Bodiam Castle

Come with me and enjoy a trip around Bodiam Castle. This was our second visit of the day after Bateman's.
In 1385 Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a soldier of fortune, began the building of Bodiam Castle. He wanted to show off his power and wealth, as well as to defend the surrounding countryside. Debate continues over whether Bodiam was a fortress, a grand and comfortable house, or both. It's setting was a working estate with farmland, wharf and flour mill.
It was also elaborately landscaped with ponds and pools as well as the moat. These both added to the defences and made a picturesque scene to impress visitors.
Let's go on up and walk around before taking a look inside.

Just imagine getting caught under the Portcullis

These fireplaces heated something

Up one of the many spiral staircases

Indoor fireplace

At least it is not outside

Windows and doors

There would not be any glass of course

but probably shutters

Looking down inside from the battlements

Looking down outside from one of the towers

We are off to Scotney House and Castle next

after a nice afternoon tea

An Award Amongst this week's Garden

This award was sent to me by Lavinia Lady Slipper

Thank you Lavinia I am honoured

It is always difficult passing these awards on

This time I am passing it on to 3 fairly new blogging contacts

The first is to Lavinia. I am sending it back to her as she has such an interesting blog. Lavinia tackles many different subjects and her heart of compassion comes through.

Secondly to Nanatrish Trish is a very new blogger and before she got started she was not very confident about it. However she is now up and running and finding much to blog about.

Thirdly I am sending this award to Kristen. For Kristen it is just 3 months since she had surgery for a brain tumour. Reading her story is an inspiration and the faith of her whole family come through on her blog.

My garden at the moment as it is continuing to come to life

We are still experiencing very wet weather

and much of the garden is looking very sorry for itself

I do so love this Rock Rose (Cistus) and hate to see it getting so battered down with the heavy rain and losing it's petals within hours

It is about 8 ft tall and 8 ft wide


The water is receeding



Deutia

The rambling roses are suffering



The Tea roses are waiting for the sun

Variagated Photinia

Diablo

Took this before the last bout of rain

We still have severe weather forcast with lots more rain

BATEMAN'S - Rudyard Kiplings Home

On a recent day out we managed to visit 3 National Trust venues and the lovely village of Burwash. The reason we could manage so much in one day is because we have visited all of these places before so we were going over familiar ground.

For this post we are visiting Bateman's, the home of Rudyard Kipling.

Rudyard Kipling described Bateman's, his family home from 1902 - 1936, as "a real home to settle down for keeps" . Built in 1634 of the local sandstone, this dignified home excuded the calm tranquility Kipling needed to write, and the gardens and surrounding countryside became the inspiration for much of his work.

Today the house is shown as it was in his time, filled with the traces and memories of his extraordinary life and work. His study overlooks the Dudwell Valley and it was here that he wrote 'Puck of Pook's Hill' and 'Rewards and Fairies'.

My own childhood memories of Kipling were through the Jungle Books which I Ioved and my favourite poem of his is "IF". This poem was voted Britain's favourite a couple of years back.

The House from the front lawn

followed by views from different angles

amongst the formal gardens

Kipling designed and built this pond after winning The Nobel Prize for literature

See the Oust House to the left

These were used as a free standing Kiln for drying Hops

This one has had a Dovecote placed on the top and it is now part of the Gift shop

The Orchard

Some views of the Wild Garden

The Gift shop

Kiplings 1928 Rolls Royce

There was a lot of reflection on the glass surround to get a good picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stood and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can walk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
by Rudyard Kipling

Kipling never got over the death of his son having got special permission for him to be accepted into the army (even though he had been rejected initially because of poor eyesight)

He was traumatised to learn of the death of his son while fighting in World War I

This was portrayed vividly in the recent film

My Boy Jack

May Endings - Gardens and More

I just happened to look across at my microwave oven one day this week

and realised that it reflected out to the side of my garden

so out came the camera

This is what the oven was reflecting

It has been a very wet week and not a time for being outside

Three days and nights of almost continuious rain and then a thunder storm

with continuing heavy showers

I was glad that I managed to get a day and a half's gardening in before the rain

One minute I was concerned that the garden was drying out and cracking

too early in the season

and then the borders were again under water

It is certainly not easy working on clay soil

but the roses love it

So too wet to go out or garden

but a great opportunity to get on with spring cleaning

It was the back sitting room this time and quite a lengthy task with 400 books to remove from the shelves in this room and 4 pairs of floor length curtains to be washed and ironed due to having wall to wall windows on 2 sides of this room

The previous week we had a long day out where we visited

3 National Trust places in one day

Pushing it a bit I know but 2 were in the same area and 1 was on the way home

I'll be posting on them soon

At present both my children are out of the country

my son in Spain and my daughter in Toronto for work

It must be so hard for Mum's whose children live abroad

So greetings to everyone and I hope you all have a good weekend