Opening up

Things are starting to open up for us, to the extent of earlier this week making a trip by car to visit no less than two shops. One excuse being my need to drive occasionally, to make sure that I still can. Majestic for wine and whisky (Calvados being on the missing list - the young lady telling us that I was not the first to ask) for him, Wickes and boxes of something lawn flavoured for her. With Wickes going so far as to have two checkouts on the go, one more than usual. Perhaps bank holidays are big days for them.

From there onto Bourne Hall, the place last mentioned in connection with its dish dome at reference 1. The hall itself being firmly shut this bank holiday Monday, but the gardens were open and there was a scatter of people, mainly on water fowl feeding missions. With some of the missionaries being a touch eccentric: no alibi in the form of a small child and rather a lot of food.

Round the back of the pond, not far from the not very old fake waterwheel noticed at reference 2, we had an interesting lump of masonry - I did not think to look closely, but I think now that it might well be cement based rather than a lump of stone. Probably a seat. Flush finished at the back, with curious circles at both ends, so possibly part of some kind of elaborate window frame. But more probably a bit of architecturally flavoured whimsy from a hundred years ago or so. For people who can't run to real chunks of antique stone from Greece or (what is now) Turkey.

Lots of the green plants to the right of the seat around, looking very healthy, some with small purple flowers, some with threatening chickweed. Google Lens does not seem to be properly available on a PC, although it looks as if one can do something geeky, but Google image comes up with lots of similar looking plants, some which it says are plantains, a homograph (as I learned yesterday) for the sort of plantain which is a banana. But I am not so sure about this at all, with the inflorescence of the common, kerbside plantain - Plantago major - being quite wrong. Further research needed.

Back round to the pond, from where there was a pleasant view up to the low dome, even if the ducks and geese had cropped the grass a bit close. The pond (behind the camera) was shallow and clear, with plenty of life on top, but none that we could see below. Furthermore a gaggle of Canada geese were up to something in the bushes, make a lot of noise and commotion while they were about it.

We sat on a bench in the sun for a bit, proper pensioner style. Then thought about taking refreshment at the Old Spring across the road, but decided against, the benches out front looking a bit forlorn. While the orange caravan down Longmead Road was shut up for the holiday.

Reference 1: http://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/04/dish-domes.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/06/fake-106.html.