Mount Stewart House and Gardens

Here we are in Belfast! 

When we arrived this morning, the usual gray, gloomy skies prevailed with an additional dollop of rain for good measure, but by the time we were ready to depart for our tour of Mount Stewart House and Gardens, the sun came out, and we enjoyed a lovely afternoon! 

The house tour was very interesting, and I could happily have stayed on for another hour listening to all the fascinating stories about the family who have lived here (and still do!), and admiring their many handsome paintings and pieces of furniture and bibelots, but we were on a time limit so off we ventured into the beautiful gardens where we were not disappointed, as you can see from this collage.

Extra:  A photo sent to us from Mabel's dog-sitter.  Clearly she is not missing us one tiny bit!!!