Great Dixter

Honestly the picture says it all.  After breakfast, and the discovery of a beautiful clothes shop called Les Animaux, hand dyed simple soft shirts and jackets, we went over to Great Dixter.  I had always wanted to visit and not only did it not disappoint, it blew my mind!  The profusion, the colours, the scent, the sound of bees and birds.  The peace. So much colour..so many plants,  it could have looked chaotic but instead was a blistering powerful sock-it-to-you whole.  The lawns were extraordinary,  meadows full of orchids (Common Spotted?) yellow rattle and buttercup with the corners edged with little chestnut hurdles that they made in the barn and sold for £25.   Over all in the garden the plants weren’t massively unusual, there was room for wildflowers in the mix, or maybe slightly cultivated versions of, eg the buttercups but the whole effect was nature on steroids. Not many roses and those there were were mainly climbers. 

We bought a few plants, at half the cost of a garden centre, asked some advice on mowing the lawn and was told by one of the young student gardeners not to ‘obsess’ about the flowers they had as we had a different soil type.  

We also went into the rooms that were open in the beautiful 15 Century house. There are lots of old barn buildings too and we could see swallows winging in and out. 

Enjoyed Christopher Lloyd’s collection of Alan Caiger Smith pottery..  

Dragged ourselves away and went to lunch at the vineyard of Tillington.  Lovely relaxed restaurant with a short set menu.  Beautiful view back to Rye, Winchelsea and beyond to Dungeness. 

In the afternoon we went back into Rye, bought a little table in an antique shop and went round a huge gallery of reclaimed furniture, eccentric antiques and paintings called The Monastery.  V had managed to contact the owner who was in Naples but told his housekeeper to let us in.   We were really after seeing the building but bought a little vase to show willing.  

Dinner in a nice seafood restaurant and then, as it was still quite early, watched a Ripley on the smart TV in our room.  The first time I’ve seen a smart TV in a hotel room that lets you sign into all your own accounts.  Well, one that works anyway. 

And it didn’t rain today and although it was quite grey and a bit windy it was nice being outside.  Result !