Happy Easter! I did not have any Easter content to display this year as it has just sneaked upon me, and the past couple of weeks have been fairly busy. However, I have spent the holiday in Wales to make the most of the time off. The day consisted of a visit to National Trust gardens followed by Sunday lunch at a pub. I visited Dyffren Gardens, which is located near Cardiff in Wales, and I was in for a real treat. This year, Easter had sunny skies. Although the temperatures were not quite as warm and sunny as in London, it was nearly as nice with sunny skies and warm weather. I did not expect a beautiful display of spring flowers - tulips and daffodil - to greet me.
I will apologise in advance for all of the photographs of flowers as I was in awe of the beauty. I absolutely love these bright colours: yellow miniature triple-bulbed daffodils with pastel pink and magenta. The other beds, interchanged between this colour were magentas and whites (again, white miniature triple-bulb daffodils in white).
Dyffryn Estate actually dates from 640, but the modern estate is of 18th century design. A Georgian mansion is the feature point, and it was built in the late 1800s after previous homes. Walled gardens and garden design dates from around the same period. The gardens are well-known with important status today; in fact, they were Grade II listed in 2000. They are one of the best examples of Edwardian gardens. The site is managed by National Trust on a 50-year lease from the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The house was used as a police training facility and conference centre in the 1990s. It was repaired in the early 2000s and reopened to the public in 2013. However, the house was not open when I visited, and it does not appear to be open at all this year, but I am unsure why.
Besides the formal garden directly in front of the house, the gardens themselves were looking bare and are being restored and planted with summer plants.
There are different parts to the garden within little walls, each with its own theme. There is a lovely spot to sit on the wall in the Italian-style gardens under the shade of a tree and looking out over the formal gardens and house.
There are many daffodils in bloom here, but they were over.
Another part of the gardens to see is the walled kitchen gardens with greenhouse. These were mainly bare and waiting for planting.
The bluebells have also started to come out now.
I watched a little robin watching me when I sat on the wall in the shade of this tree, looking over the formal gardens.
After the visit to the garden, Sunday lunch was enjoyed at King's Arms in Pentych, Wales. I had the roast chicken, and the bloke had roast lamb. He said the lamb was so tender that it just fell off the bone. The chicken had a nice flavour. The vegetables that came with the meals included carrots, parsnips, green beans, and red cabbage. Neither of us like the red cabbage. I ordered a Yorkshire pudding as a side as my meal did not come with one.
For starters, I had the potato and leek soup, which was served with a slice of bread. The bloke had whitebait. For dessert, I had the chocolate brownie.
Overall, Easter Sunday was an enjoyable day. The sun being out made a huge difference, and I enjoyed being able to relax in the beautiful gardens.
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