Hampton Court

Last week I went to Hampton Court Palace on my day off, a fairly easy train ride via Clapham Junction of about 45 minutes. It was very impressive. I'd been there before with cousins but just to the gardens. This time I paid the full £13 entrance fee but I have to say it was worth it. It's a huge place with a really interesting history in which Henry VIII features a lot. Audio guides are included and there were several half hour tours of the King's Apartments, the Queen's Apartments, and the Tudor and Georgian Apartments, all displayed historically. The art and the furnishings, including lots of Chinese ceramics and huge Belgium tapestries from the 1500s, were really interesting and I lost myself there for 5 hours and could have spent more time. The gardens are beautiful, particularly at this time of the year. The roses are in full bloom and it was a nice warm day and the smell was almost overpowering. There are lots of different gardens, formal, cottage, contemporary and the longest border in the world which was immaculate. They were setting up for a concert with Jose Carreras that night and often hold events there. It sits beside The Thames in a lovely setting. I was sitting by the river at one stage and was mobbed by baby geese. There were dozens being looked after by two adults while all the other adults were off some way away doing their own thing. Yesterday I went for another ride on an Oybike along the river. I do like doing that. Anne took me out for dinner one night with her niece - result - my first night out in 11 weeks. However, the bank balance is going up. I've also got something really good to look forward to - a seat in a box at the Royal Albert Hall to see Swan Lake in the round with 60 swans, courtesy of Anne's friend, the choreographer.