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As I mentioned two posts ago, the gardens of Court House, East Quantoxhead were to be open on 19th July. Typically I had forgotten this, but when I was looking on the National Gardens Scheme website for somewhere to visit on that (Sun)day, up it popped. And it was a Sun-ny day, unlike for my NGS visit on the previous day.

As I arrived at the car park, seeing the number of people milling around there I was a little concerned as to whether people would be respecting social distancing, but I soon realised that we were all arriving promptly at the same time for our 3 pm slot. In the grounds people were well dispersed, and, with one exception about which I’ll say no more except that it involved someone coughing, I was not concerned about my safety. We were all very aware and stood aside very appropriately. (I find that need to be so conscious, when mingling with others, permanently stressful, as I’m sure others do.)

This map was posted at several spots around the grounds.

Basically I went in an anticlockwise direction, with a diversion into the ‘wild’ garden.

As I went over into the wild garden, (no pictures), I found myself crossing a path that Zoe, Bruce and I had taken on our walk three weeks previously. (How time is doing odd things in these odd times – I was convinced, until I looked it up, that it had been only two.)

I had taken this from a different angle

Back in the main grounds, I took many pictures of the attractive pond, its beauty lying in its surrounding planting, rather than its green surface.

And then, to my surprise and delight, I found myself higher than I had imagined, with a view of the sea ahead,

and to my right a sight of that vast field which three weeks previously had been shimmering blue with flax flowers. This photo shows only half of it. We had walked along the path at its right-hand edge.

Immediately over the fence, a Meadow Brown (female)
Steep Holm off Weston-super-Mare on the horizon, centre, and Wales, further away left
Arriving at Court House itself. It seemed smaller than it had appeared from the coastline
The terrace

Had I continued west, I could have gone for a walk in ‘The Allers’, a woodland garden. Another time perhaps. Instead I turned back to skirt round the other side of the house and the village church, arriving in the ‘Church Walk Borders’.

There I concentrated on taking smaller scale photos.

I love the juxtaposition of green and mauve/purple, as does nature. And it makes me think of Wimbledon. Sadly so this year.
Unprepossessing, but absolutely humming with bees.
This completely walled area was called the ‘Secret Garden’. It felt very intimate.
By contrast, the kitchen garden was vast.
Looking back into the kitchen garden
The stable yard, and, presumably, coach house

And it was not long before I was back at the village pond, which we had viewed from the other side three weeks previously. Still no visible ducks.