Poetry Saturday . . . Daffodils

(Dove Cottage, home of Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy)

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee . . .
A poet could not but be gay
In such a laughing company:
I gazed . . . and gazed . . . but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.
~William Wordsworth



We left to come home a day early from our holidays. We awoke yesterday morning to wind and rain and just horrible cold and wet weather, which meant that we would have spent the whole day just sitting about the cottage, and today promised to be more of the same. We decided that it would be better to just sit around our house, for at least then we would have the familiar comforts of home . . .

We did have a lovely week though . . . despite the rain and wind. You know what they say though . . . East, West . . . Home is best! And it is always nice to come home after being away.

Today is bright and sunny here, not a cloud in the sky. Todd is slumbering away and Mitzie is happy to be back in familiar surroundings. I am not sure we would bring her with us again on holiday. It was very restricting to have a dog along, although to be sure she enjoyed very much being with us. There were lots of things we could not do, or enjoy together because of her. One of us had to wait outside with her whilst the other enjoyed, and then reverse the role. You live and you learn . . .



This was our third trip up to Cumbria and once again we were not able to get into Hilltop Farm. I think one must have to drive up and park in the car park about 2 hours before it opens in order to get in. I did pick myself up these really cute little Salt and Pepper shakes as a remembrance though. It's Jemima Puddleduck and Henny Penny. I do love Salt and Pepper shakers, and they make a nice addition to my collection. I was sorely tempted to get this as well . . .



But such things are quite expensive and I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on something that would just sit there for us to look at. There was also a Lilliput Lane cottage of Hilltop, but once again very expensive and not justifiable!

I'll leave you with a little video I took from the car as we were driving back to our cottage one day. It is impossible to paint a picture in words, the great depth of beauty that Cumbria holds. It's just breathtaking . . . it's almost impossible to capture a picture either that does it full justice. I do hope you enjoy the short video. See you tomorrow!




Oh, and for anyone who is interested, you can see Grasmere Gingerbread in The English Kitchen today!