🧳 🌺 Arriving at the Secret Garden Bed & Breakfast - Part 1 of 3 - Relaxing Stories for Adults

Welcome to The Slow Life - A village filled with cozy stories for everyone. This story is called Arriving at the Secret Garden Bed and Breakfast, and it’s about a wraparound porch, the most elegant word I know, and a weekend away—sort of. This is Part 1 of 3 stories relating to a weekend stay at the Secret Garden Bed & Breakfast.

🇨🇦 These stories are written, edited and narrated by Jennifer Zwicker.

Support this podcast at Patreon, ⁠here⁠ https://patreon.com/theslowlifecalmingstories?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

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Benefits of listening to cozy stories or adult bedtime stories with The Slow Life:

1. Relaxation and Stress Relief

• You want to unwind after a stressful day.

• The gentle pacing, soothing tone, and comforting narratives help calm your mind and body.

2. Help Falling Asleep

• Many people use bedtime stories as a sleep aid. We’ve been told ours help.

• A calming story distracts from anxious or racing thoughts, making it easier to drift off. Especially with a second reading as we have, because you already know what happens.

3. Comfort and Nostalgia

• You’re looking for the emotional safety and warmth that often comes with familiar or gently imaginative stories.

• Cozy stories can evoke fond childhood memories or a sense of being cared for.

4. Escape and Imagination

• A peaceful story can provide a gentle escape from reality without overstimulation.

• Listeners enjoy being transported to a calm village, a peaceful garden, or a quaint and cozy inn.

5. Mindfulness and Presence

• The slow, descriptive nature of cozy storytelling encourages a mindful focus on the present.

• It can be a form of meditative listening, grounding you, the listener, in sensory details and slow pacing.

6. Companionship and Connection

• Perhaps, for people who live alone or feel lonely, a narrator’s voice can feel like friendly company.

• It’s a quiet, non-demanding form of social presence.

🧡 Bedtime stories for grown ups

🧡 Bedtime stories for kids

🧡 Meditation story

Arriving at the Secret Garden Bed & Breakfast is a cozy bedtime story about having a little staycation in my own town. There is beauty, there is comfort. It may help put you to sleep. Calming stories to help you sleep. Relieve anxiety.

⚠️ Take care listening while driving or doing any activity that requires your full attention.

• All stories - Copyright Jennifer Zwicker 2024, 2025

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Welcome to The Slow Life, a village filled with cozy stories
for everyone. I'll read this story 2 times to
help you zone out or even fall asleep during the second
reading. This story is called Arriving at

(00:23):
The Secret Garden Bed and Breakfast, and it's about a wrap
around porch, the most elegant word I know.
And a weekend away, sort of. Summer settles warmly over the
village. The air is soft and slow, the

(00:46):
trees full and lush with green and deep Reds.
The bees and other helpers make good use of the flowers in full
bloom. Today I'll do something I've
started to do each year around this time.
I spend a weekend at The Secret Garden Bed and Breakfast right

(01:09):
here in the village. It's not out of necessity, my
own home is just down the road, but I'd always been curious
about what the old Victorian washiding behind its welcoming and
cosy facade. And what I found has kept me
going back each year. A treat, I tell myself, even if

(01:35):
the surrounding area is familiar.
It's mid afternoon as I arrive with my small suitcase Wheeling
behind me through the open gate of an ornate design.
The front walk is lined by a lowformal hedge of dwarf boxwood

(01:55):
with tall Lantern style lights guiding the way.
The gardens on either side are also kept low to allow the inn
to be seen from the street without obstructing the view.
A few narrow, spiral trimmed juniper bushes rise above the

(02:16):
rest like curved sculptures. Dancing around these are
lavender and catmint, their mounds of purple blooms
attracting many pollinators who hum as I walk.
The symmetry is impressive, withornamental grasses accenting the

(02:37):
colourful flowers being mirroredto my left and right.
The grand house stands like a treasure between practically a
forest of Crimson king Maple trees on either side.
It's painted in a gentle corn flower blue with ivory trim and

(02:59):
a hint of gingerbread style in its architecture.
The Wrap Around Porch invites you to sit and stay awhile.
Someone sits on the swing, gently swaying with their elbows
propped on its cushions, readinga book they've almost finished.

(03:21):
I wonder if they started it while staying here at the Bed
and Breakfast, and if they've got another one to dig into.
Soon after they turn the last page of this one, a warm welcome
waits inside. The innkeeper, whom I've known
my whole life from around the village, is polite but doesn't

(03:45):
linger too long, which suits me.They know I've come to spend
time in the gardens and in the beautiful top floor room I
requested. Before heading up to my room, I
do a loop through the sitting room with its library of books
and soft lighting. The dining room has recently

(04:09):
become a restaurant in addition to the breakfast area, and I see
a seat in the sunroom portion that will do nicely later on for
supper. On my way up the staircase I
meet a couple unclasping their hands to allow me room to pass.

(04:30):
I notice there's sun dresses andshoes aren't The Walking taking
in the sights kind and once theysee me smile they tell me
they're on their honeymoon in the perfect place.
We exchange a few more words andI congratulate them as they
rejoin hands below me. My room is at the top of another

(04:55):
staircase, past a small sitting nook with cushy chairs.
I make a mental note to return there later, wanting to use
every space that the inn has to offer.
The door opens easily and I'm thankful for modern things like
air conditioning in places such as this.

(05:19):
It's even cozier than I remember.
A king sized bed fit for a queensits to my diagonal left,
dressed in a luxuriously plush duvet that looks as soft as I
know it feels. A hand stitched quilt is folded
at the foot, all bright florals and winding Ivy patterns.

(05:46):
A bright and spacious washroom hosts a claw foot tub and a
modern stand alone shower. I know I'll try out the lavender
bath salts they've provided. A sitting area with a
Chesterfield comfy arm chair anda coffee table looks great for

(06:07):
reading or word puzzles throughout my stay.
As for my favorite spot in the room, there's a cushioned window
seat overlooking the back gardenbelow The Secret Garden that you
have to stay here to experience.The window is large and new

(06:28):
enough that it doesn't warp the view.
My spot also holds a small writing desk in the corner
facing outside. It's the right time of day for
the sunlight to spill across thetop of it and on to the wooden
floor in golden ribbons. I'll come back to my room before

(06:52):
supper, but now it's time to explore.
I wander down the stairs, takingin everything along the way.
The hallways are filled with framed photographs, old black
and whites of the village of theHosts in earlier days.

(07:12):
There are photos of the garden in full bloom, trellises covered
in pink and white roses and a winding stone path shaded by
leafy vines. I hear the clinking of dishes,
and around the corner I see thata tray of refreshments has been

(07:33):
set out for guests in the parlour.
I don't know a more elegant wordthan parlor, and that alone
persuades me to partake in the treats.
It's a charming assortment, witha crystal pitcher of chilled
lemonade sitting beside a porcelain teapot that's steaming

(07:55):
and fresh coffee percolates nearby.
Fine China cups and saucers are arranged neatly, along with
linen napkins embroidered at theedges.
A small plate displays buttery shortbread, lemon curd tarts and

(08:16):
chocolate dipped biscotti by itssides.
It's a glass bowl of fruit salad, adding a refreshing
touch. A tiny vase with fresh garden
flowers completes the tray, inviting guests to pause, sip
and savour our stay here. The snack has worked its magic

(08:40):
and I'm eager to get to the gardens.
I find the back door and step outside.
My breath catches at the sight, but then deepens.
It's thriving. It's lush.
It's as though closing the door behind me transported me into

(09:01):
this other world, but I smile atproving that this does exist in
our own backyard. Arriving at The Secret Garden
Bed and Breakfast, summer settles warmly over the village.

(09:24):
The air is soft and slow, the trees full and lush with green
and deep Reds. The bees and other helpers make
good use of the flowers in full bloom.
Today I'll do something I've started to do each year around
this time. I spend a weekend at The Secret

(09:48):
Garden Bed and Breakfast right here in the village.
It's not out of necessity, my own home is just down the road,
but I'd always been curious about what the old Victorian was
hiding behind its welcoming and cosy facade.

(10:08):
And what I found has kept me going back each year.
A treat, I tell myself, even if the surrounding area is
familiar. It's mid afternoon as I arrive
with my small suitcase Wheeling behind me through the open gate

(10:29):
of an ornate design. The front walk is lined by a low
formal hedge of dwarf boxwood with tall Lantern style lights
guiding the way. The gardens on either side are
also kept low to allow the inn to be seen from the street

(10:50):
without obstructing the view. A few narrow, spiral trimmed
juniper bushes rise above the rest like curved sculptures.
Dancing around these are lavender and catmint, their
mounds of purple blooms attracting many pollinators who

(11:11):
hum as I walk. The symmetry is impressive, with
ornamental grasses accenting thecolourful flowers being mirrored
to my left and right. The grand house stands like a
treasure between practically a forest of Crimson king Maple

(11:32):
trees on either side. It's painted in a gentle corn
flower blue with ivory trim and a hint of gingerbread style in
its architecture. The Wrap Around Porch invites
you to sit and stay awhile. Someone sits on the swing,

(11:54):
gently swaying with their elbowspropped on its cushions, reading
a book they've almost finished. I wonder if they started it
while staying here at the Bed and Breakfast, and if they've
got another one to dig into. Soon after they turn the last
page of this one, a warm welcomewaits inside.

(12:20):
The innkeeper, whom I've known my whole life from around the
village, is polite but doesn't linger too long, which suits me.
They know I've come to spend time in the gardens and in the
beautiful top floor room I requested.
Before heading up to my room, I do a loop through the sitting

(12:43):
room with its library of books and soft lighting.
The dining room has recently become a restaurant in addition
to the breakfast area, and I seea seat in the sunroom portion
that will do nicely later on forsupper.

(13:03):
On my way up the staircase I meet a couple unclasping their
hands to allow me room to pass. I notice their sun dresses and
shoes aren't The Walking, takingin the sights kind, and once
they see me smile, they tell me they're on their honeymoon in

(13:24):
the perfect place. We exchange a few more words and
I congratulate them as they rejoin hands below me.
My room is at the top of anotherstaircase, past a small sitting
nook with cushy chairs. I make a mental note to return

(13:45):
there later, wanting to use every space that the inn has to
offer. The door opens easily and I'm
thankful for modern things like air conditioning in places such
as this. It's even cozier than I
remember. A king sized bed fit for a queen

(14:08):
sits to my diagonal left, dressed in a luxuriously plush
duvet that looks as soft as I know it feels.
A hand stitched quilt is folded at the foot, all bright florals
and winding Ivy patterns. A bright and spacious washroom

(14:30):
hosts a claw foot tub and a modern stand alone shower.
I know I'll try out the lavenderbath salts they've provided.
A sitting area with a Chesterfield comfy arm chair and
a coffee table looks great for reading or word puzzles

(14:50):
throughout my stay. As for my favorite spot in the
room, there's a cushioned windowseat overlooking the back garden
below The Secret Garden that youhave to stay here to experience.
The window is large and new enough that it doesn't warp the

(15:12):
view. My spot also holds a small
writing desk in the corner facing outside.
It's the right time of day for the sunlight to spill across the
top of it and on to the wooden floor in golden ribbons.
I'll come back to my room beforesupper, but now it's time to

(15:36):
explore. I wander down the stairs, taking
in everything along the way. The hallways are filled with
framed photographs, old black and whites of the village of the
Hosts in earlier days. There are photos of the garden
in full bloom, trellises coveredin pink and white roses and a

(16:02):
winding stone path shaded by leafy vines.
I hear the clinking of dishes, and around the corner I see that
a tray of refreshments has been set out for guests in the
parlour. I don't know a more elegant word
than parlor, and that alone persuades me to partake in the

(16:26):
treats. It's a charming assortment, with
a crystal pitcher of chilled lemonade sitting beside a
porcelain teapot that's steamingand fresh coffee percolates
nearby. Fine China cups and saucers are
arranged neatly, along with linen napkins embroidered at the

(16:50):
edges. A small plate displays buttery
shortbread, lemon curd tarts andchocolate dipped biscotti.
By its side sits a glass bowl offruit salad, adding a refreshing
touch. A tiny vase with fresh garden
flowers completes the tray, inviting guests to pause, sip

(17:16):
and savour our stay here. The snack has worked its magic
and I'm eager to get to the gardens.
I find the back door and step outside.
My breath catches at the sight, but then deepens.
It's thriving. It's lush.

(17:38):
It's as though closing the door behind me transported me into
this other world, but I smile atproving that this does exist in
our own backyard. I wish you sweet dreams.