Soda's day out!

I am slowly getting used to this computer game. What I hadn't realised is that if you click on the photos they enlarge - thats my IT lesson for the day!

Julie and Helen have been to stay with us much to Soda’s delight! They took Soda for a day out down to Hawkridge and walked down to the river where there was much diving and swimming in the Barle river (Soda not Julie and Helen)! Picnic, a little sleep and a comfy lap to sit on all the way there and back – what a life! Needless to say when Ju and Helen were walking down the drive to their car to leave, Soda was trotting on with them assuming that another walk was on the cards!

Julie and Helen are very keen bird watchers. There is always a little bit of competition as to who can take the best photo between Ju and Derek. On this occasion Julie won hands down as her zoom was able to take this lovely photo of a wren feeding her chicks. She also took the stunning one of Soda in the river. Mind you as I pointed out to her, with such a perfect subject she couldn't possibly go wrong!

Last week it was mums birthday – she really is quite remarkable for 87! I took our neighbour Julie and met mum and sister at Hestercombe Gardens near Taunton. Hestercombe is situated on the southern slopes of the Quantock Hills with extensive views over the Vale of Taunton to the Blackdown Hills beyond. There are over fifty acres of lakes, temples, cascades, woodland walks and formal terraces. Hestercombe is a unique combination of three period gardens - the LANDSCAPE GARDEN was created in the 1750s by soldier and artist, Coplestone Warre Bampfylde, renowned as having "the finest taste for laying out ground of any man in England". Bampfylde's vision was complemented with the addition of a VICTIORIAN TERRACE and SHRUBBERY in the 1870s and followed by the creation of the beautiful EDWARDIAN GARDENS designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll between 1904 and 1908. It was a lovely day and Hestercombe is well worth a visit.

The Exmoor ponies looked too good to miss – I know we have loads of photos of them but they are all unique. The photo of haymaking was taken in Pauls field last week.