This time Satis Shroff takes you to the English Garden of Ettenbühl in Germany.

The English Garden of Ettenbühl (Satis Shroff)

Ah, it’s the month of July.

The sun is shining,

Blue sky with fluffy clouds.

The roses are blooming

In the English Garden of Ettenbühl.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A floral paradise with strong colours;

From scarlet to deep violet

And the wonderous scents of the roses

That arouse your senses.

There’s even a prarie garden.

You hear the water gurgling in the pond garden,

Underneath a pergola of wisteria and roses.

Water lilies hidden between lovely green leaves,

And outsized Koi carps in their orange splendor.

They come to the surface,

Open their large mouths and disappear silently

In the depths of the pond amid the green algae.

An evergreen tree with dark leaves next to the pillars

Peonies and box bushes, philadelphus and buddleia,

A shrub with mauve flowery spikes.

The small wood near the garden house

Has thousands of Christmas roses

And narcissus: a genus of bulbous plants.

The lavender garden built after a cloister

From the Middle Ages has also roses,

And the ones in the Old Rose Garden

Are over forty years old.

As you walk past the majestic Leyland cypresses,

You are greeted by more flowers.

A tasty rustical lunch awaits you at the Ettenbühl restaurant,

Served by a soft-spoken Polish lady.

It reminds you of an English Country House

Every furniture and wall picture brings you

Memories of love for, and of, England.

No, we don’t need Putin’s oil and in Summer

For the sun is strong,

And the grass in the meadows

Has become dry and golden brown.

In the colder season there is the fire

Of burning wood to keep the fireplace and rooms warm.

Asparagus is served with seasonal salads,

Meat and fish dishes,

Vegetarian or vegan,

As you please.

And in the afternoon, I enjoy the classic English teatime,

Served in old porcelain.

They have English sandwiched, scones with clotted cream,

Orange and strawberry marmalades,

Fine cakes and Törtchen,

A big pot of tea from the foothills of the Himalayas,

Reminiscent of good old England.