White Cliffs of Dover

I went out with the ramblers club on Sunday to Dover. It was rather wet but very pretty. There were poppies growing in the wheat fields.

Dragon Boating

The Lend Lease Dragon boating team at Bisham Abbey Sports Centre, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Grosvenor organised a charity fund raising event. Unfortunately despite our best efforts, and perhaps due to none of us having been in a Dragon boat before we didn't make it into the finals. It was a really nice day finishing up with drinks by the Thames.

Osterley House and Park

On Saturday I went to Osterley House in West London. It is a National Trust property with elaborately decorated house and a great park. Unfortunately it poured just before I got to the house so spent some time sheltering under a tree.

Caves and Gardens

On Saturday I went on a trip to the Chislehurst caves with the Metropolitian Ramblers club. The caves are 22 miles of underground passages that have been dug out for chalk and flint mining, they were also used as a shelter for 15000 people during the war. We then went on a walk through Petts wood.

On Sunday there was the Open Gardens event in London, this is when a number of gardens that are generally not open to the public open the gates to those who have bought tickets to the event. The Roof Garden, part of the Virgin Empire had a restaurant, ducks, flamingoes, ponds and full size trees on the roof. The Ismaili centre also had a roof garden that was very tranquil. The rest of the gardens that I visited were private gardens that normally only the surrounding houses have access to. The event was sponsored by the Loire Valley wines company who provided wine tasting at a number of the gardens.

Stratford Upon Avon

I took the train to Stratford upon Avon last weekend. There are three houses in the town: Shakespeare's Birthplace, Harvard House, Nash's House, and about a mile out of town Anne Hathaway's cottage, which is a hatched cottage with a pretty garden, maze and sculptures. Unfortunately I didn't have time to see one of Shakespeare's plays.