It is a different travel experience to anchor yourself in one place far from home and really try to live it. Usually we travel from one destination to another taking in well-known and lesser known places of interest but we never really have the time to immerse ourselves in the experience.  Here, we remind ourselves often that we don’t have to do everything at once – we have plenty of time.

Right now I am eating lunch in the sun in our courtyard. Lunch is a delicious, peppery, flaky Cornish pasty followed by a scone from the batch I made this morning. It is not time wasted; it is an experience to be savoured.  We haven’t eaten out much – just enjoying shopping together and cooking at home in a more relaxed fashion than I have been used to lately.

This week went by quickly despite our deliberately leisurely pace. We didn’t take Maz more than 30 k’s from Nightingale Farm concentrating on enjoying our immediate surroundings. We had cold, windy days early in the week improving to today’s perfect early spring day. I might even take my jumper off soon and Jim is in his shorts.

This week’s highlights:

Cerne Abbas: famous for the giant man etched into the chalk hill far above the town. The giant has some impressive attributes but it was the town that we loved. The medieval abbey grounds are just beautiful as is the street of ancient houses leading to it.

Wayford Wood: deciding to go for a walk we googled “Crewkerne walks” and decided on Wayford Woods. Apparently families of fairies lived there until recently and we found evidence. https://www.flipflopsorwellies.co.uk/wayford-woods/ Taking our trusty Thermos and some snacks for sustenance, our spirits were also nurtured by a couple of hours spent wandering in this tranquil, hidden paradise. Rustic paths meander through bluebell and wildflower meadows, rhododendrons in full flower and numerous trees and shrubs. A stream wanders along with a couple of bridges and a dam leading to a lake where we had our “elevenses”.

Mapperton House and Gardens: Suffice to say it is a perfect Tudor house and gardens looking like a picture on a perfect English spring day. Here is a link so you can read as much or as little as you want about the property. https://mapperton.com/

Right now Jo is mowing the lawn, bees are lazily droning around me and Phoebe is lying at my feet hoping for a feed or a pat for which she also has an endless appetite. If our kids and grandkids were here it would be close to heaven.

Happy Easter from both of us,

Love Jim and Frankie

See our photo galleries for this week.