Wandering again - Stowe Gardens in the spring

[byslantedlight]

I don't seem to have a spring icon - very remiss of me, because it's definitely spring. Today was a going-out-and-exploring day, and so I headed for my new most-local National Trust place - Stowe, which is about half an hour away. It was a not-sure day, all grey clouds with flashes of blue, and not cold but looking as if it should be...

The visitor centre is actually beside what was once basically the pub that catered for people going to visit Stowe's landscaped gardens - New Inn is all its called, but in fact they've done a lovely job of setting the rooms up just as I imagine they might have been. Look - Doyle left his jacket slung over the chairback while he had dinner with Bodie... *g* And their coats, hanging up beneath the stairs. I suspect they took rooms for the night, don't you? They may not have used them both, of course... *g*

I imagine one of them sitting down at this desk to pen an urgent note for London - to Cowley, of course... *g* And the kitchen, where it all happened. Where what all happened? Well I don't quite know yet, but somehow it was such very strongly 1700s lads in this place that something must have happened... *vbg*

Here's the house itself, seen from the (long!) path from the New Inn. It wound around the lake and the many follies and constuctions landscaped around...

There was a wee waterfall, with purple flowers... ...and a shadowy garden door in the woodlands...

I love the blue of these flowers... ...and the gorgeous yellow of the daffs!

Stowe house is actually a school (private, natch) but it was open for timed tours today, so I decided I should! My favourite room... *g* The pics were taken upwards only, because it is actually the school library, and there were students at the desks (we were only allowed in briefly and quietly).

Stark lines and shining curves...

It was also - shades of MWnP - the school sports day, and there were refreshments being laid out for the parents and visitors (not us, unfortunately!) (Argh, I meant to straighten that first pic and forgot - now it's all uploaded and late at night and all...)

Just imagine this being your school - walking through these rooms just as a matter of course... ...it'd definitely give you a particular view of the world, wouldn't it!

This is where the kids have dinner... ...and here's a hallway...

I liked these figures at one of the windows, too.

Meanwhile outside, it was spring green - the other side of these blossoms was a golf course that the students clearly used at will! We saw what looked like Year 7s (11-12 years old) pulling golf carts around! And another view of the house, across the water this time.

It was all nice and relaxing to wander around, like time out of time when there was nothing real to think about for just a while - lovely! And then I went and checked out a music shop (looking for a new fiddle teacher), braved Ikea but then didn't brave it after all, cos I couldn't face lugging home the size of the boxes I need, and then ventured into Waitrose and managed to come out having spent not much more than I meant to, this time. Honestly, supermarkets are deadly... Later I put in my first Riverford-here order, to try and avoid the supermarket-thing! And now I must to bed - I'm almost finished Jigsaw Puzzle, and after watching Runner last night, I carried on to watch A Hiding to Nothing tonight - it's nice to have some lads back in my world, too!