01.04.2007
First day of April today but I figure you’d all worked that one out. Been in the garden and also to Whalley Abbey today with Nick. Whalley abbey is in the Ribble valley close to Clitheroe and is the most amazing place (if only to see the damage caused by the reformation.) It is always sad to see how much damage occurred to our abbeys and cathedrals but then positively to think the wonderful country we have now and our unique British traits are probably due to it. See the beautiful gardens with its magnificent magnolia and dry stone terrace and the Abbey ruins. How splendid to buy the Observer and sit among the well kept gardens reading all the latest news. Not that much of it is good but we can hope for better days. That is the essence of the spring.

It has been cool but sensationally sunny with clear blue skies all the way through the day. I took a lot of pictures so I hope you enjoy them. Some are of the garden as I was walking around so I hope you can get a feel for it. Looks quite bare with all the leafless trees but that will change soon. Already the bare branches spout green vestigial leaves. Also my first bumblebee, some moss and yellowish forsythia set against the azure sky.

Hope you’ve had a good daytoo .