Afternoon at Lavender Fields in Hampshire, England

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On a Friday toward the end of last month, I paid a visit to Lavender Fields in Hampshire, England. Lavender Fields is a farm that grows lavender and arranges items (such as soaps, perfumes, food) to be produced from the lavender. These items are then and sold in a shop on site. I have driven past the farm, near Alton in Hampshire, a few times in the past.

I wanted to stop in, drawn by the beautiful flowers. A stressful few months and overtime earlier in that week prompted me to take a half a day off and visit the farm. Lucky for me, this was the final day for tours before shutting for the season. However, there are other 'Open Days' earlier in the season from June until late July, and I'm sure that one could stop in to the shop on site and pay a small amount in order to get some photographs of the lavender fields. These fields would actually be a perfect setting for family photographs, fashion photographs, or photographs of children/pets.

Originally, I was not a fan of lavender because it's always been associated with a scent popular with grannies. However, after a trip to Hvar island in Croatia, I actually enjoyed the scent and the beautiful purple flowers growing on the mountains. You can see a few of my photographs here. Lavender is a naturally calming scent, and many products exist to aid in relaxation and sleep (or de-stress). 

The day that we visited was pouring with rain, and the weather was the worst that it had been in awhile, but we did not let this stop us from visiting and enjoying ourselves. In fact, a large bus load of people turned up for a tour as well.

Instead of having the tour and being told about the lavender and history of the farm from outside or in the lavender fields, we listened to information inside a tent before walking to the fields. The rain had died down somewhat, so we managed to get some shelter before it started to pour again and we headed into a barn to listen to the remainder of the chat. We were shown the equipment used to harvest and press the lavender.

The chat was followed by a dash back to the tent where afternoon cream tea was served for us to enjoy. The warm tea was welcome as were the scones with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

When we finished the afternoon tea, I wandered back into the fields to take a lot of photographs. The rain did not ease off, but I think I was able to capture some nice photographs despite the weather. 

In addition to the rows of lavender (I'd estimate that it was two or three acres next to the road, and this isn't their main crop), the fields were also transformed into wildflower meadows. These were filled with cornflowers, which are my absolute favourite flowers (I like daffodils too) and my wedding flower. In addition, there were red poppies and yellow daisy-like flowers and a few other types of wildflower mixed in.

I believe that some fantastic photographs can be shot here, particularly in the dusk or dawn light. Despite the weather, we had a good time. More photographs frm my visit can be seen below.

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