The Kitchen at Frog End

Helen and Ian's new kitchen and dining room is fantastic. Every bit as good as Helen's blog postings suggested and there seems so much more space. As yet I haven't taken any pictures that really do it justice. I find room interiors quite hard things to photograph successfully.

Escot Park

On Tuesday afternoon we drove out to Escot Park near Ottery St Mary where we have booked a slot on a Beaver watch later in the week.

(With apologies to all arachnophobes!)

 And apologies to all anatadaephobes as well...

Car Park

 
It's amazing the difference a bit of decoration can make to what would otherwise be a boring concrete car park. 

Frog End

At Frog End both front and back gardens are looking great and the new greenhouse and the decking (in progress) are yet more tributes to Helen and Ian's hard work.

After lunch yesterday  Helen showed me around the greenhouse.

Otter Nurseries

On Tuesday we had a wander around Otter Nurseries where I photographed some Hibiscus.

The Alstroemeria were also beautiful and yet neither are plants I'd have at home.

Rougemont Castle

This is the gatehouse of Rougemont Castle.  It was built shortly after 1066 in the reign of Willam the Conqueror.

Rougemont Castle is the historic castle of Exeter.

The castle was first built in 1068 to help William the Conqueror maintain control over the city. It is perched on an ancient volcanic plug, overlaying remains of the Roman city of Isca Dumnoniorum. The castle is named after the red stone found in the hill, and used in the construction of the original buildings, of which only ruins remain.

On the castle wall.

One of the views from the castle walls, looking over Northernhay Gardens.

A Gallery in the Gardens

Set among the flowers and shrubs in Rougemont and Northernhay Gardens this year are some artistic surprises - reproductions of eleven paintings from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

George Philip Reinagle (1802-1835)
A first rate man-of-war driving on a reef of rocks, and foundering in a gale, 1826.

Albert Charles Bown
Bedford Circus after the Blitz, 1942

Stanhope Alexander Forbes (1857-1947)
The 22nd January 1901 - Reading the news of Queen Victoria's death in a Cornish Cottage

As on my previous visits the gardens are in excellent condition with flowerbeds full of colour and not a single piece of litter to be seen - a real tribute to Exeter City Council's Parks and Open Spaces Department.

I'm Back...

I'm back in Exeter.  Been here 24 hours and only taken  a hundred or so photos so far....  I guess there'll be some sorting to do before I do some blog posting.