Friday 19 August 2016

West Sussex ....


After a lovely week in Wiltshire we went on our way to West Sussex and had a stop at the garden centre Wyevale in Crawley.
 Where not only we had a latte with delicious cake, but also bought some plants including this gorgeous Oriental Poppy ....




Next stop before reaching our cottage for the upcoming week was the lovely village Amberley .... 





 With its own Amberley Village Tearoom ....




Where we had a delicious high tea in the most gorgeous setting ....




The next day we braved the climb to Leith Hill to admire the views from the highest point in South-East England ....






This was our view before the heavens opened ....




Another destination I already decided at home I really wanted to visit was Monk's House .
Not only was I impressed by the beautiful garden but also the atmosphere as if the Woolf's still live there.
I would love to share all the beauty seen at this house and garden in another blog post with you.
So for now a photo of the wonderful conservatory ....




When in East Sussex a visit to the town Lewes is a real must. With the most gorgeous homes on every corner ....




And shops of course, one of my favourite must be this one Closet & Botts ....




Following so much people on Instagram and sharing my travels daily with them resulted in many tips for the best spots to visit.
Like having lunch at this lovely place, Flint Owl Bakery ....




After the day spend in this lovely town (and spend way to much money) we went to Ditchling Beacon and adored the panoramic views ....








And on our way back this field full of poppy's as a wonderful bonus ....




After my question on Instagram where to go for my search for another piece of Hogben Pottery , I was sent to a store in the village Cranleigh .
How much fun my visit to this gorgeous shop One Forty turned out to be. Not only I bought a lovely jug, but more important meeting the lovely Steph, who I follow on Instagram for a long time now, in person.
It was such a wonderful surprise to meet this lovely lady and also how she arranged the 'VIP treatment' to have a first look at the just arrived stock that didn't even made it to the store yet.
How I love this little community in my phone ....




It makes the jug even more special, because every time I'll fill it with flowers reminds me of this wonderful day ....




Steph also told me I should really visit a village near, called Shere thinking I would really like it. She was so right, it was a shere delight ....




Lovely shops, cottages and (cottage) gardens ....




How time flies when you are having fun because before we knew it was already our last day. I couldn't leave before I payed a visit to the gorgeous shop of Lucy, The Country Brocante Store in Midhurst .... 




And couldn't leave before buying this lovely vintage Birds book first .... 




On our way back to the cottage we passed the picturesque village Petworth .... 






Where there's still village life with all those little shops and where everyone seems to know each other ....






What a pleasant surprise it was to also drive past thelovely Wisborough Green I know from the Vintage on the Green through facebook.
We've sat at the pond feeding the ducks, so tranquil and the perfect way to end a wonderful holiday ....








Home again where these beauties (also bought at the garden centre in Crawley) every time I enter my front door, reminds me of a wonderful holiday ....



And at the same time realising how fortunate we are, because tonight we're leaving for our next break .... on our way to la douce France!

Happy Friday, have a lovely weekend.

Anita
 ~xo~ 

Friday 5 August 2016

Our annual escape on the border of Dorset and Wiltshire ....



After a long wait it was finally time for our annual escape. We left with rain but once on the ferry the sun broke through ....





After have spend our first day in West Sussex to visit The Country Brocante Fair we arrived on our first cottage the next day.
We were both a bit flabbergasted because the cottage situated on Heath House Farm was a real gem, inside and out ....  




With gorgeous views around the whole house ....




And felt at home as soon as we entered ....








With lovely surroundings on our doorstep .... 




There where even lovely books to relax with, especially this book of Reader's Digest  ....




The view from our window on the garden of the owners ....




And enough wildlife to photograph ....




I especially loved this one, hard to photograph because of his speed and not common in my home country, the Pied wagtail ....




And still my all time favourite, the little Robin ...




So much beautiful city's to visit, like Bath where we indeed needed an umbrella ....




And beautiful Bristol ....




Another one on my to-do list was a visit to the wonderful town Frome ....







With the gorgeous street Catherine's Hill ....




Full of quaint shops, even one with a sewing school ....






And not unimportant I found my first keepsake in this street, this lovely small jug from




The perfect way to unwind, connecting in line behind number 49 ....




Before we started our climb towards Cheddar Gorge ....




And this was only just the beginning ....




Being observed during our climb ....




Despite the height still so much to see ....






And as a wonderful reward this magnificent view ....




When we came back to the parking area this one was waiting for us to share our bread ....




The next day we visited the picture perfect Castle Combe ....




With lovely details everywhere .... 









In love with these cream foxgloves so I took some seeds from Sarah Raven home with me ....




Real front door envy ....








But what I loved most was this small stall in front of a house with homemade cakes and just couldn't resist to buy some which really tasted delicious ....





The beautiful village church ....








and beautiful cemetery ....




Having the privilege to actually live here ....




But I would also settle for this so easily ....




From one beautiful village to another, lovely - and often used as a television and movie set like Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey - Lacock ....




Where you really go back in time with for instance this lovely bakery ....




Not only by interior but also by the clothing ....






On our last day we visited the beautiful estate Stourhead which was so overwhelming I really think it deserves a blog post of its own ....




Couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to this wonderful area with a visit to the beautiful town Shaftesbury , which treated us with this view ....




I would love to share our next stop, our almost second home county West Sussex, next time with you.


Till then, have a lovely weekend!

Anita
 ~xo~