The county of Kent is known as The Garden of England. Lots of fruit and veg grown there as well as gorgeous landscaped properties, flower allotments, neighbourhood gardens and parks, commons and greens, and beaches to rival Europe’s Cote d’Azur.
My parents moved from London to Broadstairs in Kent, a pretty sea-side town popular for family vacations and an attractive retirement destination,
More than 25 years later Daddy died and Hubs and I moved Mummy to Beckenham, a small village just outside Victoria station in London; we wanted her to be closer to my brother.
Her address was still in Kent.
Beckenham is where we stay when we visit because it is familiar and quaint and close to the City.
This year, instead of travelling in the winter we decided to escape the Texas heat and head to our favourite airbnb in the middle of July for a month. This proved to be an absolute treat.
An Englishman’s home is his castle and his garden is precious whether it’s neat flower beds outside a public library, or simple hanging baskets adorning pub terraces or a window box on the verandah of a friend’s flat.
The resultant riot of colour brightens even the dullest day…and there were plenty of those!
Whether we were walking in Beckenham Place park,
or wandering down the High Street,
or photographing my cousin’s garden in Canterbury,
or taking a formal stroll around Kew Gardens,
or admiring Churchill’s walled in garden at Chartwell that he built to shelter his beautiful flower gardens,
or just crossing a stone bridge with a wild passionflower tucked in the crevices,
or the unlikely colour combination of these freesias dripping from a garden wall,
or a bush in full bloom at the entranceway to Beckenham Place Park where I walked daily to take in the grandeur of the ancient woodlands,
we knew, at the end of the day, we would go home to our airbnb and retreat to the lovingly tended garden,
relax with an appetiser and a glass of wine,
and perhaps linger into the evening.
Nothing beats the beauty of an English country garden.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
