Inspiration

D O R S E T

A month has passed since the last blog - and despite this cold April, here we are, tipping into May - and that extraordinary realisation that in one more month, we are half way through the year. How is that quite possible?

We've been away (of which more later), but in the meantime, this was the sparkling array of Charlie's tulips that greeted a visitor to the Old Parsonage at the beginning of the month.  Spectacular fireworks!
Please note, Sibyl sunning herself:
We came up to London one weekend early in the month, to see friends visiting from America - Charlie bought a bucket of flowers up in the car.

Pretty spectacular!

C O P E N H A G E N

Then, we went on a wonderful long weekend to Copenhagen, which has been on my list of places to visit for SO long that I've lost count.

We landed early on a Saturday morning and after chatting to our taxi driver who was driving us into the city centre - we made a different plan - to go straight out to the beautiful Frilandsmuseet Open Air Museum.  Covering some 75 acres, it has hundreds of amazing historical buildings that have been re-erected here from all over Denmark (and some from Sweden) - since it was founded in the later 19th century.   What an incredible place!

This is just a taster.  Charlie and I can't wait to go back.
So many scenes of amazing beauty - perfectly preserved and presented. I cannot recommend this museum highly enough.

From there, the short trip to something different - Louisiana, the amazing open-air sculpture gallery right on the sea.  Another sublime experience.
And from there, to complete the first day whistle stop tour (before we'd even arrived at our hotel) - Grundtvig's Church - the beautiful 1920s and 30s brick gothic building built in a beautiful suburb of Copenhagen.
Have you ever seen finer lettering on a brick facade?
We had a fantastic evening in a brilliant restaurant, Silberbauers, and then the next morning it was another lifetime-level-visit-experience about to happen. This was my first glimpse of the Thorvaldsen Museum - LONG on my list of buildings to see.
It's simply fantastic - not much more needs to be said.  Built in the 19th century, to house the sculptures and antique collection of the Danish Neo-classical sculptor Thorvaldsen, it's a perfect building, and a perfect union of art and architecture. Astonishing.
On the upper floor are these amazing rooms with his collections of antique fragments.  Almost the most beautiful things there.
And then out and about for a wonderful huge long walk.  I LOVED all the orange lime washed buildings - will someone explain what's happening here, so very, very characteristic?
The royal palace, in the middle of an urban square (or, in fact, octagon).
Then Bridie took us to the Rosenborg Castle - like a scene from a fairytale, built in the 17th century.
Magical interiors.  Outside - glimpsed on our walk - my kind of lettering!
The harbour in evening light...
A glimpse through a window, full of interest...
And the harbour on the Monday morning, completely mirrored, still, by contrast to the wind the day before.
We wandered over to Christianshaven, not complete without a visit to the Apartment - so beautiful to see in person, such a great shop.
More Orange.

A delicious last lunch - and then a late afternoon home.  Someone was happy to see us the next morning.

D O R S E T

Then to Dorset.  Week three of April - and how the garden has grown.
Cowslips on the hill that morning.
but still a cold frost in the shadows.
Blossom time.
We called in for the first time ever at the peaceful little church at Shipton Gorge, with a graveyard looking far out to sea.
And home.

The copper beech in the park is about to burst.

Lunch with the Bannerman's, at Ashington - walking into a DREAM world.

Tulips from Charlie.
A rare appearance from Henry, our cat.

This last weekend, we had our friend Wilfred staying...

A wonderful walk up the valley of the stones - sparkling in the spring sunshine.

An ancient place.

And then back up to London. Charlie was driving up flowers for a photshoot the next morning.  The Flower Room has never looked more beautiful.

And you can imagine how good the car smelled, all the way home.

At times, the world is seeming pretty dark these weeks and months.  Let's not be ignorant of all that.  But let's not be ignorant of the astonishing sense of hope and goodness that we can find too, if we look.