Tyntesfield House

A day of madness today. We found out last night that a common (that word only applies if you live in north America) yellowthroat had been found in south Wales. Encouraged by our success with the Spanish sparrow and dark-eyed junco on Monday, and as we're both off work this week, we decided to go.

Everything was very well-organised for twitchers, with a farmer's field dedicated for parking and a very clear map and directions on the web. I caught a glimpse of the bird when I first arrived - it's a brown and yellow warbler with a dark mask through the eyes - but for the next couple of hours it eluded us. Still, it was great to see an old friend from Bristol, and the chicken madras curry with rice and chips in a nearby hostelry, with an open coal fire blazing, was good compensation.

On the way back we stopped at Tyntesfield House and walked round the gardens. It's a relatively new National Trust property we haven't visited yet. The architecture is so over-the-top gothic it's quite funny. One day we'll get there when the house is open - apparently there is loads of interesting stuff inside.