Lavender’s Blue, Dilly Dilly

This morning we went off to Fakenham to look at the Market. Great Fun – all the usual stalls; bric-a-brac pretending to be ‘antique’, fruit and veg, tools, toiletries, clothes, garden stuff, flowers…

 

Apparently this Sunday is Norfolk’s first ever “Dog Day” and these two were dressed up to promote the event. But they hadn’t put their ‘heads’ on

As the Norfolk people kept saying “Thass too hooomid today!”

 

 

 

 

Apparently the lemon curd and pasties are separate items, and the ‘cheesey feet’ are cheese biscuits [in the shape of feet!]

After Fakenham we drove up to Heacham to the Norfolk Lavender Farm at Caley Mill

 

This place is the home of the National Lavender Collection. It is all so beautiful to look at and wonderfully fragrant.

Bob has cleared the flowerbed in front of Cornerstones and is planning to plant aromatic stuff there, lavender, rosemary etc, so this was a good place to learn which plants are best!

We spent ages wandering among the bushes – my favourite varieties were Hidcote and Grosso

 

 

Lots of bees and butterflies in evidence too

 

 

 

 

Some lavender is much bluer than others, some is almost silvery white

The Herb Garden is full of informative signs

 

 

 

In 1629, a herbalist named Parkinson declared Soapwort to be “a counterbuypon against infection, and also against the violence of a mad dog’s tooth”

‘counterbuypon’ is a much nicer word than “antibacterial” I think!

In the shop I saw what looked like two strange brightly coloured caterpillars…

…but they turned out to be a stack of watering cans

The Coffee Shop was staffed by some very friendly people, and the lavender scones were excellent. In the entrance is some old equipment formerly used for distilling the lavender

I have fancied a dovecote on a pole ever since I saw the one in the film “Witness”`with Harrison Ford

Then home for lunch then off to a strangely deserted Norwich Station [there has been industrial action today]

This is the platform just before the arrival of the Ely train – bringing Liz and Steph, Jon and Mark to us for the weekend. I am ridiculously excited about having all the family here together at Cornerstones – do not expect me to post very much for the next few days!!!

The song is over three hundred years old – but I am not entirely sure what it all means!

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,

When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.

Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so.

Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work

Some with a rake, dilly, dilly, some with a fork.

Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to thresh corn.

While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm.

Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue,

If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.

Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play;

We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.

I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;

When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king.

Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?

I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so.