The good thing about spending some time over the weekend sorting and editing photos is that I got to relive quite a lot of our holiday to Barbados just before Christmas. I could feel the virtual sun, remember the spiritual-ness of our visit to Hunte’s Garden all while the March weather here did its thing. I’ve said this before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but Hunte’s Garden was an amazing place, and spending time working on the photos from our visit reminded me just how special it is.
We booked a driver to take us to the gardens, and while the island isn’t large it was about a forty minute drive from where we were staying. What we hadn’t realised when we negotiated a price was that our driver would stay there while we spent time in the gardens. He said it was a favourite place of his too, and when life was getting too much it was a favourite place to spend some time. And he wasn’t wrong.
Even at the entrance to the garden I knew we were in for something special, and I wasn’t wrong either. I’ll share more on the garden another day, but today after we walked down and around and back up and along exploring the garden we headed towards the house. Neither of us expected to find such a stunning dining room, which was full of faded elegance, with a tropical flavour that we’d come to expect even in our short time exploring the garden.
I think it looks more overrun or faded than it actually is. The roof generally looked to be functioning as a roof should but it was set as if it could almost be ready for a party, and what a party that would be. The garden sold its own rum, and that would help any party go with a swing. After we’d explored the garden, we thought it only right and proper to try the local rum and sit on the verandah and pretend the garden was ours…
From the floral tea set - more tea Vicar? - to the bird cage and other curios, everything felt as if it was in the right place.
Even the plants inviting themselves in through the gaps where the corrugated sheeting goes, and the open window.
Quite a random space, to discover set apart from the house, but still quite a special one. Hopefully once I share some more of the garden, you’ll be as awestruck as me.