Blog

Mar 2017

Hearing the birds in the early morning and again at dusk seems like spring is truly here at last.

Dark damp winter has given way to daffodils and early tulips, winter aconites and hellebores. The garden is alive again!

Aug 2016

At last the garden is taking shape, albeit from above a one eyed alien is the shape! More flowers and less lawn but still room to put up the badminton net for guests to play and send the shuttlecocks into the yew hedge. Dahlias and cosmos looking really good and the sweet peas smell heavenly, we just want some sunshine to warm us all up!

Harvested the blackcurrants from the allotment along with the gooseberries and a few raspberries so now the jam cupboard is looking like it will get us through winter breakfasts with tastes of summer fruit.

Spring has sprung

Apr 2016

Goodness! After dark evenings and short wet days the spring has arrived and picking lovely primroses to put in guest bedrooms and on the breakfast table has to be one of the most happy tasks. Things are pretty soggy in the garden but plants are waking up and the hellebores are in full bloom. I love this time of year, we have had some blustery walks around North Wessex Downs AONB. Exploring landscape history and enjoying the incredible views. Marmalade is made ready and a friend gave me a whole tray of Sicilian lemons so juicy lemon cake it is!

Snowdrops have arrived!

Jan 2016

Such beautiful flowers, harbingers of the changing of the seasons and beginning of the thaw. Not John Thaw and not much of a frost this year, certainly not in Wiltshire. A bit of a white morning here and there but more water than frost. We visited North Cerney House gardens this weekend and they had wonderful banks of snowdrops. It was a lovely garden and made me want to get out and be busy here at Meadowbank House Bed and Breakfast. However, they had a pig! We don’t have a pig, grrr… but then they had all sorts of things we couldn’t possibly have. It was a brilliant and beautiful garden even though half or more of it is asleep at the moment. Loads of hellebores, snowdrops, crocus and wonderful mature trees. Well worth a visit and only 22 mile from here, super walks around and a great pub in the village with scotch eggs for £2, scrummy.

Snow for Christmas?

Dec 2015

We would like to wish all our lovely guests a very Happy Christmas and a healthy new year, thank you for staying with us we really enjoy looking after you all. It is so mild in this part of Wiltshire we seem to have all sorts of odd things out in the garden that should be tucked up in bed. This morning on my travels around the village I saw narcissus out in someone’s garden?? Have they bought them in bloom and planted them or are they really blooming already. Spent a good day last week walking and exploring this part of the Ridgeway National Trail to see how the route across Liddington can be improved particularly the part where it crosses the M4.

I took this photograph last year when we had snow and meant to make it into a Christmas card for this year, intentions are so good and then often forgotten!

Liddington Hill by Richard Jefferies, 1883

Nov 2015

“There is a hill to which I used to resort….. the labour of walking three miles to it, all the while gradually ascending, seemed to clear my blood of the heaviness accumulated at home… ” Quoted from The Story of my Heart, by Richard Jefferies, 1883.

One week two conferences!

Oct 2015

Last week had a fantastic day with North Wessex Downs ANOB annual forum, looking at landscape heritage and how we can disseminate information about our historic and beautiful area and then right onto this week and a day with The Ridgeway National Trails partnership looking at the strengths and weaknesses of The Ridgeway National Trail which runs right through Liddington and brings walkers to our door.

Hearts and flowers vine

Sep 2015

What a miserable wet day today has been, rain and wind and not at all the indian summer that I was hoping for to ripen the tomatoes.
Still, I took this photograph on my phone of the lovely hearts and flowers vine that is growing up the fence. At least this made me smile today, oh and the large slice of banana cake with a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea.

Beetroot for breakfast?

Sep 2015

We are running out of ideas for beetroot and runner beans. Not necessarily together!
Beetroot cake not at all a success but beetroot and chocolate brownies were delicious. Our allotment is at full tilt on chard, beans, beetroot and last of the sweet peas.
Much easier to find uses for gorgeous gooseberries and beautiful blackcurrants, yum.