Stowe House and Garden
“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
L.M. Montgomery ‘Anne’s House of Dreams’
As soon as summer began.. it seems to have come to a close. Across the countryside, the once noisy fields are silenced. Harvest is over. The harrowed fields gutted, exposing a changed landscape. Some are left fallow. Soon the pheasants will emerge, darting haphazardly in the road.
The sun casts shadows across the garden where it meets the hedge ripe with rosehips. I watch blackbirds fly across the sky. In the pastures, the cows enjoy these fleeting days before they return to the barn for the winter. My dahlias have a few weeks left in them, I hope, before the frost claims them. It might dip into freezing temps soon. A few roses are in blooms. A reminder of the summer, this beautiful summer and the gifts that it gave us.
Before the summer came to a close, I took the kids to Stowe National Trust site. A stunning house and parkland sits on the edge of Northamptonshire. In all my years here, I’d only passed the exit to the house but had never been. After having visited, I can’t believe we waited so long. Our time was brief. One could spend hours wandering this expansive parkland. We will be back.
The scale and beauty of Stowe have attracted visitors for over 300 years. Picture-perfect views, winding paths, lakeside walks and temples create a timeless landscape, reflecting the changing seasons. Full of hidden meaning, the gardens were created as an earthly paradise and continue to cast their spell today.
