Jude and the garden.

If you wonder why I always show Jude eating it’s because a)  she likes to eat and b) it’s the one time when she’s still.

Here she is in front of the wonderful Spring flower beds at Dyrham Park (NT). Her attention is totally taken by a gardener and an electric hedge trimmer on the banking along the other side of the gardens.

Sunny today! We took Jude to Dyrham Park which is just a few miles away in the direction of Bristol. Grace is rehearsing again and Eda has been taken out for the day by her friend and neighbour Madeleine and family who we shared Christmas Day with. 

We were there soon after they opened so we were ahead of the crowds. The parking area is high above the house and formal garden which nestles in the bottom of the park. We took the new path (we saw it last time we were here but we were only going to the shop) and headed up to the Old Lodge which now houses a cafe and adventure playground. The cafe was just opening so we went in but not before Jude had fun on the tractor and in the ‘kitchens’.

As we were high up she had her hood up because of the wind blowing her hair. She notoriously won’t wear it clipped or tied up but she actually asked for it trying up because of the wind and of course we nothing had with us!
We took the high paths down to the Long Terraces and the formal garden. There are great views across Bristol as far as the Severn Estuary and bridges. (Extra) I think Jude ran all the way!  We brought Eda here in her own before Jude was born, funny she was still in her buggy then even though she was a bit older than Jude is now, the buggy is long gone.

There is another cafe and shop near the house so Jude had a milk ice lolly and I of course popped into the shop.

We got the little electric bus back up to the car park (it’s quite a climb) which she thought was great fun and then we came home for lunch. A lovely outing.

Chris brought the shredder down with him so he’s out shredding some branches John has cut down from an overhanging tree. Waiting now for everyone else to come home. Hope they’ve all had such a good day. 

There used to be a wonderful herd of deer here, you’d see them just sitting under the trees as you passed, but they had to be culled due to TB a few years ago, so it was with great surprise that we saw one running around the fence as we entered the park. Must have just found it’s way here.