We’ve been lucky with the weather for the Jubilee weekend. Yesterday we were so sorry to see all the rain in London, and it was a shame that the fly past had to be cancelled.In Grasmere it was cold but dry. The WI big Sunday lunch was a huge success. The 200 tickets sold out days ahead, and on the door at lunchtime I had to turn away lots of disappointed visitors who had hoped to just turn up and get a ticket on the day.

One gentleman asked if there were any ticket touts about! ( I don’t think he was serious) I said ( in my best stern ex teacher’s voice) “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t think the WI does touting!” The Kendal brass band decided they would rather play in the village hall than in Broadgate Meadow, so the lunch was followed by a rousing Songs of Praise with everyone from the lunch being joined by large numbers of extra visitors who joined in with gusto.

I didn’t take any photos, but there were lots of other people with cameras so I hope I’ll be able to get some of theirs to post on the Grasmere WI website.

Here’s another couple of photos that I’ve taken this morning in White Moss House garden. We have rooms from tomorrow for the rest of the week. If you’d like to visit, please email me , sue@whitemoss.com, for our best rates.

Diamond Jubilee at White Moss House

The rose is so old that we call it “The Wordsworth Rose” as it dates back to when the Wordsworths owned White Moss House. It has a beautiful scent right now.

This azalea is an amazing colour- a mass of blooms right now.

Today there is a recital in St Oswald’s church Grasmere, at 2pm, and the beacon on Silver Howe will be lit at 10.26pm tonight. It will be sad when the Diamond Jubilee celebrations end and life goes back to normal.
BUT WAIT! We’ve got the Olympic Torch coming on 21 June- another special celebration!
I’ll be posting a special two day break offer on the White Moss House website later today for the Olympic Torch Relay day. See you then?

We’ve hoisted a new Union Jack on the flagpole, and Jade and Peter have strung the bunting round the windows. Now we’re hoping the sun will last until after the weekend.

White Moss terrace and Jubilee bunting

I planted the tubs last week, once the weather warmed up and the frost danger was ( hopefully) past. Now they’re starting to fill out and look festive.
We’ve got rooms until Saturday, then we have some gaps next week. See our website for details of special offers.

White Moss House porch, bunting and the Wordsowrth orse.

We’ve just had a cancellation for the Jubilee weekend. We’ve now got a double room, Room 4, with a double bed, at the rate of £49 per person per night including our award winning breakfast. This is for a 3 night minimum stay.
There’s lots going on in Grasmere over the weekend .Click here to find out about events in Grasmere for the Jubilee weekend.. Just outside Ambleside, there’s also an excellent Music Festival at the lovely , newly refurbished Brathay Church. Click here for the details of Brathay Music Festival.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful Jubilee weekend. Let’s hope the sunny weather lasts! If you can get away in the week, before the weekend, we have special rates available. Please email sue@whitemoss.com, ring 015394 35295 or see our website special offers page for details.

The weather has been so good, we just had to get out and walk. With only an afternoon to spare, we went for one of our old favourites, round Jopplety Howe from Lodore, Borrowdale.
You get amazing views of Derwent Water, lovely walking by the Lodore Falls, and in the middle of the walk you can stop at the tea room at Watendlath .
In the Hugh Walpole “Rogue Herries” books, some of the characters live at Watendlath. In the old days, before the trades description act, there used to be signs on the house saying “Judith Paris lived here”. If you know the books, you can work out which character lived there.

Watendlath

All good walks should end at a pub. This one ends at the Borrowdale Hotel, where the garden was very popular in the sunshine, and the beer was very welcome on a hot day.

Derwent Water from the path below Jopplety How

If you can get away before 1 June, we have rooms available at special rates, and Brockstone Cottage is also available from Saturday 26 May for a bargain week or a short break.Please look at White Moss House Special Offers page or email sue@whitemoss.com. It’s quiet here right now, and the weather is spectacluar. You can hear cuckoos and skylarks on your walks, and the azaleas and rhoddies are looking brilliant.

The rain has brought the azaleas and rhododenrons out nto full bloom. There are lots of places in the Lakes with outsanding gardens at this time of year. The National Trust garden Stagshaw at Ambleside is amazing, Holehird is lovely,and Muncaster Castle has a huge number of azaleas and rhoddies out right now.

Actually, the White Moss House garden has some lovely azaleas and rhoddies. I’ll post some pictures soon, but meanwhile, we have a special offer running until the end of May- the perfect chance for a great value May break in the Lakes. Click here to see our special rates for May, or email sue@whitemoss.com to see what’s available.

May Tree in full bloom

This picture was actually taken on the Jenkins Crag walk, but in 2011. The May Trees (Hawthornes) are not fully out this year yet. After a very warm March, the colder April and May mean that the blossoms are just coming to their best now, in time for your visit!

We’re fully booked at White Moss House and Brockstone holiday cottage this weekend, but from Wednesday 9th May onwards we’re offering some pretty good rates. Please look at our website for more information and special offers.

Weather report. We’ve had a little drizzle today, but it’s sunny again now. We’ve had a lovely dry , sunny spell. Long may it last! We kmow we’ll get the rain again, this is the Lake District after all- no rain no lakes, but we’re having a beautiful Grasmere spring.

Herdiwck lamb playing hide and seek at White Moss House

Here’s today’s photo . I took this through my office window. I tried to go outside and get a better photo but the little thing skipped off too quickly.