Last year I had an opportunity to spend a day in London town catching up with treasured friends who were visiting from Australia ever-so briefly. In a moment of serendipity, I read something somewhere the week prior that made mention of a venue in the big smoke that sounded intriguing. What I do remember is that the article was in an Interior design publication, speaking of a recent classy renovation of a library that is accessible to the public. My curiosity was piqued.
At the end of August, I was back in Ilminster profiting from a few simple days staying in the holiday cottage of dear friends. It was my second visit. The first time saw me discovering a wealth of local gardens & NT properties to keep me busy and active during my stay. I spent a happy morning at Lytes Cary last time, before heading to the austere Barrington Court even closer to ‘home’. On this visit, I took the opportunity to further my discovery of the latter, having only toured the gardens and grounds so far.
I am so glad that I returned.
Recently I had the pleasure of a short local break in southern Somerset, staying for 3 days & nights in a cottage belonging to friends in the pretty market town of Ilminster. Travel can sometimes be the simplest journey and can bring the most unexpected joys. I went with no preconceptions or plans other than the prospect of time away from my quotidian life in a quiet place. Perhaps I would head for the coast, go for long walks or merely sit and read in the garden. I packed my bags, some good things to read and I set off.
Last week I took the opportunity to drive north to Yorkshire and pay a flying visit to Scarborough to spend time with a friend. In my 13 years of living in the UK, I have never ventured beyond Lincolnshire, despite having spent 6mths in Yorkshire back in my travelling days. So this was a return to a former āstomping groundā of sorts along with a chance to further explore somewhere I had only fleetingly visited some 15 years ago.