Not sort of used much

After a lovely evening with both daughters yesterday, I stayed at younger daughter's home near Alexandra Palace and this morning we went to Kenwood House, on the edge of Hampstead Heath. I am not generally that keen on stately homes, but this is different - it, with all the grounds, was given over to the nation, it is free to enter, it has the most extraordinary collection of paintings - Rembrandt, Vermeer, Reynolds, Turner . . . they are all there. And it has a good café.

This library, built between 1767 - 1770 by Robert Adam, is an amazing place. A few days ago a certain Blipper, who is into books as much as I am, gave me a link to a BBC programme about the best homes in Scotland. As I watched I wondered why she thought I would be so interested . . . then we were shown the library of a house on the Solway  - floor to ceiling bookcases interspersed with window views of the sea and all in the round - then I knew!!

Here, in a significantly more formal way, was a similar thing - I am not sure how much this room was ever used for reading though. The other was, lovingly. 

Now I am home. And it is raining. And the roads and verges are full of caravans, horses, horse boxes, trucks, vans, but because of the rain not that many people. 

The extra is - my two girls last night as we sampled Lebanese wine.