings.
The remaining two areas include the rainforest section with some gorgeous orchids (one of my favourite plants that I have at home) along with such species as the Ethiopian Banana and Spiral Ginger.
Finally the third section contains grapes which again were flourishing under the heat of the glass.

Leaving the Glasshouse behind we retraced our steps back to the Herbaceous Border in order to connect into a series of four gardens: The Exotic Garden which was re-established in 2019, Cloisters, The Theatre Garden with it’s strategically placed stone statues and finally the Annual Garden. This is another area where the hard working gardeners have worked in the last 12 months to restore the pathways whilst also adding new local stone borders in order to introduce annual planting displays.

From here we were then able to access the Reflecting Pool which was probably one of my favourites. I do love a lily pond and here the lillies were in full bloom. The wisteria and acer trees add a lovely touch of colour and with a bench to sit on I took a quick break and just sat and admired the view.

Wandering onwards into the Paved Court we admired the classic topiary and colourful urns and borders before entering the Pompeian Garden which is definitely one of the highlights. Utilising a watercolour painted by Edith Adie, restoration on this area began in 2016 and continues to this day. You do feel like you have wandered into the inner courtyard of a Roman garden belonging to a rich merchant. The central fountain provides a focal point surrounded by colonnades with colourful rooftop flowers, shaded seating and Roman statues and urns.

We took a moment to take in the surroundings before walking away from this area and entering the Rose Garden. I was hoping to find a garden room resplendent with perfumed, beautiful roses but perhaps because of the poor weather we have been experiencing this year it wasn’t quite as I’d expected.
The pathway from here leads into another series of gardens with the Folly, the Heart Garden, The Rill and then the Causeway.

The former is another great example of garden architecture with the pointed turret and colonnades and standing on the latter you cannot help but be enamoured with the view back up to the house.

To the right of the Causeway is the Vine Walk, at the end of which you can turn right and begin a separate walk around the Arboretum. We chose instead to retrace our steps and walk directly towards the house across the Great Lawn and alongside the central canal. The meadows on either side of the canal are no longer cut completely instead in the last four years they are mown into designs, last year “spirals” were created. This year the lawn design was inspired by the swirl patterns on the facade of the house, uncovered and restored last winter.
The growth around the designs increases the diversity of pollinators and insects which in turn encourages predators like dragonflies. These were very much in evidence around the water lillies and other aquatic plants where they mingled with the damselflies. Trying to photograph them was nigh on impossible.

As we walked towards the house it was wonderful to watch the swifts sweeping down towards the longer grass before making their way skyward again. The grounds apparently also act as a summer sanctuary for swallows, house martins and greenfinches.
Reaching the house we made our way back to the start. I would really encourage you to visit these gardens. We both enjoyed our afternoon here and it is definitely one of those places where we will, no doubt, return with a book and a nice picnic on a lovely summer’s day and just explore some more surrounded by the sounds of nature.

NB:
This is my third post in a series I will be writing about Gardens in England and Wales. Since my visit last year to Keukenof in Holland (see my post -https://amidlifeadventure.org/2023/05/12/keukenhof-beauty-imagination-and-inspiration/)
it has sparked an interest in me to visit other beautiful spaces. As hubby loves to photograph flowers, bees, birds and just nature as a whole it gives us an opportunity to take some time out and just appreciate the calm that such spaces can give you.

Other Posts in this Series:
https://amidlifeadventure.org/2024/06/15/gardens-of-england-rhs-rosemoor/
https://amidlifeadventure.org/2024/06/08/gardens-of-england-bowood-house-woodland-trail/

America-The Land of the Free: A Deceptive Reality for Native Americans

So last week I talked about the freedom of choice which I see as a huge divide between the haves and the have nots in America. Don’t get me wrong there are many countries in the Western World who are struggling with out of control rents which in turn are leading to even working people being forced into homelessness. However the other countries aren’t proclaiming to the rest of the world that they are the “Land of the Free!”
How can America be the land of the free if people are losing key choices in life such as living in affordable housing?

So this week, the week where a 20 year old lad, armed with a gun, attempted to kill Trump I’d like to move on to a second insight gained whilst touring this vast country.
As part of our trip we drove Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles driving the 2400+ miles across America from East to West tracing our way along the route that hundreds of adventurers since the mid 1920’s had done before.
Then having taken a week off in Fort Lauderdale we drove the Eastern seaboard up through Florida into Georgia, through South Carolina and North Carolina including the Outer Banks. Heading inland to Williamsburg and Richmond we left our rental car behind and joined the train network to visit Washington, Philadelphia and New York.

We didn’t use an interstate or freeway unless we basically had no choice. Instead we drove mainly on what in the UK we would refer to as “A” roads. This gave us such an incredible experience. We were able to communicate with so many different people. Chatting to everyday folk gave us such a better insight into their way of life, the different cuisines that grew up across the ages, the political divides and cultural differences from state to state.

When researching Route 66 beforehand utilising books, dvd’s and Youtube I do not recall learning that during its lifetime, Route 66 guided travellers through the lands of more than 25 tribal nations.
I have had an interest in the culture and demise of Native Americans ever since I was a child sitting in front of Western movies which I have more recently discovered lie about the interaction between the folk heading west to discover new land and the Native Indians who were already resident here.
(See my previous post “The Western Movies Lied To Me”)
.https://amidlifeadventure.org/2023/06/27/the-western-movies-lied-to-me/
During our trip we visited many museums which highlighted the culture of these nations and factually retold the devastation that was forced upon them as their lands were in effect stolen from beneath their feet.

The reason I raise this piece of American history is because despite time moving on these people are still fighting for their rights. Rights that other American citizens take for granted.
A lot of these people still live on the reservations. The lands on which reservations are located are disproportionately low in natural resources and quality soil conducive to fostering economic prosperity. Federal policy, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830, was designed to displace Native Americans from coveted land and to relocate them to areas seen as relatively “valueless by nineteenth century standards.” As a result they often live in very remote areas on poor land with limited natural resources.

We took a detour off Route 66 to spend time in Monument Valley. What an eye opener this was. Not purely for its fantastic authentic scenery but the time we were blessed to spend with a young Navajo guide -Sean.

Monument Valley is ancestral Navajo land. Today the Navajo Reservation stretches over 26,000 square miles, a portion of which we had passed through travelling here from Flagstaff, 180 miles away. A desert style landscape with scattered homesteads, scrubland and virtually no signs of working life or schools.
Up to 100 Navajo still reside in the Valley, depending upon the season, most without electricity or running water! This in itself beggars belief. The country that defines itself as the centre of the Western World still does not provide basic utilities to all it’s citizens.
You could argue that this is the fault of the people that live there, that they choose to live so far from civilisation but in many cases it is the Europeans and Americans who forced them off their lands who put the Native Americans on the reservations on land that was of no monetary value and no one else wanted.

Keen to understand what life was like here on a reservation I spoke to Sean about the vast emptiness of the region and how hard it must be to gain employment. 
Over 400,000 people from around the world visit here each year thus tourism is a high income generator for the Navajo who live in the area.
However outside of the tourist industry he explained how many fathers, including his own, had been forced to leave the reservations to go away to work to earn money for their families. They worked in the oil and mining industry or took work trucking. 

Unlike many tribes, the Navajo have succeeded in keeping their cultural heritage alive. Over 97% of adults still speak the Navajo language, and many tribal members continue to practice the ancient religious and ceremonial ways. 
But how do they manage so far from civilisation? I was intrigued to know where his Mum shopped for food in the wilderness that surrounds his home or where he went to school.

“My Mum shops every 2-4 weeks. She drives to the nearest large Costco in Flagstaff” he explains. That’s a 5 hour round trip! The roads may be straight and easy to navigate but 5 hours to buy food! 

In America children from kindergarten through grade 12 in high school can go to public school for free. The city, state, or federal government fund public schools so you do not have to pay. Education law says everyone has a right to free education. Progressive educators viewed buses as a step toward modernising rural education. By 1932, there were 63,000 school buses on the road.

But how did that work in areas such as this where there were vast expanses of seemingly endless wilderness? Sean described to us the rigours of a 2 hr bus journey to school because at that time there weren’t any schools nearby to educate him or fellow Navajo students. He tells us about the new school that has opened in Monument Valley funded not by the Government or the State but by donations! Why?
Why are the Native American children deprived of the basics such as schooling. I would question how many white American children make a 4 hour round trip to school each day? Even now when there is a school in Monument Valley it only teaches the younger children. Older children still get on that bus every day!
Education may be free in America but when the state and federal government are not funding public schools for all children in America, how is that fair?

What I learnt in Monument Valley is not unique to this reservation. America is embarking on another Presidential election this year. Priding itself on being a democratic country, everyone apparently has the right to vote.
To participate in the U.S. political system, Native Americans have to contend with limited mail delivery and internet service combined with travelling vast distances to voting registration and polling centers.
Despite these natural barriers already being in place in 2021, less than a year into the new Biden Administration, the state of Montana passed two new laws that made it even harder for Native voters to register and vote.The first ended same day registration whereby citizens were able to register for their vote and then cast their vote on the same day. People such as the Native Americans would now have to make two separate trips to achieve the same result?
The second law blocked organised ballot collection on rural reservations.


Meanwhile, at the national level, around the time that the two Montana laws went into effect, 13 other states had also introduced over 100 bills that would disenfranchise Native voters.
The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) fights every day to protect the rights of these indigenous people.
How can America be the land of the free when states are still being allowed to discriminate against their Native American citizens, taking away civil rights and bringing the whole concept of democracy into question?

Discrimination and lack of equality for all are not unique to America. Many Western countries battle with this on a regular basis but in my humble opinion you cannot call yourself the land of the free if everyone does not have equal rights. Inequality by definition means some citizens have more freedom than others!

During our trip we were fortunate to visit The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum where amongst other amazing exhibits the Prix De West 2023, Invitational Art Exhibition was taking place. The illustrations in this post were all photographs taken of some of the wonderful Native American paintings on display.

America -Land Of The Free?

As the controversy rages around President Biden and whether he should continue to run for re-election I feel it is the right time to write a post from my perspective on the country that proclaims itself the “Land of the Free”.

My Experience of America:
Many British people choose to come to the US on holiday spending a couple of weeks enjoying the theme parks or shopping in New York. I was, however, fortunate to visit the USA last year, traveling through eighteen states in total. From Chicago to LA on Route 66 and then up the eastern seaboard from Florida to New York. We met a huge variety of people and enjoyed some wonderful local cuisine en route.
Prior to this trip other travels have taken me to New Orleans (when Trump was campaigning to be President against Hilary Clinton) and I have also driven Highway 1 from San Francisco down to LA twice with many stops in between.
I’m not a fan of LA but seem to have still been there on another two occasions once prior to heading up to Yosemite and another time before driving down to Tucson and staying on a ranch in Arizona close to the Mexican border.
I’ve taken my children to Florida and Disneyland, had the pleasure of driving the Florida Keys and spent time in the cities of Washington, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. I do feel that this combination of travel experience has opened me up more to the actual American way of life from small town America to cosmopolitan cities.

The first thing I noticed as a Brit was how diverse the states are. Coping with not only changes in time zones but people’s religious and political beliefs which was quite an eye opener. I am also used to a country where everyone follows the same laws and not a country where different laws apply depending upon which state you are in at the time.

One of the most regular proclamations I saw was “America: Land of the Free”. It appeared on posters and billboards, t.shirts, caps and even on restaurant menus. But is America “the land of the free”?

Freedom of Choice:
Back last July we were driving our very last section of Route 66 towards Santa Monica pier. We had left our accommodation in Pasadena in the morning for the final 27 mile stretch. The route takes you down Santa Monica Boulevard (yes the one from the song!). It was a Saturday morning and whilst the road was already becoming busy it was just full of normal folk going about their day. Then suddenly having driven across a small intersection we were in cardboard city. The street was lined with tents and cardboard/tarpaulin shelters. People were sitting or lying on the benches alongside the roadside. What was even more evident was that a lot of these people looked like you or I. They didn’t look dirty or drug ravaged they just looked like they simply had nowhere to live but on the street. What is happening here?

The answer lies in the homeless problem that is beginning to sweep the Western World. As people give up on the dream of ever buying their own property they move out into rental properties. As a result in large metropolitan cities where there is little or no room to further expand, demand often far outstrips supply and, as a result, rents increasingly rise which in turn causes an economic layering effect with those on the highest wages often at the top and those on low income at the bottom.
As of July 2024, for example, the average rent in Santa Monica, CA is $2,997 per month. This is 95% higher than the national average rent price of $1,534/month. This makes Santa Monica one of the most expensive cities in the US to live.
The minimum wage in California is currently $16.00/hour to be paid by all employers. So if you work 40 hours a week you earn roughly $2560 per month, less than the average rent.

But what if your family and friends all live here? What if your job is here? Furthermore what if your wages are not staying in line with these rental increases and so to move out further becomes impossible because you simply don’t have the additional disposable income to pay fares to travel in and out each day? The answer is you struggle every day and you live on that very fine line between survival and destitution. The sad part of that is you could quite easily fall into homelessness through no fault of your own and there doesn’t appear to be anyone there waiting to catch you.
This might sound dramatic but if a tenant doesn’t pay rent when it is due, the landlord can give the tenant a three-day notice to pay rent or quit (move out).
All it takes is one unforeseen issue. Maybe the tenant loses his or her job through no fault of their own, maybe their employer just goes out of business. Maybe someone becomes sick and the wages into the household suddenly drop. It’s a very precarious line to walk when you are so strapped for cash.

“Crossing the thin line”


The homeless population has increased in Santa Monica by 15% against the previous year and from what I saw a lot of these people are not what everyone envisages when they think about the homeless. They were neatly dressed, some even had children! They simply cannot find affordable accommodation and so have no choice but to create homes for themselves and their families on the streets.

This phenomenon isn’t, unfortunately, new to me. When I managed a club in East London back in the late nineties (before the Olympic Games brought a total regeneration of this area) I had a couple of guys who worked for me who had no fixed abode. I used to let them come into work early each day and use the shower attached to my office so they could at least wash and dress in their uniform. They would then eat from the on site diner at staff subsidised rates. They were both earning a wage and trying their hardest to get the money together for a deposit on a flat.

The fountains in cities that provide the homeless places to wash in the early morning light of dawn

Back in Santa Monica when we drove across the next main intersection we were into another world altogether. The pavements were now full of young millennials and Gen Z spending their Saturday morning exercising in the glass fronted gyms, shopping with their friends or sitting at pavement coffee bars or cafes enjoying brunch. It was really hard to understand how these worlds, separated by just a road, were living such vastly different lives.

What it did show me, however, was that those young people on the right side of the financial divide probably do live in a world where America is the land of the free. They have freedom of choice because that is one of the options that disposable income gives you.
I doubt those on the other side of the road feel the same. They don’t have those choices, they are not even free to choose to live with a proper roof over their heads because they simply cannot afford it .

This image just symbolises for me the divides we find in society.

I came away from Santa Monica feeling America was very much a country (like many others) of the haves and the have nots. Don’t get me wrong Santa Monica is not unique, this ideology was then underscored as our trip continued and we saw the homeless in Philadelphia and New York.

When I began writing this post it was my intention to address this question in full as there were other adventures on our American trip which also tested this adage that America is the land of the free. However with more to write I will have to continue next week……..

Election 2024 -Is This Really Democracy In Action?

Like so many other UK residents I awoke yesterday morning to a new Government headed by Sir Kier Starmer. With 650 seats on offer in the House of Commons the result was as follows;
Labour won with 412 seats (+214)
Conservatives 121 seats (-252)
Liberal Democrats 71 seats (+63)
Reform 5 seats (+5)
Green Party 4 seats (+3)
Others (some country specific) 27 seats (-33)

“Will this really be the dawn of a new era?”
I’m not so sure. During my lifetime I have seen the pendalum swing from side to side between Labour and Conservative Governments on six separate occasions.
It feels like each turn of the coin just produces another switch of power which undoes much of what the previous Government did and if we are lucky we actually move the status quo forward as a country.

I’m personally no longer convinced that two party politics actually works for the benefit of the people. I don’t believe that all those people who voted for Labour believe in what Starmer was standing for or took the trouble to read the key promises. Even less actually consulted the manifesto.
I feel a lot of people just voted against the Conservatives and for a change of Government knowing that a vote for any other party, in a two party political system is a wasted vote!

Should we even be still operating on a First Past The Post System?
FPTP is one of the simplest electoral systems, and has been used to elect the House of Commons here since the Middle Ages. Its use extends to former British colonies, most notably the USA, Canada and India. It is now only used as the primary form of allocating seats for legislative elections in less than 50 countries worldwide. A definitive minority globally.
The fact that this system has been in place since the Middle Ages (500-1500 AD) doesn’t make it right and certainly not relevant in the modern world

The alternative is Proportional Representation which neither of the two main political parties will ever advocate for because it is unlikely to benefit them. Doesn’t this show, therefore, that the parties who have run our country since immemorial are not actually concerned about how to best represent the peoples’ choices?
PR is based upon the simple idea that the strength of each party in parliament should closely match their popularity in the country e.g. if the party gains 25% of the national vote then they should have 25% of the seats.
For many people, this is what living in a democracy means. It is the most popular form of democracy for countries in the world today with over 100 countries using PR or similar to elect and thereby establish their Governments.

This is what yesterday’s results would look like under a PR system

Labour would have 220 seats
Conservatives 153
Reform 93
Liberal Democrats 79
Green Party 44
Others 61

By continuing to use the FPTP system are we even a full democracy?
The definition of a Democracy is a system of government in which state power is vested in the people or the general population of a state.
If the amount of seats in the House of Commons doesn’t represent the proportion of votes cast by the general population of the country I would suggest this means we no longer actually live in a democracy?

The Human Freedom Index 2022, is an index which measures 83 different indicators of personal and economic freedom. If you have never looked at this before it makes interesting reading and clearly shows that the top ten democratic countries worldwide are countries which use a form of PR for their elections:
Switzerland, New Zealand, Estonia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Based upon this measurement and I feel not surprisingly the UK sits at 20th and USA at 23rd, both operate a two party system of politics.

The Democracy Index 2020 also analyses the levels of democracy worldwide. According to their measurements of democracy, only about half (49.4%) of the world’s population live in a democracy of some sort, and even fewer (8.4%) reside in a “full democracy”. The top ten looked like this:
Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, Netherlands

The UK came in at number 16 and the USA at 25 and even falls into the “flawed democracy” part of the table.

When are we ever going to move forward?

If this wasn’t enough evidence for us to realise that our political system is flawed taking into account that America has long been considered the leader of the free world, just take a look at the debate from the USA this week.
Stuck in two party politics and a FPTP system of elections the world watched whilst a felon (with currently 34 convictions to his name) debated the future of the USA with a gentleman who quite honestly came across infirm and unable to even string together a complete sentence. Is that the best you can offer America?

Is this the future of the Western World?
I honestly despair if it is.
I sit on the cusp of a Baby Boomer and Gen X and for me the future has to be about our children and grandchildren and the world they will inherit.
The Centre for the Future of Democracy at the University of Cambridge conducted analysis into how the younger generations feel about democracy. According to the report produced from their findings, in almost every global region it is among 18-34 year olds that satisfaction with democracy is in steepest decline.
Young people’s faith in democratic politics is lower than any other age group, and millennials across the world are more disillusioned with democracy than Generation X or baby boomers were at the same stage of life.
Before you scoff these findings please take into account that they come from the largest-ever global dataset of democratic legitimacy. Cambridge researchers collaborated with the HUMAN Surveys Project to combine data from close to five million respondents in over 160 countries between 1973 and 2020 who were asked about their degree of satisfaction with democracy in their country.

“This is the first generation in living memory to have a global majority who are dissatisfied with the way democracy works while in their twenties and thirties,” said Dr Roberto Foa, lead author of the report from Cambridge’s Department of Politics and International Studies.
Furthermore Millennials and Gen Xers have grown steadily less satisfied with democracy as they have advanced in life.

Researchers argue that, in developed democracies, the biggest contributor to this trend is “economic exclusion” caused by high youth unemployment and wealth inequality: the strongest predictors of the satisfaction age gap. Nations where wealth distribution is relatively flat, such as Iceland or Austria, see only minor generation gaps in attitudes to democracy, while those with persistent wealth inequality – such as the USA – have large and growing divides.  

“Higher debt burdens, lower odds of owning a home, greater challenges in starting a family, and reliance upon inherited wealth rather than hard work and talent to succeed are all contributors to youth discontent,” said Dr. Foa.

“Right across the world, we are seeing an ever widening gap between youth and older generations on how they perceive the functioning of democracy,” she said.

In my opinion Democracy should surely be at the centre of any election.
I am not your usual midlifer. I believe in change if it benefits the majority. I feel as a country the UK has a tendency to live in the past and hang onto traditions whether they serve the majority of people or not. I struggle with the ideology that doing what we have always done makes it right.

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” John F. Kennedy

What Does The Future Hold?
We have another five years until the next election which today feels like a lifetime but midlife teaches you that time flies.
I look forward to a time when those in power actually represent the views of the majority of people of all ages. 


At the same time I challenge those 18-34 year olds in democracies around the world if you want change then make it happen.
You are the social media kings and queens. Start to use it for the good of the world and ensure the future continues to be a democratic world that represents all ages!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world.In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead





Discover The Cotswolds Sculpture Park: A Harmony of Nature and Modern Art

This is the ninth post in my series about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you live in or are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde worlde charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture.
Check out my previous posts in this series and please don’t forget to comment and/or like. I love to hear what my readers think. Thank you

(I decided to begin my post with this fantastic owl sculpture. I feel like he is looking down on me as I write in an enquiring but friendly manner.)

Some friends of ours visited the Sculpture Park a couple of years ago and put some photos on Facebook otherwise we probably wouldn’t have known it was there. It is situated just South of Cirencester in Somerford Keynes, just a little north of the Cotswold Water Park. There is free parking but no dogs or picnics are permitted.
On entry you will find a small caravan from whence you can purchase your ticket.

There are currently 200 sculptures on display from 150 different artists and you are given a small paper guide inside of which you will find each numbered sculpture. Each listing shows the name of the sculptor along with the material from which the piece of art was born and it’s price. Every sculpture is for sale!

It’s a very peaceful environment, a place where nature and modern art exist in perfect harmony.
The owner of the park David Hartland bought the land 28 years ago. It was then but a mere thistle field with one solitary oak tree sitting proudly amongst the ten acres. He has made it his life’s work to deliver the environment you now step into, planting every tree and plant. He has also recently developed a small amphitheatre where every year an outside production is on show, tickets available on the website.
The park is only open from April 1st to September 30th. The sculptures are changed yearly and this year there is an additional area ” The Zimbabwean Loop” featuring artists from Zimbabwe which maybe otherwise wouldn’t get a foot in the door within this market in the UK.

( Don’t you just love this orangutan sleeping soundly hanging from the rope. What would you do to have that ability to switch off from life for a while?)

David and his wife Serena are never short of ideas to further develop the area and now offer four separate places to stay, all bookable on Air BnB and available to view in snapshot on the park website.

Wandering around the park we chose to follow it in numerical order but whichever route you take it’s definitely worth taking a breath on your journey, there are various benches available, just to soak up the beautiful and natural surroundings. A sculptor himself you will see some of David’s works on display but unlike the other pieces probably not for sale. The one below just made me smile as he looked down on me from his perch.
They seem to have become part of the furniture, so to speak, and David doesn’t let them go.

There are a huge variety of different items available to see and so I’m sure you will find something that matches your taste. As I wandered around the park it highlighted to me how many other sculpture displays I have looked at over the years whilst travelling such as the New Orleans Sculpture Garden, (a picture of The Blue Corridor Pin is on display in our kitchen on canvas).
I have also been fortunate to visit the Musee Rodin in Paris and whilst his works are not able to be viewed here in the Cotswolds there are some unbelievable lifelike sculptures on display such as this statue of a man’s head below. The eyelids and mouth stand out as very lifelike.

David and his family are dedicated to the upkeep of their land and in so doing protecting the environment. It’s no surprise, therefore, to discover Myrtle, shown below in all her majesty.
This giant green turtle is made from a steel frame and then clad with around 200 crafted used tyres from cars, motorbikes and bicycles. She was then painted with recycled paints to give her a realistic look. At 4 meters long, 4.5 meters wide and 2.6 meters high she is a sight to behold.
This one statue highlights the single use plastic society we have become and the inherent dangers these items along with fishing nets, drinks bottles etc have on our sea life. Myrtle is as close to a living, breathing example of the damage we humans cause as I’ve probably seen on land. The polluting message is loud and clear.

The glass sculptures on display remind me of the The Sculpture Trail in the Forest of Dean. This four mile walk in one of England’s ancient woodlands sits on the other side of Gloucestershire across the River Severn.
The sculpture of emerging man feels like it is part of the “The Walking Men” figures that were cast in bronze by British sculptor Laurence Edwards at Blenheim Palace (see my previous Cotswold post –https://amidlifeadventure.org/2024/04/16/the-cotswolds-visiting-blenheim-palace

. This has been created by a different artist but still makes me feel like it has been born from the earth in front of me.

As you come to the end of the trail there are a couple of examples of more modern art with graffiti also having its place here at David’s park. I was pleased to see this included as when we are away travelling we will often stop and take photos of the street art.

And finally just in front of the cafe -The Poppin Tea Room is David’s masterpiece in my opinion. He is a scrap metal, recycling style artist and this piece is entitled Glastonbury Tree, maybe because it was displayed at the festival in 2019.

I would recommend a break at the cafe during your visit. The staff were super friendly and made great hot coffee to accompany the savoury snacks and cakes also available to buy.

I was never into art at school and still don’t have a massive interest in paintings but over my midlife years, with more time to explore, I have grown to appreciate photography and sculptures. I hope you enjoy a visit to this park in the future.
In the meantime I will be posting more photos on my Instagram so let me know which ones you like and if you have visited any other sculpture parks please let me know and I can add them to our travel itinerary.

Walking The South West Coast Path From Woolacombe to Saunton on the North Devon Coastline

As part of our jaunt to North Devon to visit RHS Rosemoor we also decided to complete another section of the South West Coast path.
As previously mentioned in my post regarding walking this path in Cornwall the South West Coast Path is the UK’s longest and best-loved National Trail. Stretching 630 miles from Minehead in Somerset it runs along the coastline of Exmoor, then North Devon and into Cornwall. It follows the entire coastline of Cornwall, goes across the mouth of the River Tamar and continues on to Devon. After running along the south coast of Devon it then follows the Dorset coastline before finally ending at Poole Harbour.

Wherever you live in the world, if you love hiking, enjoy coastal walks and the associated flora and fauna think about this challenge. You don’t have to do the full 630 miles, just choose a section that meets your needs, I promise you won’t regret it! southwestcoastpath.org.uk has all the details you need to start planning.

This section of the path from Woolacombe to Saunton covers between eight and nine miles and three beautiful beaches. It’s fairly easy going and follows the beautiful coastline although we diversified both at Woolacombe and Saunton in order to walk along the sand. This walk also forms part of the Tarka Trail, a 180 mile figure eight loop that explores North Devon.
We set off from the Watersmeet Hotel and followed The Esplanade with magnificent views out to the Atlantic Ocean. It’s weird I never seem to be able to look out on an ocean without trying to work out where I would land up if I set off from the coastline in front of me in a boat and just kept going. I’m guessing the Caribbean?

The coastal path, itself runs just below the Esplanade on the right and along the top of Combesgate Beach. The Barricane Beach Cafe soon comes into view. This little cafe is open every day but is well known for it’s curry nights. Check it out on Tripadvisor where it has a five star review status from nearly 1000 patrons.
The great expanse of Woolacombe beach is soon laid out before us and we reach the Woolacombe D-Day Memorial.

Unveiled in May 1992 the memorial consists of two tall irregular shape stones placed next to each other standing on a circular area made of bricks. One of the stones is rough-hewn and the other is smooth which holds five metal plaques that are inscribed in English in incised lettering. These shores were used to train American soldiers in preparation for the final invasion of Normandy and, as a consequence, The Assault Training Centre moved its headquarters from Grosvenor Square in London to Woolacombe along with many thousands of troops, landing craft and tanks.

It’s not long after this that the path branches off to the right and along Challacombe Hill Road before following Marine Drive on the right along the top of the beach.

We, however, remain on the sand and fortunately we have chosen a day where the rain stays away but it was still quite windy and I have to admit I have to admire the brave souls who actually decide to fulfil their holiday dreams and sit on the beach. Personally as part of the venture down onto the sands the attraction for me is watching the surfers. This is one of those sports that fascinates me. I’ve never been courageous enough to try it, mainly because I’m not that good a swimmer and the thought of being swept out to sea is my worse nightmare! However watching other people ride the waves does entrance me.

Continuing along the beach you get a glimpse of Lundy Island off in the distance. Lundy is owned by the National Trust and managed by the Landmark Trust. The island is three miles in length and only half-a-mile wide, but with it’s 4000 years of human habitation it offers an array of things to do for day-trippers. With a backdrop of stunning natural rugged beauty it is a walker’s paradise. Visitors can board a ship at either Bideford or Ifracombe with the crossing taking about two hours. They sail across at least three times a week and you can have between four and six hours to explore the island depending on the day you choose to travel.

Woolacombe Beach blends into Putsborough Beach and it is at this point we walk up into the car park to rejoin the actual coastal path. Shortly afterwards the path branches off along the headland to the right towards Baggy Point. This area owned by the National Trust is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geological features and is quite exposed. We found the path around the headland easy to follow and continued our walk onto Moor Lane where the NT Baggy Point car park is and we were soon on our way down into Croyde Bay. Turning right onto Beach Road we follow the coast path downhill onto Croyde Beach where it crosses right across the sand.

As you reach the end of the beach the path skirts around Simons House.

Anyone who has an interest in the programme “Grand Designs” will recognise this as the house that spiralled out of all control financially after the purchasers Edward and Hazel Short put their life savings into building their fantasy home on the coast. They had hoped it would change their lives for the better and give their two children a fabulous childhood. However more than twelve years later, the luxury home has been relisted for sale, once again, at the knockdown price of £5.5m and the couple’s marriage is over. Millionaire Mr Short is still paying off some of the money he borrowed for the ambitious project thought to have cost over £10m!

The coastal path skirts the main road (B3231) from this point onwards until you descend into Saunton Sands Car Park. As I stand on the beach looking back towards whence we have come I spot a small house tucked away above the main skyline. It looks like just the sort of place I would love to stay in, looking out onto the beach and the ocean beyond. Somewhere I could stay in quiet solitude and just read and write for a couple of a days. It certainly begins to trigger a desire for me to investigate further!

Saunton Beach isn’t very busy but I love the beautifully coloured beach huts just sitting there invitingly in the hope that someone will hire one for a day. There is a separate wooden kiosk just on the beach where you can make enquiries and if you glance directly behind you from here you will also spot the sea sauna hut? I’m not sure I would want to be in a sauna on a beach particularly when the English summer hits and the weather is hot and muggy!

Even though my legs are aching and I certainly won’t need any rocking to sleep this evening I’m glad we made the effort to complete this walk.

NB:
This is my second post about walking the South West Coast Path, why not check out the first one in Cornwall.
Please like and/or comment at will

Gardens of England and Wales -RHS Rosemoor

The English Royal Horticultural Society owns and runs five gardens scattered around the country in addition to organising and delivering some major horticultural shows throughout the year such as Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival etc. Check out their website for more details.
Having joined the society back in November 2023 it was my intention to visit at least three of these during 2024 and my first choice was Rosemoor. I chose this one first for no other reason than it was here in the West Country and gave us the opportunity to venture down to Devon for a couple of days.

As RHS members we get free entry to this beautiful garden nestled in a valley near Great Torrington in North Devon. Opening times and prices can be found on line. Please note dogs are not allowed with the exception of registered support dogs. We didn’t see any evidence of visitors having picnics so you might need to check this out beforehand. They do have several eateries which again can be accessed on their website.

Historically the Rosemoor Estate was gifted to the RHS in 1988 by Lady Anne Berry. At this point in time it consisted of the 18th-century house, the eight acre garden and 32 acres of pastureland.
Lady Anne Walpole was born in 1919; her father was the fifth (and last) Earl of Orford, Robert Horace Walpole. The first Earl of Orford, was the famous Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) who became Britain’s first prime minister in 1721; generations of the family have remained an established part of the British political, cultural and literary world throughout history.
In 1923, Lady Anne’s father bought Rosemoor as a salmon fishing lodge. When her father died in 1931, Rosemoor became home to Lady Anne and her mother and they lived here until World War II. At that time the garden was, as Lady Anne described it, ‘dull and labour-intensive, typically Victorian with a great use of annuals in beds around the house’.

During the war the house was used by the Red Cross as a refuge from the bombing for evacuees from London’s East End.
In 1939, Anne married Colonel Eric Palmer and returned to Rosemoor in 1945 with her family and ran the estate as a dairy farm for many years. Her inspiration for gardening was born accidentally whilst in Spain back in 1959. She was recuperating from measles, (caught from her children) and whilst there she met the plant collector and gardener Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram of Benenden in Kent. He was a great authority on Japanese flowering cherries and became her gardening mentor, opening her eyes to the beauty of a well tended garden. He invited her to his garden in Kent where she took some cuttings and young plants away with her to help start her own garden and plant collection back at Rosemoor. 

We decided to visit midweek and were immediately surprised at the welcome we received and advice given as to how to navigate our way around the garden utilising the paper map provided.
I was immediately struck by the layout which was similar to that which we had viewed in Spain the previous year. The first section of Rosemoor which is the formal gardens are like small garden rooms of which there are six. Self contained with more than 1,200 hedging yews and paths etc. to separate each area.

When the RHS took over Rosemoor they employed the vision and skills of landscape architects, Elizabeth Banks Associates, in order to create the formal garden out of the existing pastureland. First, the sloping site had to be re-graded to achieve a gentle fall to the river. More than 13,000 tonnes of soil were removed from the new entrance area and car park, and redistributed in the Formal Garden area to level off the site.

We began our walk at The Queen Mother’s Rose Garden which features modern hybrid tea roses and floribundas mixed with climbing roses and ramblers. Each rose has been chosen for their scent, stature and colour range. This garden sits adjacent to the Shrub Rose Garden which is planted with old traditional historical roses that have been blended with some modern shrub roses. Unfortunately we were too early in the season to see them in full bloom but other plants provide colour and interest before the roses start flowering.

The RHS is such a useful institution for gardening advice and I wish I had known this and joined before planting roses in my own garden. Being in the South West which has a warm, damp climate and a lack of air pollution means that roses grown here can be susceptible to diseases such as black spot. Rosemoor have, therefore, chosen varieties that are more disease resistance, that grow vigorously and are of a free-flowering nature. Having spoken to one of the gardeners on duty I did come away with a few tips to eradicate such diseases from a couple of my rose bushes.

Below the rose gardens are the Cold and Hot Gardens, again side by side. The Hot Garden is again at its best during the summer. Created by Roger Webster in 2007 the idea was to create prairie style planting, and many of the plants used are from the grassland habitats of North America. To give it more impact and intensity and to tie the design together bold blocks of the same plant are repeated throughout the garden.
During the summer months visitors can marvel at its beauty whilst also taking time to stop and take in the smells, sights and sounds including bees and other pollinators which give this whole area it’s own atmosphere.
The Cool Garden is centred around water and, therefore, for me a lot more attractive. It was created by multi-award-winning garden designer Jo Thompson and opened in July 2019. It is Rosemoor’s first and only garden designed around an ornamental water feature. The curved terrace, allows visitors to look down across the garden with five water blades that feed rills running through the area into a teardrop-shaped pond. This garden was specifically designed to deal with heavy rainfall and give home gardeners an opportunity to view the various techniques used if they too have gardens that suffer in this way.

There are around 3,000 plants in this garden with cool-coloured flowers of blue, white and pastel shades which contrast the more fiery shades next door in the Hot Garden, and continues the link between the two neighbouring areas.

We then moved across to the last two parts of the formal gardens – the Herb Pottage and Cottage Garden and above this the Foliage and Plantsman’s Garden.
The former was one of my favourite parts of this formal area maybe because it illustrates so well the types of gardens I saw as a child growing up in the countryside. One of the focal points is the thatched summer house (see photo above), wouldn’t we all like one of those in our garden? Built using traditional West Country techniques and materials the summer house is made from local oak and authentically constructed without the use of nails or screws, the walls are of wattle and daub.
Next to this is an ornamental kitchen garden which was historically seen during the French Renaissance period. Look around and you will also see grape vines on tall wrought iron arches and at the centre of all this is a lovely stone pond complete with fish and a statue of a small girl.

From the formal area we headed along the path behind these gardens and into the woods. Shafts of sunshine were making their way between the tree branches, the birds were singing around us and it was lovely to sit down on a strategically placed bench and just stop and listen to nature.
The path through the woods leads to the lake. Historically when the RHS took over here, for the first couple of years the gardens were just a sea of mud and this brought attention to the small stream that sprang up seasonally coming in from above the estate. Work was completed to divert this water and create dams to form small pools and waterfalls which ultimately led down into the lake. Plants were placed strategically around the lake and being able to hold 400,000 gallons of water also meant it could be used as a reservoir from which they could irrigate the garden.

From the lake we headed through the Devon Apple Orchard and onto the fruit and vegetable garden. As my interest in cultivating our garden at home has begun to ignite and reminiscent of the vegetable plot my parents had at the back of our house when I was a child growing up I have, myself, begun to cultivate edible produce. It’s early days but I currently have lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and strawberries, so I’m enchanted by everything they are growing here. Most of their produce is utilised in the various four eateries on site but strolling around my head is full of ideas of what I can do next year assuming my plants this year come to fruition.

We head back the way we have come and walk upwards past the Lower Rock Gully, Stream Garden and Rock Gully itself. I love the sound of water, however quiet or loud and so again take a minute to stop and admire this area before passing through the Underpass.

The underpass was built to link the new and the old gardens opening to visitors on 1 June 1990. Entering into this second area there is a circular path which winds its way around so you can either go clockwise, as we did, or anti-clockwise. The area to our right is Lady Anne’s Historic Garden including the arboretum.
Lady Anne was fastidious in recording the correct name of every plant and providing a historical record of its growth and cultivation. She began planting in 1959 and her arboretum contains a number of rare and unusual trees grown from wild-collected seed from Hurricane Valley in the USA.
The RHS continue to expand the collection, especially with trees and shrubs that contribute spring colour as you can see here.

It is also worth stopping to admire the view across the immaculately cut lawns to the house itself.

Reaching the house and tucked around the corner is a lovely little tearoom where we happily take a break and gorge ourselves on scones with jam and cream whilst sitting on the patio. Ignoring the fact we are in Devon, where the cream should go on first, we added jam and then cream which is the Cornish method.
Accustomed to visitors dropping crumbs the wildlife soon made an appearance with first a female thrush poking its nose out of the bushes, then a small mouse creeping out between the stones on the wall and this closely followed by this beautiful little robin. It had no fear and sat quite comfortably on the spare seat at our table awaiting a few titbits.

Rested we set off to complete our tour of this area by walking, firstly, through the Exotic Garden. I can’t imagine it is easy to grow these types of plants with English weather but tree ferns abound alongside bananas, hostas, lilies and cannas.

As we walk on around, above us stretches the Woodland Garden, lying between the woodland on the upper slopes and Lady Anne’s main garden. This steep, west-facing slope forms part of Lady Anne’s original garden, where some of Collingwood Ingram’s first cherry introductions still survive.
As the sky begins to blacken and rain starts to slowly fall we finish our tour at the Stone Garden. This section was actually designed by Lady Anne’s mother back in 1932 and was in fact the first area of hard landscaping. They built the walls from the lime kilns that stood at the edge of Rosemoor back in the 19th century and the paving made of slate came from the western boundary of the estate.

As the skies truly open we make a mad dash back to the entrance, sorry that we are leaving so quickly but really pleased we decided to visit.

NB:
This is the second of a series of posts I will be writing about Gardens in England. Since my visit last year to Keukenof in Holland (see my post -Keukenhof -Beauty, Imagination and Inspiration) it has sparked an interest in me to visit other beautiful spaces. As hubby loves to photograph flowers, bees, birds and just nature as a whole it gives us an opportunity to take some time out and just appreciate the calm that such spaces can give you.
I will also be writing a second post about the North Devon coastline which also formed part of this visit to the county of Devon

Gardens of England and Wales -Bowood House Woodland Trail

Bowood sits South-West of the town of Calne in Wiltshire, only a 30 minute drive away from Castle Combe which is at the southern tip of The Cotswolds. It’s a great place to add to your itinerary if you are around the area.
Before I begin, please note, this post is not about the house and gardens. I will be visiting those later this year but specifically about their annual Woodland Trail. This area of their expansive gardens has its own separate entrance off the A342, you can get the postcode from their website. It only opens during the flowering season so this year 12th April – 2nd June.
Parking is available, free of charge, adjacent to the Admissions Kiosk.

The Woodland Gardens cover 30 acres and focus on all the beautiful Spring flowers and shrubs that epitomise this season in the UK. We have missed the bluebell season which sees these traditional blue flowers poke through the grassy areas in abundance. The rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom showing their wondrous colours alongside the woodland pathways. The sweet, citrusy floral smell of magnolia trees permeate the air.
These gardens are considered to be one of the most exciting of their type in the country.

The actual estate is the home of the Lansdowne family, having been in residence since 1754. Bought by the 1st Earl of Shelburne, his descendants have lived here ever since. The second Earl received the title of Marquess of Lansdowne from King George III and his latest successor is Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne.

There are over two miles of pathways to meander and dogs are welcome but don’t forget to bring your poopy scooper!
We visited on the Saturday of a Bank Holiday weekend towards the end of the flowering season. With my RHS membership available to show the kiosk lady we only paid an entrance fee for hubby. We were given a lovely map of the pathways and advised that whilst some flowers may be going over, others were still in bloom. You can, therefore, choose to either take your own route or alternatively, as we did, follow the “Path of the Week” which promises an array of colour, scent and vistas.

As the map explains all the Walks and Rides are named after members of the family. The exceptions being Pauline’s Ride, named after the Hon. Mrs. Spencer-Clay, David’s Ride named after a retired Head Groundsman and Sir Henry’s Walk named
after a family friend. Heading off down Abbott’s Ride it isn’t long before we start snapping off some photos.

The weekly trail today, seems at first, to follow the outskirts of the woodland and so we continue onto Simon’s Ride before turning left along Lady Lansdowne for views across the pond. Circumnavigating the pond we soon reach the 250th Anniversary Magnolia Grove.
Various viewpoints are highlighted on the map and benches abound, which personally I love.

It gives you time to sit, admire the views or just listen to nature in all its abundance like the bees that are drawn to the wonderful magnolia trees.

The pathway named Lord Shelburne’s Walk leads onto Sir Henry’s Walk and this takes us around to the Mausoleum. This beautiful classical building was built in 1761 by the widow of the 1st Earl of Shelburne and was one of Robert Adam’s finest buildings. It is definitely worth going inside to marvel at the stonework and statues and experience the peace and tranquillity.

Continuing on the clearly marked weekly walk we head along Lady Shelburne’s Walk. In addition to benches throughout the gardens there are also grassy areas where, had we brought a picnic, we would have laid down our rug and taken a break in the sunshine.

Perusing the information about the gardens it is worth noting that recently over 30 original hardy hybrids which were thought to be extinct have been found here. The original plants date back to when the garden was first planted by the 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne in 1854. The present Marquis’s great grandfather substantially expanded the gardens on his return from India where he had been Viceroy.

Our walk takes us left and then almost immediately right into the Jubilee Gardens. This new addition to the Rhododendron Walks has required twelve years of dedicated, futuristic vision by the current Marquis who started planting in the wood that is known as ‘The Jubilee Garden’ in 2006.
There is a circular route around this part of the garden and I spot what I think is a wild orchid. I’m fairly new to gardens so I could be wrong but click off a photo just in case.

As we leave this section behind we head right and this takes us back to where we started.
The picnic tables clustered around “The Nosh Box” are now all full including one fairly large family who have laid out an enormous gastronomic delight of a lunch.
There are toilet facilities in this area and you can purchase coffee, tea and home-made cake. We decide to wave goodbye to the gardens though until next year. We would definitely return, maybe when the bluebells are out next time. We have opted to have a late lunch at a delightful farm cafe at the Allington Farm Shop which we’ve been to before and is on our way home.

NB:
This is the first of a series of posts I will be writing about Gardens in England. Since my visit last year to Keukenof in Holland (see my post -Keukenhof -Beauty, Imagination and Inspiration) it has sparked an interest in me to visit other beautiful spaces. As hubby loves to photograph flowers, bees, birds and just nature as a whole it gives us time to take time out and just appreciate the calm that such spaces can give you.