A Day In The Lavender Fields
I made it to the lavender farm yesterday so that's the second thing I can tick off on the list. It was surprisingly busy so I didn't stay as long as I'd planned to. There were two large groups of women visiting, probably WI, and none of them seemed to have a real grasp of social distancing! I'm not entirely convinced they were all enjoying themselves - some overheard conversations that made me smile ...
... the leader to her group, "let's take a group photo, stand with your backs to the wall, we don't really want all that lavender in the photo do we"
... one of the younger women to her friend, "there's just so much lavender, it's a bit disappointing!"
... one woman to no-one in particular, "what a shame they aren't sunflowers!"
I enjoyed myself though, and I'm glad I made the effort to go because it looks like they may be harvesting before too long if the final photograph is anything to go by. I struggled with the heat again so bought a cold drink and sat in my car to recover. Their café is only offering a limited takeaway food service which is a shame because they do the best cheese scones ever, but they're not currently on the menu so I didn't bother with food this time. There is plenty of outdoor seating but I decided against it because of the lack of social distancing by the two groups.
On the way home I bought the latest Slimming World magazine and spent a good part of the afternoon looking through recipes. The Indian cookery class was fun, and the pakoras looked so good ... I'm tempted to make them this weekend but they don't really fit into the SW approach. I think I need to get myself settled back to the SW way of eating before I indulge in too many treats, and I have already had part of a chocolate brownie this week!
Today, will be a change of plan and instead of going out for a jollie I'll probably stay at home where it's cooler but if I do change my mind and go out I'll head over to Quaker's Walk as that should be nice and shady. The temperatures are supposed to drop next week, still sunny but much cooler, and I think that will be better for some of the things I want to do.
It's the nutrition focus this afternoon and I believe this week's discussion is all about the science of superfoods. I've never really taken much notice of the superfoods, so I'm interested to hear what C has to say about them. Apart from that I'll have a pottering at home day.
Those overheard comments made me smile too. What a lovely place to visit and I'm sure the smell of all that lavender is gorgeous, was it attracting many bees? Please don't be too hard on yourself where occasional sweet treats are concerned although I know how easy it is to be tempted. I'm longing for this heat to ease as yesterday was unbearably hot and some rain would be very welcome.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I have no sense of smell so can never experience that part of it, though friends I've been with in the past have always commented on just how amazing it is. Yes, when you walk between the rows the buzzing of bees can't be ignored ... there's hundreds of them!
DeleteDon't worry, I will allow myself to have treats but for starters feel I need to be strict about sorting out my new eating pattern. Once I've broken through this latest plateau and started losing weight again, I will definitely allow myself to have cake when I meet friends for coffee. 😀
We're promised a weekend of rain, and at the moment it is much cooler here. I hope it's the same for you.
Oh, those lavender fields are just so full of...lavender! LOL. What did those ladies expect to see on a trip to a lavender field? Tulips? Maybe they expected it to be more of a landscaped garden?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to visit the lavender fields before they were harvested, but, I think it is wise of you to consider postponing other trips until the weather has cooled down a little bit. We don't want you feeling ill with the heat and having to drive back by yourself, etc.
Hope you have a good day, today. Take care and stay cool!
I wondered what they were expecting and can't quite get my head around the fact that some were disappointed by the amazing sight of two fields full of lavender. There's also a rose garden, cottage garden, and kitchen garden to see but I didn't see them go anywhere near them while I was there.
DeleteI'm staying at home today even though it is considerably cooler and there is a lovely, much appreciated, breeze. I don't do well in hot weather and I agree with you, it's not worth taking the risk of feeling unwell and having to drive home. We are promised rain over the weekend and most of next week so a return to our typical British summer weather!
Thanks Bless. I have all the windows and doors open and at the moment it is lovely and cool. When the sun moves round I'll close everything up to keep the heat out, close the blinds and have the fans on. I'll go out for a walk later this evening when the heat has gone out of the day. I hope you have a lovely day too.
OH MY GOODNESS - those fields of lavender are wonderful. What a delightful day out in such a beautiful setting. Is it expensive to go into the fields? It is too bad that you cannot also enjoy the scent. The lady I pool/house sit for has a large clump of lavender in her garden & it smells wonderful. Oh those silly ladies, they have missed out on so much offered to them in those fields. I wonder if the trip out for them was a mystery day out trip so they had or should have had no expectations. No matter you enjoyed. Happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteThere's an honesty box for donations but no set entry fee and I think quite a few people don't bother with the donations. Yes, I don't know what the ladies were expecting. The lavender is obviously the big attraction but there is also a rose garden, kitchen garden, willow tunnel, shop (probably closed at the moment though), cafe, plant sales ... lots to do there.
DeleteI'm used to missing out on all the lovely smells. There's nothing I can do about it so I just don't think about it!
Wonderful fields of lavender. How could anyone prefer garish sunflowers?
ReplyDeletexx
I think they are planning to plant another field of lavender so next year there will be even more to see.
DeleteWe do sunflowers in this area too, so there will be photos of them if those farms plant a sunflower crop this year 🌻🌻🌻
Please would you mind sharing the location of the glorious lavender farm you visited? Many thanks Blods x
ReplyDeleteIt's Somerset Lavender, Faulkland, Near Radstock.
DeleteThanks very much x
DeleteYou're welcome. Is it close enough for you to be able to visit?
DeleteIt's a couple of hours away by car, I think but we may try and combine it with a visit to a National Trust property in the area if possible as we have recently taken out new memberships. We will definitely try and visit soon. thanks again for sharing x
DeleteSounds a delightful day out, it's so strange what people say.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very restful place and I love it. I honestly don't know what they were expecting a lavender farm to be!
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