In between the blood, monsters and dead-things, i do enjoy a day off, and a coupla Sundays back we were blessed with full-hat-on sunny weather. So we piled into my mums car for a belated birthday trip to Biddulph Grange Gardens.
Biddulph Grange was 'created' over 150 years ago, as a series of gardens within a garden, each with it's own distinctive theme and character.
I know, i know, that might sound REAL scary, all walking sticks, varicose veins and hearing aids, and hardly where you'd picture a skulking 'lord of the dark ink', especially in daylight. But, Biddulph Grange is one of my favourite places in the whole world, well, the whole world I've seen.
First time i visited was around 10 years back, just after I'd met me gal, Suzanne. She used to live 20 minutes from the gardens, knew it well. Me, lived in Staffordshire all my life, and never heard of the place. So Suzanne took me for a visit, and it was one of the most non-illegal-drug highs I've ever experienced.
Walking around it's eccentric landscape i forgot about the drab and ordinary, and felt like i was walking into a Lewis Carrol story; an Egyptian Courtyard complete with sphinx and pyramid and obelisk-shaped trees; an oriental garden, temple, bridge and Joss House, a Dragon Parterre and a Golden Buffalo; tunnels, stone stairways, hidden paths; a lake, and brooks snaking thru plants and flowers from all over the world, and quiet. Lots of quiet.
Like there was a giant muffler over the grounds.
No noise, no litter, no fat mums with crap tattoos and 6 squawking kids, no chavs in shellsuits swigging cheap cider, just folk soaking it all up, and letting the day just take it's time...slowly.
And the place was still THAT place, just more in bloom.
A blissful day, made all the better since we spent it with my parents, who i don't see as much as i should.
And the tea room serves killer scones!
Normal service will be resumed next time, y'know, zombies, tentacles, etc.
1 comment:
Your garden is huge !!!
Post a Comment