Aren't I cute?

Today was Luke's last day at home before he returns to Durham tonight, so we thought we would go to London and see an exhibition. However, it was such a beautiful warm and sunny day that we preferred to spend it outdoors. We therefore decided instead to go walk in Richmond Park.  

We walked about 10km in the park - stopping off at Pen Pond where we saw these cute baby cygnets. Sadly the parents only had two babies so I suspect the others have not survived. We walked on to Isabella Plantation, which is an area of the park well known for it's colourful display of azaleas every spring. I knew we were a bit late in the season and although many flowers were already over, there was still quite a bit of colour around. I have an extra of the colour reflected in Silent Pond. Then on to the cafe where we had a light lunch sitting on the terrace enjoying the view over the golf course below.

After we left Richmond Park we decided to pop in to Ham House, a National Trust property very close by. Built in 1610 for Charles I, it eventually ended up being owned by the Tollemache family. It is considered one of the most complete surviving examples of 17th century fashion and power, and has often been used in movie sets (Young Victoria, Anna Karenina) - I have added an extra of the house.

We got home in good enough time for Luke to get to the station, only to find his train was cancelled - luckily the next train was running although delayed.