The Distancing Diaries - Day 94 & 95

On Monday (day 94) after my daily Wii Fit session and our fruit & yoghurt breakfast we left the confines of Stonecroft for an adventure. I'd managed to book us in to visit Packwood, a Tudor mansion in rural Warwickshire. 

WEARING: 1970s Ritu Kumar for Monsoon Indian cotton midi dress, Lotta from Stockholm clogs, 1970s tooled leather Mexican souvenir shoulder bag (eBay, 2019)

Due to social distancing requirements, the National Trust isn't able to open their houses but with a 134-acre estate, there was plenty to keep us occupied. 

Trying to book a National Trust visit online is almost as fraught as buying Glastonbury tickets so, after several failed attempts, I was delighted to reserve the 10am time slot, fearing that if we were forced to book later in the day the place would be heaving with sightseers.

The gardens didn't open until 11am so we had a peaceful wander in the woods, accompanied by just a handful of young families, all of whom stepped back the required two-metre distance every time we needed to pass one another.

 Jon had packed a flask, so after exploring the woods for an hour we sat in the van with our enamel mugs of Pukka tea listening to the birdsong.

We'd visited Packwood back in the depths of Winter, 2016 and back then most of our attention was focussed on the house (see HERE), the garden was almost unrecognisable in the height of Summer bursting with both exotic and the more familiar cottage garden plants.

 As you can see, the weather finally decided to behave itself. Although there was a bit of a breeze, it was sunny and mercifully dry, perfect conditions for a leisurely wander.

There were a few signs apologising for the lack of grass mowing and general maintenance, so maybe the garden is a lot more cultivated and neat in normal times but we loved the overgrown, slightly unkempt appearance and recognising plants that grow freely in Stonecroft's garden, were inspired with future planting ideas.

Although the topiary garden and the kitchen garden weren't open to the public we spent several hours happily wandering about with a break for homemade cheese sandwiches in the shade.

We left Packwood feeling relaxed and inspired, a real treat to escape the familiar for a few hours.

Back at home, I discovered a 1970s Indian blouse I'd won on eBay last week waiting for me in the postbox. After I'd stripped down to my bikini I took it outside and replaced the elastic in the cuffs before handwashing it and hanging it on the line to dry.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the sunshine accompanied by the lads.

 Stephen was keen to sunbathe, Frank was far more interested in the mice that live in the rockery.

Jon spent the afternoon in the kitchen, not decorating or DIYing but baking a wholemeal spelt loaf.

And a paneer and okra curry, which we had for tea.

Making the most of a lovely evening we played with the cats on the lawn, watering the plants and tended to the tomatoes before watching the second episode of The Luminaries (worth watching for Eva Green's spectacular wardrobe).

Tuesday (day 95) started early so I managed to catch up with replying to blog comments before my Wii Fit workout. After Jon got up and we'd had our fruit and yoghurt breakfast he continued with Project Coffee Table while I uploaded some of the photos I'd taken at Packwood yesterday.

A deliciously warm evening meant that the patio plants were already in need of watering so I put my hair up and my bikini on, slathered on the suncream and got stuck in.

After I'd rejigged the kitchen shelf, these vintage French enamel pots were surplus to requirements so I planted them out with houseleeks.

I'd chalk painted this beech picture frame on Sunday. It has housed these handpainted leaves, decorated with Hindu deities, since the early 2000s. You'll often see this Keralan art form listed on eBay for crazy prices. They're neither rare nor antique, the sellers have obviously never been to India where you can buy them from most street stalls for pennies.

Over the years one of the insets had lost its glass so I cut the front from a plastic folder holding my end-of-year accounts and used that instead.

The postman arrived with a postcard from Lily, Kinky Melon's unofficial helper. Unless you live under a rock you'll know that the world's biggest (and best) music festival should have been taking place this week and we're missing it desperately. 2020 should have been Glastonbury's 50th Anniversary, instead, it was The Year We Stayed At Home...

Other than a break for noodles, the rest of the day was spent lying in the sunshine reading the book Monica sent me and sporadically popping into the kitchen to see how Project Coffee Table was progressing. Jon's got as far as he can now so he's taking tomorrow off to enjoy the sunshine.

Tea was a vegeburger served between two slices of Jon's wholemeal spelt bread accompanied by a cheeky beer (we shall pretend we're at Glastonbury).

Stay safe, stay fabulous and enjoy the sunshine!