One of the joys of sharing fragments of your life on social media is the heartwarming contacts you get through it.
When I posted a picture of last year's holiday in England on my Facebook page and expressed how I looked forward to our upcoming visit, the Dutch florist Martin from Martin & the Magpie invited us for a cup of coffee if we were in the neighbourhood.
Because we loved to respond to this invite we adjusted our route from Devon to West Sussex in order to visit the beautiful town Hungerford , the hometown of Martin and his young family, but also where his beautiful flower shop is located.
Because the young family was recently rejoiced with the birth of another beautiful (second) son we took a small gift with us.
It was so much fun to meet Martin in person and to see how - as he himself said - belonged here. Not in the least because of his lovely wife Emma who made him come to England in the first place. But also the feeling he was really at home in England, an emotion I understand so well because it also feels like my second home by now.
I really loved his shop with all its gorgeous homegrown flowers from their own walled garden but also the vintage pieces they sell.
Having first taken a bunch of homegrown lavender with us we continued our way to our cottage in Sussex ....
This was our first view when we arrived at our next stay this year , Willow Cottage ....
And what about our kitchen view ....
The owners of this beautiful cottage were so very friendly and hospitable and always have time for a chat.
When Steve saw me taking pictures of this gorgeous field he told me that his last crop potatoes wasn't great and he had planted this gorgeous Phacelia to improve the soil.
A nice extra was that it also attracts these lovely creatures .....
After seeing a beautiful picture on Instagram of a meadow full of flowers in the Nature Reserve Levin Down - and as it was close where we were staying - we made an attempt to go for a walk over there but had not much luck finding it.
Having another very hot day we decided to have a drink in the nearest pub The Partridge Inn in the beautiful village Singleton with the most loveliest cottages.
Oh yes I definitely would settle for something like this as a second home ....
In the pub we got into a talk with a very lovely couple who gave us directions to the Nature Reserve we were looking for and again we started our hike and were soon welcomed and checked by this one ....
And after we were "approved" finished the lunch which we clearly had interrupted ....
And soon we found what we were looking for ....
There's an excellent mix of woodland, grassland and scrubland in this area and this is one of the reasons for the outstanding biodiversity achieved by Nature Reserve . Therefore butterflies are the star of the show at Levin Down ....
And here it is, a gorgeous meadow with all sorts of field flowers, my ultimate image of Summer ....
One of the reasons to end our holiday in West Sussex was to visit the annual Summer Fair from the Country Brocante and meet all the lovely ladies who attend this lovely fair ....
But before going to Petworth we first visit the Farmers Market in Hastings to see a lovely lady I follow on Instagram.
Meet Jaki of Perfectly Preserved whose delicious hand made seasonal jams go around the world.
How much fun it is to meet the people in your phone in person ....
Then we drove to the wonderful fair at Petworth and have met so much people in the most gorgeous setting ....
Outside some souvenirs for family and friends I bought this tiny cup and saucer from the lovely Hayley from Will and Bea - perfect for some snippets of my - so it seems - unstoppable sweet peas ....
The ticket not only permitted a visit to the fair at the park but also included a visit to the house which already looked impressive from the outside ....
Not to mention the beautiful garden ....
First we approached the servants quarters which contains fascinating kitchens and other service rooms.
It felt like we landed in an episode of Downton Abbey and could bump into Mrs Patmore any time ....
All kinds of bake molds which I think the participants of The Great British Bake Off would be jealous of ....
Lovely details everywhere ....
Could picture Mr.Carson easily in the long hallway using this ....
The impressive carved room ....
and the even more impressive view over the glorious parkland ....
Very curious whats upstairs but unfortunately not accessible for visitors ....
How beautiful is this garden view ....
So much space around it ....
It really took me back in time with all its grandeur ....
With only one more day left and also want to enjoy the lovely garden of our hosts we decided for a short drive to the nearby town Arundel and its Castle and Gardens ....
And imagined myself in vintage heaven because of all the lovely shops ....
To give you an idea of the size of the garden ....
Gorgeous roses everywhere ....
Our view of the pond ....
Love it when I gain all sorts of inspiration during the holidays and one of them this year is having raspberries in my garden next year ....
Because the owners allow you to walk around the whole garden we discovered there was more to the pond as our first look let us believe ....
It was such a relaxing spot. Not only by its gorgeous surroundings, the beautiful cottage which is even prettier then the website shows. And of course the lovely couple and their daughters who gave us such a great welcome.
But also this one, who paid us a visit a couple of times during the day, meet Willow ....
During one of our conversations Steve asked me what it was that made me love his country so much. He responded quite surprised when I said that not only the beautiful scenery but also its friendly inhabitants made me fall in love with England.
To me Steve and his lovely wife Deb are exactly the representatives of that feeling without even noticing themselves, says enough don't you think!
We've really unwind during our stay and the fact to have to wait another year to return makes me really sad.
I think the next video says it all, the countryside makes you take everything slow ....
P.s. To keep the memory alive I tried to bake the rock cakes we've tasted for the first time on this holiday and they were approved by the men in the house. I already shared a picture on Instagram of my bake and for the ones who asked for the recipe here it is ....
Bon appetit! (just practising my french a little)
Have a lovely weekend,
Anita
~xo~
