A Garden and a Hat

Last weekend my sister

and I took a drive to

visit a fascinating private garden.

The garden at Kaydale Lodge

was created on rocky farm

land more than thirty years

ago .

The gardens are very

much a family affair,

with two daughters 

now working alongside

their parents

to weave their magic

with a landscape

of colour, their

artistic touches 

everywhere.

The pear walk

just one example

of the various

landscaping elements

throughout this stunning

garden.

Of particular interest

to us were these

stunning peonies,

with their large

vibrant flowers.

The multi-layered

petals always

remind me of

wonderous ball gowns.

To visit the garden 

I chose to wear

this tunic from OBI

from New Zealand,

with its floral print front.

To my eye the print has

an Oriental influence.

I teemed this with a

straight black skirt and 

leggings and a white

cotton jacket.

I also wore some

of my black and white

bangles.

A handcrafted black

hat by milliner

Julie Neil adds

to my enjoyment of

the garden.

Joining Patti in

her Patti dress for

Visible Monday

and

Judith at

Style Crone

for this months

Hat Attack.

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18 Comments

  1. Tiina L
    December 2, 2014 / 8:41 am

    Your outfit looks so "at home" in that spectacular garden, a great casual look.

    • Jill James
      December 3, 2014 / 8:38 am

      Thank you Tiina, the garden was indeed spectacular.

  2. Patti
    December 2, 2014 / 12:14 pm

    The gardens are beautiful – and I really like your choice of top and hat. Thanks for sharing with Visible Monday!

    • Jill James
      December 3, 2014 / 8:39 am

      Thank you Patti for your kind comments and for hosting Visible Monday.

  3. The Style Crone
    December 2, 2014 / 2:51 pm

    You are another flower in this lovely garden in your beautifully composed ensemble. Your hat has wonderful lines and details. Thank you for sharing with Hat Attack!

  4. Jill James
    December 3, 2014 / 8:40 am

    Thank you Judith, always a pleasure to join in Hat Attack.

  5. Natalia Lialina
    December 4, 2014 / 7:20 am

    Beautiful hat with intricate style, and I agree with you on the Oriental influence in the design on your top, it's definitely there. I too adore visiting gardens. They are so peaceful and refreshing, you can rest, dream, learn in them… This one is a beauty! I love peonies – such gorgeous flowers! xxx

  6. Jill James
    December 4, 2014 / 8:59 am

    A visit to a garden is so enjoyable isnt it, glad you share the pleasure of a visit. The girls at the garden gave me a bunch of peonies to take home and they are adding so much beauty to my dresser.

  7. Lorna mai ltd
    December 6, 2014 / 1:07 am

    Love the oriental floral tunic and your hat is fabulous. Again, gorgeous gardens.

    • Jill James
      December 6, 2014 / 5:58 am

      Thank you so much for visiting.

  8. Jessica Cangiano
    December 6, 2014 / 6:13 am

    Sweet Jill, there are so many of things that I adore going on in this great post. Marvelous blooms, a wrist full of lovely bangles, a stunning, artistic print tunic, a fun hat, the list goes on and on. I hope you had a terrific outing at this immensely pretty garden. We're up to our eyelashes here in snow again and it's a treat to see so much greenery again.Big hugs & happy weekend wishes,♥ Jessica

    • Jill James
      December 7, 2014 / 4:04 am

      Jessica, so glad my visit to the garden provided a distraction to your snowy conditions. Thank you for your kind words, expressed as only you can, you are so talented with words , my dear Jessica. X

  9. Jan Graham-McMillen
    December 8, 2014 / 5:20 am

    I'm always behind! But I get there eventually …. hey, Jilly! Yes, your lovely print blouse has an Asian feel to my eye, too. It's the brushwork, I think, and the subject for sure. If there's a cherry blossom on it, that's all I need! And its cool on you … perfect with the little white jacket and sleek black skirt. Textures, fit, color … and the hat is just grand! You are as beautiful as those gorgeous peonies. A favorite of mine … so touchy to grow here, but worth ever bit of it. Thank you for an extra great winter-time treat. Always such a pleasure to see you!

    • Jill James
      December 9, 2014 / 6:55 am

      Never worry about being behind Jan, I so appreciate your wonderful, witty comments. Glad to add some blooming colour to your winter.

  10. dan
    December 8, 2014 / 6:32 pm

    Perfect blouse and very nice bag for a day in the garden! The peonies are really stunning and have very bright colours, gardens are nice places where to spend some time walking and enjoying spring!

    • Jill James
      December 9, 2014 / 6:56 am

      Thank you Dan, so pleased you are on the road to recovery. The colour of these peonies was such a treat for the eyes.Have a good week my dear.

  11. Ivana Split
    December 12, 2014 / 7:31 pm

    that garden is splendid!delightful look and photos<3http://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/

  12. Jill James
    December 13, 2014 / 5:56 am

    So glad you enjoyed the photos and my look for the day.

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