Tulips at Standen House

You will never find me at a festival; I loathe crowds and struggle with loud venues. However, if you replace eager music goers with tulips, then sign me up.

Last spring I paid a visit to Standen House, a beautiful arts and crafts family home, as they were hosting a 'tulip festival' if you will. 

Home to the Beale family (not Ian Beal from Eastenders), the house has been designed as if you were visiting in 1925. I particularly loved the conservatory with the house plants, it would be a great reading room.

Naturally the tulips were the main attraction and they were really gorgeous. I do love tulips and its so lovely to have vases full of them at home. My mum always used to say 'never was there more anarchy than in a bowl of tulips' due to the way they droop their necks down.

Don't you just adore the spring? I personally don't get on with winter as the dark makes me feel claustrophobic, I suffer with SAD but have never bothered to deal with it properly but this year I am going to invest in a proper desk lamp and change my light bulbs at home to see if it helps.

I know I suffer with low serotonin and melatonin and always make sure I get outside for at least 30 minutes a day but sometimes it just isn't enough? This will be my first full winter of being on anti depressants so I am praying that makes a big difference also.

Anyway, back to the blooms. Standen has a 12 acre hillside garden which is gorgeous all year round. I have also visited when the house is dressed for Christmas which I will write about soon. It is too soon to start writing about Christmas activities now, I am only just adjusting to the fact it is September. To me that is the end of summer.

Mr Poachie and I are just about to head off to Cornwall for a week which has been a dream of ours for a long time so fingers crossed the weather stays dry and this can be our last hurrah before I give in and swap my summer wardrobe over.

I do love the seasons and Autumn is stunning. I like baking and the winter food is yummy but I am just a summer baby who loves being warm outside. I think in a past life I was a cat.

We have a monstera (swiss cheese plant) like this at home which we have named 'Guillermo'. We bought him on our date to Petersham Nurseries and I can't wait for him to get really big! 

Does anyone else name their plants? 

I love how spring flowers are so bold; gorgeous daffodils giving the best burst of colour.

Do you have a favourite spring flower? I might see if I can plant some tulips this year so that we can have our own tulip festival next spring...