G & J away from home

Sunday, 7 June

Today we caught up with some more of our friends from previous visits - this tie Tony and Carol in Wigston, south of Leicester.  In the 11 years since our last visit they have planted the front garden out with roses which are just coming into bloom and were absolutely beautiful.

Tony and Carol's roses

Among the other roses was one with the most beautiful scent - Gertrude Jekyll by name.  I'm not generally a fan of pink or red roses but this one smelled so wonderful I think I might make an exception.  Of course I have to convince Gary is a fan of roses in principle, just not in our garden!

After a lovely lunch with two soups that Carol made and some excellent cheese-on-toast that Tony contributed we headed out to the Wigston Framework Knitters Museum.  Tony writes the newsletter for this museum and it only exists because the last operator stopped work and locked the workroom and it went undisturbed until it was rediscovered and turned into a museum.

Framework knitters museum

Luckily we arrived when the volunteer guide, Paul, was showing some Australian visitors around so we were able to see the machine in action.

Volunteer guide Paul at the frame knitting machine

Behind the museum a beautiful Victorian cottage garden with narrow paths between the garden plots.

The Victorian garden

I took lots of photos of the plants and wished I could redevelop my backyard like in this style.

Carol, Gary, and Tony

There were some super lupins - quite decorative - but most of the plants were small-flowered and sprawling.

More Victorian garden

Carol gave me a copy of the recipe book she wrote for her five grandchildren which includes all the family member's favourite recipes.

Carol's recipe book

Here's the page that has one of the soups Carol served at lunchtime so I know it tastes wonderful. Carol also took the photos which appear throughout the book.

Soup recipe

I know some of you are laughing about me having a recipe book at all (!) but they are recipes for the children, after all. :o)
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