At White Moss House guest house, Grasmere, we have an ancient rose, which we call the Wordsworth Rose. The house was bought by poet William Wordsworth for his son, Willie, and the poet often called in and sat in the porch where the rose gr0ws.
We are told it is very old, so we think it dates back to the time of William Wordsworth.

It flowers once a year, just a few very scented blooms, and its out now! If you would like to stay, enjoying the glorious June weather, we have rooms free from Sunday 20 June for up to 4 nights, and again from 26 June (only 1 room left on 28 June).
Please email me if you want to make a last minute booking- I can offer you a June discount if you can stay 2 or more nights.
( we are fully booked on 17, 18 and 19 June, and also on 24 and 25 June)

The walk actually begins and ends in Ambleside, but we hopped on the bus at Whitemoss- no point trying to find a day’s parking space in Ambleside ( especially if you have a bus pass!).
We walked up Stock Ghyll, over Wansfell, had lunch at the Mortal Man, then back round Jenkins crag.
It’s a walk we’ve done many times before, sometimes the other way round.

As it was a hazy day, the photos are poor. This is the gentle path back from Robin’s Lane, with Windermere on the left and the Langdales in the background.

Some people only manage the short walk from Waterhead to Jenkin’s crag. Even on a hazy day the view from Jenkin’s Crag is superb.

Outstanding on this walk were the wild flowers- bluebells, wood sorrel, wild garlic , buttercups, violets, little yellow orchids. The hawthorn trees are also finally bursting into life. Popularly known as “May” trees”, they are just managing to blossom before the end of the month in this late spring.

Sweet cicely is a great herb , and it’s looking extra good this year. Here is a photo taken this morning from our kitchen door looking into the Whitemoss herb garden.

It’s a very pretty herb, with its masses of white flowers.Its main use for us it as a sweetener in rhubarb, gooseberry and other fruit desserts. If you chop up sweet cicely leaves and add them to the fruit, you can halve the amount of sugar you use. Nature’s own low calorie sweetener!

For more information on sweet cicely , plus an amazing recipe for sweet cicely schnapps, you can take a look here.

If you can get to Sizergh Castle,near Kendal, this week, then do- the blossom is amazing and the gardens are looking great.

Here are some of my photos from yesterday. They don’t do it justice, but you get the idea! This is a wonderful tulip border.

Herdwick lambs- so tiny, so cute! Their mums thought the grass and bluebells at White Moss House were so much better than in their own field.
Most herdwick lambs are black, turning grey later.

Please, please, always leave wild flowers for others to enjoy- don’t pick the primroses ( and certainly, if you see anyone trying to dig them up -stop them!)

I’m sure they weren’t there yesterday, but here they are- bluebells in White Moss House garden, pushing their way through amongst the fading daffodils.