10 August 2010

At West Dean

Summer school at West Dean is my dream holiday. For much of the week, the sun shone. This is my view up to the arboretum -The walk up the hill, through the trees, and back takes about an hour and a half. If you stop and take too many photos, you're in danger of missing breakfast. On the way back (indeed, on the way there) you pass one of Andy Goldsworthy's chalk balls - there are eight in a two-mile walk - made in 2002 and now disintegrating to various degrees -
The photo above shows the tents set up ready for the Chili Fiesta at the weekend, and the studio area of the college. Below is the residential part, with the wild garden to the left -
I was lucky to have one of the upstairs rooms on the right -
A short distance from the house is the walled garden - this is a corner of the orchard bit, with apples and pears grown as espaliers and around frames. It leads to the greenhouse section (and what wonderful greenhouses) and then to the kitchen garden - fabulously well kept!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My eldest DD always raves about West Dean, saying what a delight it is to stay there and emerse oneself in things artistic. She says it's almost too much to get paid for it as well! Glad you had such a lovely time. Annabel