Hope you had a lovely summer and did not completely melt in the heatwave. I thought I would appraise you all with what our ladies have been up to during the August break.
On the last day of July, we went on our annual summer outing – this year we
visited Sissinghurst Castle gardens. The weather was a little ropey to begin with,
but the sun eventually came out and we had a pleasant day visiting the gardens
and some of us braved the long climb up the tower. Sissinghurst was the
residence of writer, poet and diarist Vita Sackville-West and her husband Sir
Harold Nicolson, the family to this day still stay at Sissinghurst. It was a
fascinating place to visit and to learn about this extraordinary woman and the unconventional
marriage that she and her husband had. Vita Sackville-West was truly a woman
ahead of her time and truly lived the life she chose, with very little compromise.
The gardens at Sissinghurst was one of the true loves of her life and it was
with a heavy heart that she signed over the property to the National Trust,but
was done out of love and necessity to save the historic grounds and tower.
Today the house, tower and gardens are visited and enjoyed by thousands of visitors
a year. A truly peaceful place, nestled heartland of the beautiful Kent countryside. The area received very little phone signal, though this may be of frustration for the local residents, it was a breath of fresh air to get away from the distractions of modern day life. A truly inspirational day out had by all.
