Ramblings from my Desk.....(14)

The last two weeks have been busy and warm. Yes folks, we are in the middle of Summer here in the UK and we are seeing the sun on a daily basis. Long may it continue!

I have therefore spent a little time out and about with hubby, who had some time off. We met up with some friends last Tuesday at a local National Trust property with our Alfie and walked round the grounds. Alfie loved the warmth, the run, followed by the cool water and cuddles! We then spent a day at nearby Compton Castle, which was enjoyable, although not my favourite National Trust property.

Then last Thursday we headed off to Greenways, the holiday home of the late mystery writer Agatha Christie. Back in May a neighbour had been and commented on how lovely it was. Because of the location and limited parking we were organised and booked a parking space.

The car park is a little way from the property, but the little walk to the formal grounds was well worth it and our first glimpse through the trees revealed this remarkable and lovely view

As we walked near the house the trees thinned away and the view was simply lovely.

Once inside the grounds there was a formal restaurant and a small take away snack bar serving drinks and sandwiches.

We had an early lunch, because getting to the venue, 15 miles from home had taken over an hour. Between locals out and about, visitors to the area and much of Devon having roadworks, the roads were simply jammed packed.

We wandered around the gardens, which were not formally laid out, they were random and you needed to really look out to see what treasures were in the garden. We spotted a water fountain which was very nice.

Then we spotted this. A little row of headstones with names and ages - "Sparky 18 years" This was the family pet cemetery, and seemed to encapsulate the love the family had for their four legged friends.

The paths were rocky and steep in places, but the walk, even with a dodgy back was delightful and we headed down to the boat shed and then the battery. The view, overlooking the sea was lovely and I am so glad I did the walk. 

The house is jammed packed with the various items the family collected. There was a very impressive silver collection which represented each year from the 17th Century until 1837. The family were huge collectors, some of the items passed through the family and other items picked up at sales and alike.

There were books everywhere, not surprising given the legacy the legacy that Agatha Christie left behind. There are copies of all her books and I almost expected Hercule or Miss Marple to pop out from behind a door! There are also details and artifacts from Agatha's second husband, Max who was an archaeologist.

On Saturday we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary, and had a lovely meal in town at a local restaurant. After dessert, we topped it off with a walk along the seafront. It was gone 11pm but the temperature was just right!

Otherwise, I have been fairly busy doing preparations for the Book of Me. The online version launches on 31st August and I have another group running in a few weeks. I have done a bit of reading, (not as much as I would have liked) and some tidying of my never endingly messy study!

I do hope the good weather is here to stay for a while longer. There is something rather satisfying in simple thing of hanging washing outside to dry!