Friday 2 November 2012

The best of Birthdays

Last year I had the great milestone birthday of 50 years. I have to admit, that despite some happy moments, it was a difficult time, with loved ones away from me and my Father so ill. I made up for it by celebrating in many ways throughout the whole year though!

Saints and Sinners Party with Ems and Sam
This year was made special by my lovely man. He (with some help from Emily) planned the most wonderful Birthday weekend to make me happy.
All was a surprise and a secret. We drove off into the dark night and I had to cover my eyes at particular places. When allowed to look around me, we passed an old arched gate, creeper covered walls -and suddenly the place seemed familiar...




He had brought me to stay in the Spread Eagle Inn, set within the grounds of the beautiful Stourhead Gardens.



The bedrooms are elegant, antique filled, old fashioned and comfortable. They were kind enough to have saved us supper, which was then brought to our room once we'd settled in.
I had packed with care-it was such fun to have a chance to use my favourite old suitcase.



...

 ( This discreet use of the three dots was first used in a romantic sense in Elinor Glyn's scandalous novel  "Three Weeks")
Next morning, after a suitably sustaining breakfast, we had the joy of wandering around these magnificent gardens all by ourselves. True, it was a little rainy but that didn't detract from their beauty or our happiness.





In fact, even the rain-drops looked lovely



We scuffed through fallen leaves




and in time-honoured fashion of happy couples, took our photograph with the camara held out in front us.



We were lucky to have peace and the time to look at the Autumn trees




The amazing colours




And those perfect moments that we usually miss during our tiring, hurried lives.


We stopped at The Gothic Cottage



to rest by the fire, with a  hot chocolate


and add our memories to the magic tree


It was a perfect way to celebrate my Birthday.

And there was still more to come!
We travelled to Bath where we were met by Emily and Sam, to finish the day with shopping, cocktails and the most delicious of meals.






So David my dearest, I can truly say "Thank You"




this was the happiest of Birthday Treats
xxx





35 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday Jane, what a wonderful birthday weekend you had, it looks absolutely amazing. Have a great weekend, and will hopefully catch up with at Frome in December at the VB.
    Love
    Jo xx

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    1. Hi Jo, It was a lovely weekend, such a treat! Hope to see you in Frome too. Jane xx

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  2. Ok, it was a great pleasure... and good to see you so happy. So now you owe me a "special birthday treat" Hmmm...

    Your David

    P.S. (Three dots are an "ellipsis")

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    1. That my dear, is a very 'David' reply! Love from your Janie xxx

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  3. What a lovely way to celebrate the big Five-O - and wishing you many more birthday treats!

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    1. Thank you Carol, I felt well and truly spoilt! Jane xx

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  4. Dear Jane... I love your dress (or is that "THE" corset?)You looked lovely and very sexy (lucky David!)

    Looks like you had a fantastic time, Jane, and so well deserved, too, as I know you are a wonderful, smart, sweet and beautiful lady with a CAPITAL L!

    I love every photo... your children are beautiful and David (so... your "lovely man" finally has a name and a face!)must be a very, very nice man (I can tell!)

    PS: Are you a saint or a sinner in the first photo? I really couldn't tell!

    HUGS TO A BEAUTIFUL 50 YEAR OLD! You are SUPER!

    BUON COMPLEANNO!

    ANNA

    xxx

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    1. Dear Anna, You're right- it is 'The Corset'! And I was most definately a wicked lady...
      I'm glad you like this piece, it always feels a bit of a step to post very personal photos and events.I have to admit, that this birthday was actually my 51st- I've sort of celebrated having a year of BEING 50!
      Sending you love and hugs
      Jane xxx

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  5. Happy, Happy Birthday! one of my favourite places ever, and what lovely people who love you xx catch up soon I hope xx
    p.s I saw come dine with me, you were a star, loved it :-) xx

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    1. Thank you Sophie, it is wonderful when loved ones go to so much trouble- I felt so happy! Hope to see you sometime soon, Jane xx

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  6. Happiest of Birthdays to you. Thanks for sharing such beautiful photos of what looks like a fabulous place for birthday. 51 is a great age to be.

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    1. Thank you- I love Stourhead in all seasons but Autumn is particularly beautiful, Jane xx

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  7. Oh, my gosh!! What a romantic and lovely birthday. You're so fortunate to be surrounded by so many romantics. Happy Birthday Jane! (P.S. Three dots huh!!!!)

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    1. Thank you Diane- I'm glad the ...'s made you smile! It was a truly romantic weekend and I'm very lucky. Jane xx

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  8. What a memorable, romantic weekend you had and I love the idea of a magic / memory tree in the Gothic cottage. What did you write?
    Happy Birthday Jane...
    (same age as me!)
    Julie x

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    1. The tree was such a lovely idea, rather like the wishing tree at the Larmer Tree festival- but I can't remember what I wrote! Jane xx

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  9. Lucky you, what a perfect birthday treat. My birthday was on the 28th October so imagine yours was around the same day.
    Ruth x

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    1. Hi Ruth, all us wonderful woman ( see Julie above) have our birthdays together- Cheers to us all!! Jane xx

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  10. Hello Jane

    What a wonderful surprise getaway arranged by David. Happy belated birthday.

    You mention Elinor Glyn - my late Aunt Helen Glynn when she arrived in New York in 1924 friends jokingly re-named her Elinor and it stuck. Even her memorial card read Elinor Glynn. I knew there was an actress by that name and now you have informed me of her being an author too.

    I loved all your images

    Helen x

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    1. Hello Helen, I love that story- I have such a fondness for the old Romances and quite a large collection- as you can guess....I'm glad you enjoyed my photographs, Autumn is such a beautiful time. Jane xx

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  11. Sounds wonderful - happy belated birthday. Does David have any brothers - ha ha. Karen x

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    1. Hi Karen- There's only one David! He's unique and wonderful, aren't I lucky? Jane xx

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  12. Belated Happy Birthday
    There is something very special about Autumnal colours and the gardens looks wonderful cloaked in those hues. I remember as a child reading that quip about Elinor Glynn on her tiger skin and had no idea what it was all about!
    Best wishes
    Jenny

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    1. Hi Jenny- Have you read the book? It's dashes along with such gusto, with wonderful phrases like " Falling trellaces of Roses" and other such daftness! Jane xx

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  13. What a wonderful birthday! You lucky lady. I love the idea of that 'magic tree' so enchanting. And chocolate by the fire, how fab! Such a marvelous place, and your photos are enticing, must visit next year. x

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    1. Sorry for the late reply- I've been off on more adventures...
      Do go to Stourhead, for such a well known place it always seems to offer some new, beautiful suprise- Jane xx

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  14. That was a great birthday, Jenny. So very lucky to spend the day in that huge sprawling villa (I mean the Spread Eagle Inn) straight out of a victorian novel. You adventure puts me in the mood for reading a Miss Marple mystery...

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    1. Hi Ravindra, I like the thought of being part of aMiss Marple mystery... unless I was the unlucky victim! Jenny xx

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  15. A lovely birthday treat indeed! A lovely read.

    I have been to Stourhead but have had no idea that there's all this here. So your post was an eye opener in that way to me!

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    1. Hello jenny,
      I only heard about the Inn there quite recently, it's just such a treat to stay and then have the whole gardens to youself out of hours. I'd love to go again in the spring and have a late night wander... Jane xx

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  16. Oh gosh, I'm a month late already, I've completely ignored my feed reader for that long. Anyway, a belated happy birthday and glad you had such a fab time. The children look ever so grown up!

    I read 'Three Weeks' quite recently as a Kindle freebie, it really is hilariously awful isn't it? In fact I did think of you because I remembered you saying you liked kitschy Victorian melodramas, though that one's Edwardian I suppose. And there's a sequel! I've not yet girded up my loins to read that yet though... (dot dot dot!)

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  17. Thanks Lucy, time just seems to wizz by at the moment doesn't it?
    I'm glad you have read 'Three Weeks'- it has an awful fascination doesn't it?
    Now you have told me of the sequel I think that I too must be brave, gird my loins, find and read it...
    Jane xxx

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  18. Lovely place for a lovely birthday...

    Pierre

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    1. Thank you Pierre, how nice to hear from you. Jane xx

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