Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019
On the Archduke's Path in Mallorca

Friday 19 June 2020

Friday 19 June 2020 - A Visit to Tatton Hall Gardens

 
Jenny arrived at our house on her bike at about 9 am, and joined Sue and me for a gentle 45 minute bike ride to Tatton Park.
 
As shown by the following picture, it wasn't very busy. Despite Jenny bringing last year's membership card, and Sue not managing to produce the pre-booked ticket for the gardens, we were politely waved through for an hour's stroll around the gardens in rain of varying intensity.
 
 
The kitchen garden had a fine display of thyme, and the unidentified flowers at the head of this posting.
 
 
The courgettes are flourishing, and all the produce is showing signs of tender loving care from the staff.
 
 
At the exit of the kitchen garden, this large umbellifer.
 
 
The gardens are home to an arboretum that features many trees that were planted in the early 1960s.
 
 
For the second day running, we saw a coot's nest. This one was some distance away, but one of the coots came very close, chasing a mallard off its territory.
 
 

There are some huge specimens of Gunnera Manicatra.
 
 
 
The gardens include several ponds, today frequented by a heron, with pied wagtails also in evidence.
 
 
Foxgloves. It's that time of year.
 
 
There's a good view from the gardens, across to the mere, even on this rainy day.
 
 
Here are Jenny and Sue, by a copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates.
 
 
The Japanese Garden houses an enticing tea house - not open today.
 
 
 
Eventually the rain got the better of us and we returned past a good view of the ornamental gardens.
 
 
We paused briefly by Jenny's favourite tree - a Cedar of Lebanon.
 
 
The gazebo shown below didn't really protect us from the rain, so we headed for the exit. The café was providing take away coffees, to be consumed in the area shown in the second picture (above). Luckily it stopped raining and we enjoyed a leisurely chat with a couple of itinerant cyclists before heading home for lunch.
 

3 comments:

Sir Hugh said...

Following on from my comment on your previous post it seems you may have become addicted to going out in the rain? The colour in that first photo is glorious.

oldrunningfox. said...

Great photographs Martin. I shall have to buy a new camera...

Phreerunner said...

Conrad - 'addicted to going out' is more appropriate. I've managed over 10,000 steps every day since 17 March (when I was recovering from a 40,000+ day), and we have no indoor exercise equipment.

Gordon - I use my Samsung S9 phone most of the time, but for these pictures my Lumix TZ90 came out. I didn't think the pictures were that great - it wasn't really suitable weather for my standard of photography - but I'm happy that you enjoyed them. It's a good camera for a reasonable price, though other options are available.