A nice trip to West Hoathly

Last week we went to East Grinsted on a train and stayed at friend's in Hoathly Hill community West Hoathly; this is a community formed in the 70's I believe, based on environmental awareness and simple living. Also natural beauty and art features, with wild gardens, herb gardens, and manicured flower beds, mixed with sculptures in some unexpected corners and eye pleasing structures; these include a hall used for a kindergarten, another one for handwork, another building is the pottery, and so on...there are communal allotments and a large burner for burning wood, large enough to feed all the houses in Hoathly hill to keep everyone warm! Most people living there base their living on the understandings of Anthroposophy and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner
We went to visit some friends in Hoathly Hill, West Hoathly. This is a lovely place where the people live simply and with environmental awareness. 
I will let the photos speak more than my words!


One thing that strikes a visitor is the peaceful and natural surroundings and the beauty; the buildings and the structures blend nicely with nature and sculptures with organic forms are placed in unexpected corners of the gardens and paths that weave through this unusual spaces. There is a Kindergarten, a pottery, vegetable patches, various halls used as handwork spaces, offices, cafe/halls. 


A huge burner is there for wood chip to burn to warm each house.
You can see how it was built here and some pictures of the Hoathly Hill community too!


http://home.btconnect.com/hoathlyhill/hhr/blog.html

Nature and human beings in harmony

In the herb garden

Some of the houses

and their gardens

The pottery

Earlier the same day we went for a walk in West Hoathly, a very pretty little village and we saw the church gardens and this is the view from there

Such an unusual slope
 with cemetery

We thought we could see
Winnie the Pooh
 in the distance!










We went to see the Priest House gardens

Walking round and round the garden...like a teddy bear...
















We knew there were wild strawberries in there...somewhere...


There!

mmmmmmmmmmmm!

could get some more...

can we pinch a few more mummy?

Just put the last one in my mouth and act not too suspiciously!

The cottage garden style is pretty impressive, we have  never seen so many flowers in one garden!

One very last strawberry mummy!




















the next day our friends took us to Plowhatch farm

This is where we got some eggs, cheese and freshly picked courgette, which is now in our quiche!

Morgana loved to visit this farm as this is where she spent three days camping with her class and teacher last year...this is the woodwork workshop building, made of, well, wood, of course!

We will wear our gum boots next time, for sure!








Meanwhile back home...resting and trying to make it tidy ( mainly getting the shelves sorted and all the school things in order)

As September approaches I feel the exciting adrenaline rush of changes to come, new adventures, new beginnings mixed with back to normal routine feeling...


Home sweet home

And our new fridge ( bigger, taller!)...

...with plenty of fresh food!

Unsettled weather, cooler nights, rainy days, and wonderful pink skies, evening sunsets...from my window seat at the back of the kitchen..

x Susannah