Second chance

Fine fun holi-day today and the weather's been lovely with plenty of blue skies - yay!

I'm not quite sure what came over us but AlfeeTee and I had run, swum and played tennis, all before lunch. I suppose as there's a pool and a tennis court here it would be churlish not to and as this is only a four day holiday there's a lot to pack in ;-)

The kids (four of them) have been thick as thieves all day; starting with breakfast in the treehouse and closely followed by den building. Meanwhile we nipped off to a local carboot sale. AlfeeTee won 'bargain of the day' with a Yamaha keyboard for 20p. 20p! And it works.

This afternoon we ignored the predictable whining protests and dragged the kids out to visit to Nymans house and gardens on the Sussex High Weald. Just as I did when I was a kid, they enjoyed themselves once they got there.

The house itself burnt down in 1947 but far from being a sad remnant of times past the ruins are now a stunning backdrop to dramatic tropical planting and beautiful bright flowers. It's so well done.

It was first planted with exotics by its pre-WWII owners who collected specimens from all over the world. In the National Trust's hands the gardens remain a wonder to explore with room after room of lovely and unusual planting and a wonderful vista across the South Downs. We strolled from one beautiful space to the next and wandered past a glamorous wedding party while the kids ran about and played croquet.

The Messel family who owned the house for three generations before its destruction were apparently creative, fun-loving people who picnicked and partied in their beautiful established grounds. It seems that their legacy lives on...