Life: June 2023

Sewing Stuff

Having made another sundress, I decided that I needed to get back into sewing for the summer and had a little fabric splurge at Minerva. I have plans for the white cotton (not seen) and orange pompom trim to be paired with some vintage fabric in a version of the FibreMood Kika dress. I'm not too sure about the floral fabric but it was too pretty not to buy! I may run up another Deer and Doe Myosotis.

Hauser & Wirth, Somerset

I first visited Hauser & Wirth last August when the Henry Moore exhibition was on. Earlier this month I took my mum and the exhibition Gruppenausstellung was not so "mum-friendly". However, the gardens are always a treat, as is the farm shop...if you go prepared to spend a fortune!

Blue Pool

We visited Blue Pool near Wareham on Father's Day. My husband delivered pinks to them many years ago (we worked out it must be about 35) and vividly remembers how blue the water was. So it probably wasn't the best idea to go when we have had one of the driest stretches of weather and the water level of the pool was low, however at certain angles it is very blue. This is due to the mineral deposits left from the clay mining.

There are some lovely shaded walks around the grounds and it is apparently possible to spot deer (we didn't). There are lots of things to keep children entertained too such as fairy doors.

There is a charge to enter, and there are toilets, a café, a play area and gift shop on the site.

Kingston Lacy

A classic National Trust house, garden and parkland. It was amazing to think that someone still lived there until the 1980s. I didn't actually think much of the house - they are often my least favourite part of visiting a National Trust property. But I really did enjoy the gardens, especially the Japanese garden and acer area, and on to the kitchen garden which is still a work in progress.

Japanese garden

Shepherd's Hut, Lytchett Minster

We had a little mini-break ostensibly to visit Brownsea Island (I'll cover that in another post) and I was not feeling flush enough to pay for a hotel for two nights, so I found a shepherd's hut on a campsite not far from Poole. 

Considering how hot the weather was, the hut was actually pretty cool, and came equipped with a two burner stove, a fridge, a coffee machine, kettle & toaster. It was such a comfortable little base, with the only downside being that the toilet/bathroom amenities were a walk away to the block. The campsite itself was very impressive and given how many people were there, incredibly quiet.

Haldon Forest

To close my week off, I drove down to Exeter for a little solo walk in the cool shade of Haldon Forest. We used to take the boys mountain biking here, and there are some cracking trails. My walk was the Butterfly trail which was marked as 6km. I did see lots of butterflies - some dancing in the sunlight between trees, others on the bracken and grassy stretches. I'm not great at identifying them.

This is a great centre for walks or cycling, and there is lots of parking (RingGo app) and a cafe on the site.

Love Mrs Jones x