Feeling blue

Everybody feels a little blue sometimes, don’t they?  This summerhouse is enough to make your heart sink.  It sits forlornly in the corner of a large and overgrown garden at Loughbrow House in Hexham.  It wasn’t always like this but the owner is now aged 92, a proud, upright lady who loves and manages her garden to the best of her ability.  It was opened for charity at the weekend and I’m sure lots of money was made.  A highlight of the garden is the Lutyens inspired rill with grass topped bridges.  Here’s a peep.

This week Patti is sharing a surreal shade of beautiful Blue in the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.

104 comments

  3. What a beautiful, magical garden! The summer house is particularly lovely. It captures the imagination in a way I don’t think it would if it was in pristine condition. I wonder if all the gardening is the secret to the elderly home owner’s vitality. All that fresh air and activity has got to be good for a person.

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  5. What a Gem and getting a peek is even BETTER! The house we bought a few years back was a little worn out due to the owner getting older and not being able to keep up. The inside has transformed as well as the outside and she is becoming a whole beauty again. The hardest part was the one area of the back yard that we thought had about 14 trees. We hired an arborist and found out there were actually 21 trees. Did not know we bought a city park with the house. We had to scale it back to 3 trees and 1 tree still needs to be removed due to the way it is leaning and not in a good way. We pretty much have replaced what was removed but did a little bit better space planning. I love gardening because it is such an expression of beauty. Happy Day – Enjoy 🙂

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  8. LOL for Pauline’s comment! I thought at first she lived in the dilapidated house but was happy to realize she doesn’t. Still gardening at 92, help
    Or no help, is amazing! Well done for the challenge Jo!

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    1. I can’t imagine it, Tina! I can just about manage a bit of pruning here and there (usually in the wrong place, according to my husband 😦 ). When I saw the summerhouse on Sunday I just knew it had to be in the challenge. 🙂 🙂

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  11. I’d love to get my hands on her garden, I bet it needs a lot of TLC but I admire her for carrying on as long as she can. I suspect I won’t be carrying bags of pebbles and compost for much longer! But I would hate to be without a garden completely again.

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    1. You’d have a field day sorting her out, Jude. I think you might be kindred spirits. Mick was full of admiration. 🙂 🙂 She had jams and chutneys for sale too, and onions out to dry in the walled garden. I think Tish might have met her match 🙂

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      2. I think so. It was run as a B & B until recently but not sure if it still is as Trip Advisor rubbished it in the reviews. Definitely an ‘older property’, but lovely 🙂 🙂

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  13. I think she is marvellous to still be gardening at 92. I hope I am still pulling up weeds at that age and not pushing up daisies. I would love that very rustic summerhouse in our garden. It will go well with our shabby chic blue chairs

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  16. Ooooh, that summerhouse! And the rill, too… Well done that lady, looks like quite an undertaking just to keep head above water….

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    1. Well, there were a lot of helpers serving teas and coffees but most of them were pretty old too. 🙂 🙂 I’m sure she will have a man who comes in sometimes. I’ve chosen shots carefully. Some of it is very neglected but it’s an enormous effort.

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