Russell Gardens

The weather forecast for Monday had gradually improved, from a high probability to rain and squally wind for much of the day to a reasonable chance of it staying dry till after lunch, so long as we didn't travel north or west. I was hugely relieved, as my brother and sister-in-law were travelling home from Germany via France, and had arranged to meet us for only our second face to face meeting since 2019. We're still avoiding indoor spaces or visits, and had thought about a joint trip to one of the lovely gardens closer to the M25 for a stroll and picnic, but in view of the weather it seemed wiser to be less ambitious, so we met at the very pleasant Kearsney Abbey parks on the edge of Dover, which I've blipped several times before. We wandered round the small but beautifully restored Russell Gardens, planned as an Arts and Crafts garden in 1899,  before crossing the road to Kearsney Abbey park to see the young coots, much bigger since our last visit, and picnic under the trees. It was lovely to spend time with A and S and to catch up with news of my nephew and niece, both now working, my nephew in Glasgow and my niece living in S's former family home and continuing her goldsmith's training in the German apprenticeship system. I'll very much look forward to them passing through Dover again before too long.