Friday 20th June - travelling on...

 This is in the garden under the apple tree this afternoon;

But this is where we were this morning;

It's Launde Abbey, in what used to be called, and still is by the locals, Rutland. Can you see the 'ha-ha', the sunken ditch, at the end of the lawn? 

The parkland which I blogged about the other day flows on up to the unfenced lane and beyond,  with the sheep and cattle.

At the back is the Chapel, all that remains of the original Priory after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. 

I would have liked to go inside, but it's a Retreat Centre now, and although anyone can wander round the lovely gardens and visit the café, the Chapel is reserved for people booked in for a retreat.

This was the last day of our stay at Hill Farm, in The Cow Shed (cows long gone, I'm glad to say!). It's a working farm with sheep and cattle, and growing the feed for them. For all that it was a 'real', large farm, it was quiet and peaceful with swallows darting everywhere over the yards and barns. 

We planned our stay in consultation with our university friends who live in North Yorks. They were able to drive South to near Lincoln cyesterday (2 hours each way - phew!) while we drove an hour North. It was the only way I could think of getting together, and it worked like a charm.

We visited Launde Abbey today for an hour, and then set off on the three/three and a half / four hour home. Thank heavens for air-conditioning. 

Now, at 7pm, everything's unpacked, we've had a late lunch at 6pm (you read that right!) and it is as though we'd never been away... except for memories, souvenirs, photographs, and the Rambling Rector!

Music

Summer Evening by Delius. I'm not at all familiar with his work...

I've added the YouTube link as there was a little more information in the description.