Ming’s August blog

Ming Blog for August 2011

August has been really good for us doggies this year. Not too hot and without our wonderful Spring to swim in every day it would have been miserable not to be  able to cool down. Quite often Patsy takes us to the stream which I loll around in but Molly is a cautious in  running water and just looks on bemused.

All the rain has helped Patsy’s new yellow and blue border.  I love showing it to our visitors who are amazed by so much colour even through the month of August. Walking in the summer is tricky for me as those nasty thistles just reach my tummy so I lead the way to make sure we go on a smooth path.

There are not so many grey squirrels this year, we do keep a sharp look out around the garden. Maybe they have decided that we are just too quick for them and life is quieter elsewhere.

September News, Concert 1st October

We have enjoyed a busy Spring and Summer with 15,000 visitors; and there is still lots of colour in the garden. Harvest is late due to catchy weather but the combine is busy cutting wheat today, and the kingfisher whizzed by yesterday.

The Friends invite you all to a lovely Concert in the Hall on Saturday 1st October, 6.30 for 7pm with refreshments in the interval . Tickets are £10 for Friends and £15 for others. Please telephone or email us to book.  Angela Andrews lives nearby and has created the programme as follows :

A Romantic Evening of Song and Piano Works, October 1^st 2011

Inspired by Nature and performed by Angela Andrews

and  Jacqueline Bevan

Vocal

Amarilli – by Caccini

O del mio Dolce Ardor – Gluck

Wiegenlied – Mozart

Piano

Schlummerlied op. 124 no. 16 – Schumann

Waltz in A op. 39 no. 15 – Brahms

Vocal

Fruhlingsglaube – Schubert

Die Forelle – Schubert

Du bist wie eine Blume – Schumann

Der Nussbaum – Schumann

Die Lotosblume – Schumann

Interval (30 minutes)

Piano

4 Calling birds      }

6 Geese a laying    } from Partridge Pie – by Richard Rodney Bennett

7 Swans a singing }

Vocal

Bird song at eventide – Eric Coates

The Green hills of Somerset – Eric Coates

An die Nachtigall – Brahms

Piano

Butterfly – Grieg

Vocal

Anakreons Grab – Wolf

Der Gartner – Wolf

Nell – Faure                                          The End

ANGELA ANDREWS – Soprano

Angela started singing as a child, performing the part of Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel at the age of eight. Formal training began at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she became an Associate after completing the performance course for singers. Professional engagements followed including work with Musica Antica & Nuova in The Purcell Rooms and for the B.B.C., Chamber Concerts at St Johns’s Smith Square, Oratorio & song recitals. Angela has also performed with various Opera Groups including Cameo Opera, Opera Viva & Chelsea Opera and sung concert opera performances & oratorio with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. She has recently moved to Wiltshire and is returning to professional singing following a career break for family and business reasons.

JACQUELINE BEVAN – Accompanist

Jacqueline learned the piano ‘by ear’ at a very young age and was a church organist (where she learned to read music) and ballet school pianist (where she learned to improvise and keep time before beginning formal piano studies with Caroline Diffley at Kent Music School and later Denis Dance at The Guildhall School of Music. After gaining a 1st in Music at Bristol University, she lectured at post-16 Colleges including Richmond College, Strode College and Bath Spa University where she supervised students on teaching practice and lectured in composition & arrangement. For five years she ran Teacher Training courses for Access to Music, the UK’s leading provider of popular music courses. Always in demand as an accompanist, in 2005 Jacqueline decided to pursue a full time career as a pianist & piano teacher. She has a large private teaching practice and is piano tutor at The University of Bath, accompanist for the Mid-Somerset festival and a founder member of Musicians S. West (www.musicianssw.co.uk), whose aim is to promote & perform chamber concerts with innovative programmes across the S.W.

Please join us for a very special occasion.

Further dates for your diary : ( more details to follow)

Friends Wine Tasting with Great Western Wines  6.30pm 23rd Nov 2011

Christmas Fair with  Tree in the Hall 2pm to 5pm 18th December 2011

August Garden news

Garden news August 2011

One of the most exciting flowers that we have grown from seed this summer is The Black Beauty Poppy.  I did make the mistake of placing  it in the front of the border and really it is not only too large but its foliage is not very pretty.  However is such an exotic flower head and really worth planting but towards the back of the border.

Our Fairy rose has been as glorious as ever but it does need dead heading every day.  If you leave it for a week you really pay for it in man hours and by the time one is finished dead heading my back is not in good shape!!!

Numerous  people ask me about the Viticella Mary Rose Clematis that grows up the stable roof : it is so pretty and seems to have been in flower for at least 2 months.

I am thrilled with the new yellow and blue border which has come on so well despite being planted so late in May.  The Nicandras are loving the rich soil and lots of sun, but my favourite perennial is the Uliginosa Salvia which grows to be 6 feet tall and is a gorgeous blue.

July 2011

Ming Blog for July 2011

Summer time is clearly very busy for us doggies.  I usually skip our morning walks as I do not want to miss out on meeting and greeting with Linda.  If ever you need to find me I will be in my small chair next to the meet and greet table.

On one of our closed days I had great fun  helping a crew from the N.T. films & publishing  office who have come to see me in action and get some fresh air.  I don’t think they imagined that they would be given waders and invited to clear out some reeds from the east end of the moat. However they were all good sports and did not seem to mind getting soaking wet.

I am so excited as very soon we shall have water again for me to go and play with the fish.  Patsy gets quite cross when I do this as they are bigger than me and she thinks they will bite but I know better and it is all just a game between me and the fish.

The girls are put to work pruning roses which gives me the opportunity to have a good spoil with them.

This is the first time we have had a helicopter land on our lawn.  A man fell over in the court yard, I rushed to help but they clearly needed to get him to hospital so the Wiltshire Air Ambulance arrived within 15 minutes. Molly was very wary of this huge thing coming down from the sky but I could not wait to meet the pilot.  Patsy says it is one of the best charities you can support.  The man who fell over was so excited when he saw he was going for a ride he was able to sit up and take it all in .  Sadly I was not allowed to join him.  I would have enjoyed seeing Chalfield from above.

First 2 weeks June 2011

Oh dear it has been all go at Chalfield and Patsy deserted us once again to take all her garden clients on that Scottish train. I really do not understand why she can’t take me along. I would be such a help meeting and greeting them all. Just look at this scene taken from the train. I would love to go swimming in that sea.

Our lawn is now lush and green again so all the family are pleased to have so much rain but it has been hard on the visitors. Molly and I try and lure them into the garage to have a biscuit in hope that we will get just a little bit.

Jen is back helping Linda at lunch times and of course I join in. Little Madeleine is very sweet and understands that I do not like having my ears pulled. Jen has another Baby which Molly guards closely.

Robert and Patsy have had some Australian friends to stay this week. They were put to work dead heading some of the roses. He was very proud of his work. We like this time of the year as there is time for us dogs to potter around the garden while Patsy works in the borders.

Back in Full Swing

Our visitor season has started and I am back in full swing as “meeter and greeter’ as well as tour guide around the garden – some people take the hint and follow me but not all. Read more

Patsy’s garden diary

Great Chalfield garden news June 2011

The roses are glorious three weeks earlier than usual this year : lots of dead heading looms up. If you dead head plants on time most probably they will flower again. We have had a  little rain this month, which has been a huge relief as there are quite a few annuals that need a good drink.  We never use precious tap water on the plants, as I fear it may be treated with chemicals and, like dogs and horses, plants prefer untreated rainwater!!!
The Kolwytzia has never looked better. I think it must have enjoyed the cold winter.It has the perfect position in dappled shade where it is not too dry.

Sadly our spring dried out in May, Wessex Water is not popular around here they have 2 boreholes near by which drain most of our groundwater away under the farm and garden.  Thankfully the mill pond and fishpond are fed by a compensation borehole and Edwardian rain tanks  hold quite a few litres.

The Albertine rose with its toes in the water at the edge of the lower moat or fishpond is just so gorgeous and in full bloom.  I now know how vital it is to make sure the roses have a huge amount to drink.

Highlights in the garden and orchard this month – ROSES – especially the white Bennett’s Seedling which you can grow up any north facing wall without direct sun and on any surface.  We call it the Chalfield Rose as it is so prolific.

Come and enjoy.

A bit late, sorry…

Sorry everyone I am late with my blog this week as it is hard to pin Patsy down to help me!!!

Another party in the Great Hall so I am just checking that those cheeky jackdaws are not planning to join in. Sometimes they have been known to appear in the hall when the family are entertaining. I guess that just like me they do not want to be left out.

The orchard hay has been cut which is wonderful for Molly and I as we can spend hours looking for field mice, not that we catch any but we have a good try.  I join in the hay making in the most comfortable place.

The roses are all in full bloom and at last the sun is out so I am spending lots of time meeting and greeting all my fans who have come great distances to see me.

Sadly our wonderful Spring has dried up again which is really upsetting as we do not have anywhere to swim – Robert and Patsy are very cross with the Wessex Company for taking all our water away. They really should know better.

• Oh, and there’s more excitement to share! Pats and I will be moving our blog soon to a new Great Chalfield website that a clever friend has built for me. It’s at www.greatchalfield.co.uk and there are lots of pictures on there and you can find out everything about my lovely home and the garden I enjoy. See you there!

The Marriage of Figaro

Friends of Great Chalfield brought Bath Opera’s touring production of  Figaro to the Great Hall last weekend. Full houses on both nights enjoyed fine voices enchanting music and  brilliant entertainment.

The weather was fine enough for hardy picnics, but the warmth of the dining room was welcome.

Next year Bath Opera’s touring production will be Carmen so please watch this space and book early.

The first week of May

May got off to a great start for us doggies as the annual plant fair took place on the 1st of May which we play a big part in. I of course spend a lot of the day chatting everyone up and giving them my full attention, while Molly cleans up in the garage which has been turned into a tea room, greedy girl. She was a little unwell later in the week. Try and spot us in the crowds. I don’t think I stand out very well as they have matched the gravel to my coat.

We have been spending a lot of time in the garden this month following the wheel barrow full of plants and sometimes when I am lucky I get a ride. Robert & Patsy have spent for ever on their computers finding pictures: when you would like to see more photographs of me and the gardens ,or make a plan to visit me just log onto www.greatchalfield.co.uk

I am not so fond of our walks at the moment as you know how I feel about sheep and every other grass field seems to be occupied by them, the wheat is now too high for me to see over it and as for the beastly oil seed rape it is like running through a yellow forest. I come out covered in yellow pollen & little petals which are dropping now.