Flutterby Patch

Amazing trees, Levens Hall and a little black dog.

The autumn tints in the garden are wonderful when the sun is shining but leaves are flying everywhere today as cold north-westerlies tell us to put on our coats and scarves. 

Our house sits on a hill so parts of the garden are on a slope which can make lawn mowing quite challenging at times.

Say "hello" to our friendly old Scots pine tree. Just look at his facial expression! A wise old thing, he has watched over this spot for over 250 years and seen the world change a great deal during his lifetime.

A family of squirrels plus numerous birds and insects live amongst his gnarled branches.

He is very generous with his pine cones which look very festive at Christmas time. 

By far the tallest tree in our garden the old Scots pine is at the mercy of strong winds and last year lost several huge limbs which crashed to the ground during a storm. See how damaged and bald he now is down the left-hand side but he carries on growing unperturbed.

A shapely young yew

Close to the old pine gentleman is this young yew tree. It has grown from a berry that was deposited by a bird some 15 years ago. My husband wanted to transplant it to a more suitable position but I had other plans... Topiary! Once it had reached 5 ft high I began shaping it with secateurs. Unfortunately I'm not sure what shape I'm aiming at. It has the appearance of a figure with a head, so the pieces that have sprouted from the top this year might become a convincing hat next year. I haven't yet made up my mind.

Before I resume clipping I will look for inspiration in this excellent topiary book by David Joyce

 
Now this is what I call real topiary. Aren't those shapes amazing? These yew trees have been cut to shape for the past 300 years and are part of a world famous topiary garden close to where I live.

Levens Hall

  
The topiary garden belongs to Levens Hall in Cumbria. The house dates from the year 1250 and has been lived in by the same family for many centuries. If you have seen the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 'Wives and Daughters' then you will be well acquainted with Levens Hall as its intereior and topiary garden were used for the many scenes shot at 'Hamley Hall'. 

When I first saw the film I was amazed just how much of the house and its original antique faurniture was used. The Hall is awash with mellow oak panelling and carving. Shown above is the Elizabethan Great Hall and staircase.

Above the fireplace can be seen the coat of arms of
Queen Elizabeth I

How I should love to have a meal in this dining room. The walnut dining chairs date from the time of Charles II (1660 - 1685) and are considered to be among the finest in the country. This dining room was used several times in the making of the film and I'm convinced these were the very same chairs that the characters sat on. I hope they were well insured!

This bay window is part of the drawing room. In 'Wives and Daughters' you see it first when Molly visits Mrs Hamley who is resting on her day-bed.

This is known as the Redman Bedroom and was used as Mrs Hamley's room in the film.

  
A visitor to Levens Hall will enter through the central door directly into the Great Hall. It is open to the public from April to October every year and, if you hadn't already guessed, it is one of my favourite places to visit. None of the rooms are overpoweringly large and all show evidence that a family is in permanent residence. Clocks tick and strike the hour and sweet smelling flowers picked from the garden sit on beautiful antique furniture. I love it!

This painting of the Hall and topiary garden was done over 100 years ago in 1870. On the extreme left you can see a wonderful cedar of Lebanon tree.

In 2005, 135 years after the painting was finished, disaster struck when this lovely old Cedar of Lebanon was blown over in a gale. It crashed down in the direction of the ancient topiary garden but thankfully narrowly missed most of the famous yew trees (this picture appeared in our local newspaper at the time). Clearing the garden of debris, repairing structural damage and replanting lost plants took many months.

Of course Levens Hall garden has a lot more to offer the visitor than just topiary. Head gardener, Chris Crowder, has produced a very colourful book that will guide you round. He was once resident gardener on the children's TV programme 'Blue Peter' but moved to Levens Hall in 1986.

When I passed Levens Hall last week the sign on the gate read 'Closed for the season' so I stood beside these giant gateposts and photographed the ancient Hall from a distance (below). How different it looks now that the public has left and the grounds are empty. All was silent except for the wind in the trees and it all felt a bit spooky and mysterious. I decided I wouldn't want to be there on my own at night.

When I got home I discovered from the guide book that Levens Hall does have a number of ghosts so I definitely won't be returning at night. I read about the Grey Lady; a gypsy who was refused admission to the house and who as a result died of starvation. Her ghost is seen on the drive and on the bridge over the river. A Pink Lady wearing a mob cap is seen from time to time in the main hall and finally a Little Black Dog. Apparently he frquently runs upstairs in front of unwary guests who, as a result, hunt in vain for him in their bedrooms. You can find out more about Levens Hall from their splendid website.

Knitting ghosts!

I like the idea of a little black dog running by, he sounds very appealing. As today is Halloween I have for you a little black dog knitting pattern. He doesn't look very ghost-like I'm afraid, but he is definitely in a hurry!

His companion 'the little white dog' is also a cute little fellow.

This chart can be used for knitting or cross stitch embroidery.

 

On my desk Wednesday - Bunnykins and balls of wool

On my desk this Wednesday I have a sweet Bunnykins mug which was given to my daughter when she was very small. I'm happy to say it isn't chipped or cracked and has never been in the dishwasher so has retained its original vivid colours. Together with some balls of wool and needles you might have an idea about what is brewing. All will be revealed in my next post in a few days time.

 

Great fun! 'On my desk Wednesday' has a number of 'players' worldwide. All that is required is a shot of your desk and a bit of chat about the kinds of things you are currently working on. Click here for more details and a list of the other players.

The sun came out! 
I'm aware that we Brits are well known for moaning about our weather. Its a reputation we are happy to live with as the weather really is worth moaning about quite a bit of the time and anyway, moaning tends to make us feel a lot better. I live in England's north west corner, the land of lakes and mountains that many of you will have seen in the recent 'Miss Potter' film. Westerly winds blow a constant stream of rain clouds off the Atlantic and as a consequence we have plenty of rain. 

This year has been particularly wet and this week's weather forecast is gloomy to say the least, but this morning I looked out to see patches of blue in the sky and the sun shining on our lovely tulip tree. I hurriedly picked up my camera and captured the scene before it disappeared.

Within a couple of minutes grey clouds came scudding across and rain was falling yet again.

In autumn the leaves are a glorious butter yellow

 
The backs of the leaves collect rain drops that sparkle like diamonds when the sun comes out

A tulip tree (official name - Liriodendron tulipifera) is a native of eastern North America but it is grown all around Britain. In warm sunny conditions it will produce pretty cup-shaped flowers in June and July. Needless to say we have yet to see any! We planted this tree as a youngster 18 years ago. In 1992 visiting roe deer tore the bark from right around the trunk. Under normal circumstances this kind of damage would quickly kill a tree but I took the law into my own hands and stuck the bark back on with freezer tape. This waterproof layer protected the damaged area long enough for the tree to recover and now, as you can see, it is a handsome healthy specimen.

Major upheaval, good result.

A chance remark to my husband has resulted in many weeks of dust, noise and general chaos. This little stone birdbath outside our study window attracts all kinds of birds and its fun to watch them splashing and bathing, especially in warm weather (I wish). Last April, in a mad enthusiastic moment, I said to my husband "Wouldn't it be lovely to have a new French window in the study that would give us a better view of the garden".

When it comes to the possibility of DIY I can rely on my splendid spouse to make an immediate beeline for his toolbox and begin exploring all kinds of possibilities, especially if the idea requires demolition work and a new window certainly would. Along with the old window, large parts of the outside wall would need removing. The walls are solid stone and 2ft thick so the job would require plenty of stamina and staying power.

And so the idea began to take shape and a new oak French window was made by our clever local joiner. Cupboards, fireplace, radiator, wall sockets (and keyholes) were all sealed behind a protective layer of plastic and in August work started. Over the weeks dust has managed to find its way into every available orifice and now several weeks down the line it has invaded the entire house.
     


But thankfully we are on the home straight and the original oak floor, until now hidden by carpet. is being polished.

The walls have been painted and the new window frame has been varnished.

And after all the upheaval and expense I'm happy to say we love the result and do get a much better view of the garden. The birdbath, as you can see, sits centre stage. So now I'm looking forward to being able to sit down with a nice cup of tea and good book and watch the playful birds enjoying the birdbath as I first imagined all those months ago. I will invite you back when its finally finished.