Sissinghurst Castle, Kent

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27the April - Sissinghurst Castle is one of the most famous and delightful gardens in the British Isles.

Sissinghurst Castle garden was created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson who transformed the ruins of this Elizabethan mansion and gardens in the 1930s. The castle tower dating from the 16th century is virtually all that remains of the grand Manor House.

People come from all over the world to see the Garden which is administered by the National Trust.

The garden is divided into a series of rooms filled with informal arrangements of plants around a theme: the White Garden, the Purple Border, the Rose Garden, the Herb Garden, the Lime Walk, and the Cottage Garden.

The White Garden with rosa mullingani has cascades of white flowers and is surrounded by other white and grey plants.

View from the tower

View from the tower

One of many borders full of colour

Robin I suspect many have sat on this bench to eat their lunch and given a treat

Dagenham Chase

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May 11th - Two common terns showed well on Chase Waters, unfortunately there was only one post in the water and they both wanted to sit on it!

Common Tern Chase Waters

The Conductor!

Common Terns Chase Waters

Common Terns Chase Waters

Common Tern Chase Waters

Common Tern Chase Waters

Great Crested Grebe Bardag Lake

Horse on Crowfoot marsh

Mallard family on Eastbrook Pond

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

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19th October - We spent most of the day walking around the gardens of Sheffield Park in East Sussex. We were lucky with the weather being dry, bright and warm. This is a landscape created over centuries with four lakes at its heart and surrounded by magnifiecent trees.

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Leaves as large as golf umbrellas

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Dawn on one of the many bridges

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Sheffield Park, East Sussex

Coco found a tree which was much more her size!

Thursley Common

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22nd April and I spent a few hours with 'Colin' the cuckoo at Thursley Common in East Sussex. To say he showed well is an under statement, he was even more confiding than when I went to see him a few years ago. Fantastic bird 😊

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Stonechat

Fox in the garden

5th June - Click on photo for a larger image

We knew there were foxes around, especially at night but this is the first time one has come so close to the house and in daylight!

Fox crossing garden path

Fox on our fence

Fox peeking out from behind the salvia 'hotlips'