Ham House, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey

- Backblip - London Day 5.

We walked along the Thames from Teddington to Ham House this morning, enjoying those messing about on the river, and spotting several herons.

A grand house on the banks of the Thames, built in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight Marshal to James I. It is surprisingly well furnished with many fine portraits. My favourite room was the Green Closet, a tiny retiring room for ladies designed for privacy and reflection. Although several such miniature closets exist, this is the only one with its contents still intact. The collection of miniature portraits and scaled-down furniture makes it unique in Europe. Very helpful National Trust staff in each room giving visitors lots of information about the house and life there over the years. I was impressed to see oranges and lemons growing outside in the garden.

In the evening we attended R's School Concert - with a 70's theme. Her band performed two pieces. We were all very proud of her - she sang and played the guitar so well. #2 had helped the girls create their costumes over the weekend - I even photographed him ironing for them - I then had to recover from the shock.