This week is a fab one, for a change!

As Marlene of Poppy Patchwork blog mentioned recently, there is a botanical garden called The Walled Gardens of Cannington in the nearest large village to us, only 3 or 4 miles away.  We've been to the gardens several times, it's not huge but is lovely, set in the grounds of what used to be a very old Priory, it has various different types and styles of gardens and borders, including vegetable, arid, colour themed, shady, etc, 3 or 4 large glasshouses, a plant nursery, gift shop and tea room.  They have different open days and events on during the year and even have a few free entry days (we usually go on those days!), normal admission charge is £5.95.  

We decided to go there yesterday morning, when husband said he'd take me out away from all the noise.  The tea room are doing a special offer of a mini cream tea this month, just £3, lovely for a mid morning break in the courtyard garden of the tea room.  You don't have to pay the garden entrance fee if you're just going in the tea room or gift shop/plant nursery.  Whilst there, we decided on the spur of the moment to buy a season ticket for the gardens - £33 for joint membership for a year, it'll be our anniversary present to each other (36 years at the end of this month).  So now we have somewhere local and very lovely to go whenever we want to get away from the noise, the membership will pay for itself in just 3 visits.  It's dog friendly, so we can take Betty and a book and spend a couple of peaceful hours there in the lovely garden surroundings whenever we like.  I just wish we'd thought of it earlier!

The one complaint I have about the place, and I think I'll email the Gardens about it, is to do with parking.  They have a free car park with about 50 or so spaces, mostly undercover.  The trouble is, the Gardens recently had an office and accommodation block built (and paid for) by EDF Energy, who own the local Hinckley Point power station where a lot of construction work is going on.  They have commandeered most of the parking spaces in the car park, nearly all of them now have 'reserved for' name plates on them, leaving just five spaces for Gardens visitors.  Visitors who can't get a space are recommended to park in the car park of  the local College, about a 10 minute walk away.  I think it's a blooming cheek....ok, so EDF paid for the works and they do put money into the local economy, but their workers are paid to work, visitors to the Gardens (and of course the Gardens encourage visitors to come) have to pay to get in.  So why should they (we) have to park offsite and walk there?  Luckily we managed to get a space in the car park yesterday, as we got there 5 mins after it opened.

I didn't sleep very well again but who cares, it's a lovely morning again.  This week is turning out to be a really good one, for one reason or other (I should whisper that in case it all goes downhill!).