Packwood House

This is the perfect time of year to visit Packwood House, a delightful National Trust property not far from Birmingham Airport.

In this area it's the first full day of the school holidays and the grounds were full of families with kids with backpacks, picnics, footballs, and just loads of energy.

Normally, the wonderful array of interesting and well grown flowers means that it's the perfect place for the Big Butterfly Count.

Today, there were really only Large White butterflies. I even returned to the Kitchen Garden after we had another blast of sunshine, but apart from two solitary Commas, there were no other colourful butterflies to be seen.

My blip is not one of the butterflies, nor one of the flowers (although there were a few to choose from). It's of the spectacular yew garden, carved in topiary to form "The Sermon on the Mount". Today it was dry and the paths were open, and lots of children and their families were happily walking to the top, through the maze - and just having a fun day out.