Kiftsgate Court Gardens has been on my ‘To Do’ list for far too long. When we visited the nearby Hidcot Garden several years ago, a friend told us that he thought that Kiftsgate was the better garden of the two. We have been meaning to visit ever since but every time we were in the area the garden was closed.

Kiftsgate was on my radar ‘to visit’ during our recent holiday in Winchester but Mr C thought he would rather visit as a day trip from home. Today (27th May) was that day. The journey was a little dull but the weather was perfect. We had lunch in the courtyard where we found a shaded table before entering the garden.

We are Historic Houses members so were able to visit the gardens for free as part of the membership. The lady who checked us in suggested we visit the upper gardens first before descending into the lower garden area and that is what we did

The pathway down to the lower garden is a little narrow and uneven and, from time to time, we had to step aside to let others pass by. At one point Mr C stepped aside to let a family past, he complimented the young girl (being carried by her father) on her Angel wings. A little bit of conversation ensued as the family passed by.

Then I heard the words, ‘I am Megan’ and I was transported back to the previous day when I was a Visitor Reception volunteer at Attingham Park. A young girl walked ahead of her parents right up to a fellow volunteer and said to him, ‘My name is Megan’, and as her parents caught up with her she said,, ‘Have you met my brother?’ A brief conversation ensued before the family left to enjoy their visit to Attingham Park.

Back to Kiftsgate, the words, ‘I am Megan’, caused me to look to see if there was a brother following. There was, so as the family passed me, much to their surprise I asked them if they had visited Attingham the day before. I explained that I was at visitor reception when they arrived and we had a brief conversation before we went on our different ways along the path.

Kiftsgate garden was well worth the wait and we had the perfect weather to enjoy it.

Much later, we dined on the patio enjoying the warm-but-welcome cooler temperature after the heatwave.

For a change the bank holiday weekend was sunny rather than rainy. Sadly, we weren’t able to take advantage of the sunny weekend because Mr C was suffering with food poisoning.

Thankfully, on bank holiday Monday Mr C felt much better and we were able to enjoy a mini adventure to one of our favourite places, Hodnet Hall. We enjoyed mackerel pate for lunch and then a short walk to the walled garden before returning to the car to pick up some essential supplies from Sainsbury’s on our way home.

On the way to Chester we realised that the museum that Mr C intended to visit is closed on Wednesdays. After being delayed by roadworks and diversions and very slow service at the Grosvenor garden centre just outside Chester we decided not to visit the city. Instead Mr C took us on Welsh mystery tour where we spotted the Inn with my name. Mr C parked the car and insisted I took a photo.

Eventually the mystery tour led us to Denbigh and signposts to the castle. We navigated the extremely narrow roads to the castle to find that it too was closed on Wednesdays.

Maybe we should rule out Wednesdays for future days out!

I had a morning meeting to discuss the Attingham Park social walks of which I am one of the walk leaders. We discussed previous walks and the walks scheduled going forward.

It was a perfect day for a walk so after the meeting had finished I set off along the mile walk in the direction of the walled garden where I sat for a while soaking up the sunshine. After my dose of vitamin D I resumed walking along the mile walk taking a detour to the suspension bridge and the walks beyond. I chose to walk along the river before taking in the woodland triangle and then the bluebell walk through the deer park back to the mansion.

I was pleased to find that the Lady Berwick tea room was open. I chose the scone of the month, rhubarb and ginger which I enjoyed sitting outside in the sunshine. So peaceful and perfect.

The North wing of Hartlebury Castle houses the Worcestershire County Museum. The museum displays the the story of Worcestershire and what life was like for people who lived there throughout the ages.

Although I am not Victorian, the Victorian school room captured my imagination. There were many familiar things from my own early schooldays.

The land that Hartlebury sits on was granted to the Bishop of Worcester by King Burghred in the late 9th century, although the foundations of the building that now stands here is believed to date back to the 13th century. Since that time it has been a centre of ecclesiastical and administrative power in Worcestershire with its resident bishops involved in some of the major events of British history.

Hartlebury Castle tells the story of the bishops of a major see and their evolving role in English society, from political and military guardians of a frontier with Wales to active participants in political decision making in modern times. They number a pope (Clement VII) who played a key role in precipitating the establishment of the Church of England; Bishops Latimer and Hooper, Protestant martyrs of the Reformation; and Bishop Hurd, friend to King George III and creator of the Hurd Library.

When the Church of England put Hartlebury Castle up for sale in 2007 local villagers joined together to form a Trust to preserve the castle and its stories:

Hartlebury Castle stands as a timeless testament to over a millennium of history, bearing witness to the stories of 112 bishops and countless others who have called it home. From its origins as a Castle, to its varied roles as a manor house, prison, hospital, and sanctuary, Hartlebury Castle has endured the ages.

Mr C has recently retired and today, I managed to persuade him out of the house for a local walk around Apley Woods. After leaving the woods I led him back home taking the long way round. Although in a familiar place he wasn’t quite sure where he was until the local shops came into view. Then rather than take the direct route home he decided on the most scenic route home.

It is our intention to complete the Telford Coronation Walks but today wasn’t the day for one of those.

Today we had lunch at The Granary, Weston Park. Lunch was ‘Gift Experience’ from Christmas 2024 and we had intended to use it on one of our holiday adventures last year. That didn’t quite work out so we chose somewhere local where we hadn’t dined before.

We waited until Mr C retired so that we could enjoy a leisurely lunch. As you can see the sun put its hat on to celebrate the occasion.

The dining experience was well worth the wait.

Mr C has recently retired and this was the first opportunity to explore what retirement is about. We were pottering around and catching up on certain household projects that required a trip to Shrewsbury.

Then, with all the time in the world, rather than lunching in Shrewsbury we took a leisurely drive through the countryside to Boscobel House. The food options in Boscobel’s café were mostly sweet rather than savoury, but the sun was out and the birds were singing; a perfect day for lingering outside in the sunshine.

We learned, from the lady who served us in the café, that the small pile of crumbs on our table had been left there on purpose to attract the birds. The tasty treat was obviously appreciated, a sparrow landed a few inches away from me assessing the possibility of a duck and dive crumb grab, only to be scared away by someone that had spotted the sparrow from the table next to ours.

After lunch we enjoyed the gardens with their lovely spring blooms. We couldn’t venture further afield because I was wearing ‘town shoes’! I always have at least one pair of walking shoes/boots (and socks) in my car. I need to get another pair to leave in Mr C’s car

A couple of weeks ago my school reader volunteering didn’t go according to plan. It was careers day and the flow of children dried up so I called it a day. The weather was gorgeous and sunny so I chose to walk the long way home.

Surprisingly I met very view people along the way so I didn’t have many opportunities for a cheery hello. Whilst sitting on a bench enjoying the sunshine a dog carrying a large stick in its mouth bounded over to greet me much to the surprise of its owners. One of them passed a remark to the other ‘he never walks that way’. I suspect he was showing off his stick to me. The dog certainly brought a smile to my face.