Future Gardens - the photos...

Here are some photos of just some of the gardens at Future Gardens
Link included for John P.!














This one was called 'Thyme Time'.

Links, links, links...

My chum, and avid blog reader, John P. has pointed out that I have recently totally forgotten to put links into my postings. He's totally right - of course he is. I don't know why this has happened. Perhaps it's as a result of another year having passed by?
To put this right, here are a few links which should have been put into recent meanderings - sorry John!

Avon Valley Railway

Raymond Blanc's Manoir aux Quat' Saisons

Design Museum

Butterfly World

Future Gardens

Speaking of another year having slipped by. Here's last week's card from SWMBO:

Future Gardens

We recently went to 'Future Gardens' situated in the grounds of 'Butterfly World' near St.Albans. Butterfly World is not yet built so there are Chelsea Flower Show type gardens for you to see as well as one small greenhouse containing some butterflies.
The gardens are excellent and well worth a visit. At the moment, they are doing a 2 for 1 admission deal (£12.50) as I suppose they can't charge full price until Butterfly World is fully up and running.













































This appears to be the site for the main butterfly dome, and is currently planted with thousands and thousands of sunflowers. Most of the site, including the entrance drive, has been seeded with a really spectacular display of butterfly-attracting flowers.

Thames cruise

Yesterday we went to London and visited the Design Museum near Tower Bridge using the 2 for 1 vouchers you can get just by travelling to London by train. Very interesting.
In the evening we went on a Thames party cruise with about 70 of SWMBO's professional colleagues. It was a nice warm, dry evening and London looked quite spectacular by night.
But...why is it you always seem to catch the slowest train home?

Le Manoir

Went to Raymond Blanc's "Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons" for a little celebratory birthday lunch yesterday.
Managed to escape with a fairly minor bill of £200!
Everything was pretty near perfect of course and it was a great experience - thanks again SWMBO.
The gardens were spectacular too...





























The little vegetable plot

Avon Valley Railway

We went back to Bitton station mid-morning and bought our Rover Ticket then travelled each way on the railway ending up back at the station for noon, and the start of the beer festival.
The trains were diesel hauled as unfortunately it wasn't steam day until tomorrow.
A 'few' beers were consumed before taking the train back to Avon Riverside station, and our narrowboat - just as well as it was raining again!

Bitton

We went to Bitton and grabbed the middle of the three mooring spots. We then walked the length of the restored Avon Valley Railway to the station where there happened to be a beer festival going on.
Friday night was packed and they weren't letting any more people in! We resolved to get there early on Saturday lunchtime to be sure of a pint or two.

River Avon

The Roman Baths

A 'token Roman' for the tourists!

In Bath (not in THE bath!)

Pulteney Bridge and Weir.














Parade Gardens.














Pulteney Weir and Bridge(!).














Bath Abbey.

Out onto the River Avon

Going through Bath Deep Lock ourselves.









































Riverside development on Bath waterfront.