Lanhydrock, mostly

After equivocating, I did take the excursion to Lanhydrock, the National Trust's flagship site. Winnie the Pooh lived in the 100 Acre Wood (didn't he?) Well, Lanhydrock is ten times a hundred acres. It is a l a r g e estate. The exterior of the house may be imposing, but gorgeous might not be the most precise adjective:





Looking at the fifty-two room residence from the upper garden does not improve the assessment:



The growing things were lovely:




Some gardens were formal (shots of the less geometric gardens vanished):



Ivy trained in the form of a cross:



Shots of life inside the manse in the next post. But now, Back to Fowey and its more modest rooftops:



I visited two interesting shops. One had a variety of hand-made items; the other was that of the photographer Ian McCarthy, with whom I spent a while talking. He has photographed animals, mostly birds all over the world, from deserts to Antartica, and has had quite some scary adventures like being charged by hippos. How do you escape? You outrun them!

He displays large prints of his work accompanied by handwritten narratives that tell the circumstances of his taking the shot. It made viewing the photos, spectacular by themselves, a moving and rich experience. I took a few photos of some of the prints. My pictures are not very good and there is reflection from the lights, but you need to see just a couple:









Do visit his website and look at the narratives and view the images....my favorite section was wild birds of Britain and I also enjoyed the few entries in the blog.

A stop at a "deli," where I witnessed this conversation:

Woman: I'd like a pastie
Salesperson puts pastie in a bag.
Woman: No, not that one. A large one.
Salesperson puts large pastie in bag.
Woman: I also want one of the other ones.
Salesperson puts one like the original one in a bag.
Woman: What do you have for my dog?
Salesperson: I don't know. What does your dog like?
Woman gives salesperson look of annoyance and looks at olives, peppers, couscous, coleslaw, and finally says, "Give me a piece of that ham."

She is going to have one thirsty pup!

And finally, a stop in a garden called the quiet garden, which it was.





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Location:Fowey