Yes, thank you for asking, we did have a very enjoyable day out with another couple who are amongst our oldest friends. Years ago they followed us down here to deepest , darkest 'Zummerzet' but made a huge mistake by finding a house just over the frontier inside Dorset - I know, appalling, appalling! Anyway, some years back I invented 'Surprise Away Days' because around here if you drive a couple of hours in any direction you come across some interesting and attractive nooks and crannies. So, maybe a couple of times a year, either them or us would discover some place or area of interest and we would then invite the others for a 'Surprise Away Day'.
Today our friends took us to Milton Abbey and if you click on the link and just watch the changing photos they will give you an idea of the beauty of the place and its incredible history. The grounds around the Abbey and the village were designed in the 18th century by Capability Brown. What a genius that man was and thank the Lord that he changed gardens and landscapes from the old geometric shapes from Europe and the Elizabethan era into the 'natural' vistas we can still enjoy today.
Afterwards, they took us to lunch at Compton Abbas Airfield, a grass-strip airfield with sundry small 'planes in which you can take trips to see Dorset from the air. I do hope that my e-pal and ex-RAF type, 'BOE', is reading this because 11 years ago this was where I earned my 'wings'. Well, perhaps not quite but it was my 65th birthday and 'SoD' and the 'Memsahib' bought me a half hour trip in a Tiger Moth during which the pilot put me through some dizzying aerobatics.
For the sake of the uninformed, a Tiger Moth is an old-fashioned biplane - with an open cockpit! I had my seating harness pulled so tight it almost cut off the circulation to my limbs! It was a terrific experience and going back there today brought back the memory of it all.
So all in all - a superb day out!
You are very fortunate, David, to be just a couple of hours drive from such a magnificent Abbey and vista. Thanks for sharing.
In return, here is one of America's marvels, which my wife and I are fortunate to be within a couple of hours drive from:
Yosemite National Park
Posted by: TheBigHenry | Tuesday, 09 August 2016 at 20:52
Here is the link to the pic of Yosemite that I wanted to share above.
Posted by: TheBigHenry | Wednesday, 10 August 2016 at 01:04
Crikey, Henry, not even Capability Brown could improve on that!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 10 August 2016 at 08:14
TBH - awesome.
Posted by: Andra | Wednesday, 10 August 2016 at 19:25