in april 2021 we spent a lot of time in different gardens. and there is **nothing** like an english garden in the spring!! we went to a ton of different national trust sites in the first few months of the year and also spent lots of time at one of our favourite places in greater london, kew gardens and in our garden square, which amazed me every single day in his blooming and evolving beauty.

an ice cream day at kew:

some snaps from our beloved home, earl’s court square garden:

from an afternoon playing with friends at the playground at regent’s park and then admiring the flowers:

we met our friends the barneses at a national trust site called basildon park (which was used for netherfield in the 2005 pride and prejudice film!). we had a deal this spring that if it was a cold day we’d get hot chocolate and if it was a warm day we’d get ice cream 🙂

all the national trust sites had these super fun “easter trails” for kids. they were like little scavenger hunts and our kids loved it. here moses and gabriel are, so excited, after finding number 10 of 10 on their little easter trail map with their friends cal and evie:

the prize for finishing the trail was always a big chocolate egg!

evie had august and eve (her little almost-name twin) giggling most of the morning.

after the barneses headed home, we decided to make a big old day of it and went to a second national trust site in the same day. this one is called grey’s court and i’m determined to go back there one day when the incredible wisteria is at peak bloom!

a sunday afternoon at yet another national trust site, nymans, where we had a blast flying out kite:

another day at kew:

on the day the twins turned six months old! (and wore their brother’s hats because it was chillier than we expected and i didn’t bring the baby hats!)

another national trust site on a day that moses was at school (and before gabriel had started school again) … this one is called emmets garden.

i have a lot of pictures from the first few months of 2021 of gabriel in many different beautiful places sitting on our little portable potty. this one is my most discreet so i’m putting it here to remember those fun times 🙂

i adore the natural playgrounds at national trust sites! look at this play kitchen and big musical instrument!

another day, another estate house and gardens. this one is called audley end:

back in our garden square – more incredible blooms:

i took gabriel and the twins out to a bluebell forest one day. after all our years living in england, we hadn’t experienced a bluebell forest in full bloom! (i did as a missionary in england though.) it. was. sensational. and the pictures just don’t do the carpet of purple justice.

i tried taking a selfie with all of us in the middle of the flowers…

and a kind stranger noticed my struggle and offered to take a photo for us 🙂

the grass in our garden was blocked off for a lot of weeks while it was reseeded. on the day the barriers came down and we were free to run on the grass again we had a little celebration – the boys were soooo thrilled!

and the petal dust in the garden by the end of the month was just to die for:

spring in english gardens – unparalleled.