An Abbey revisited

We went to Forde Abbey today to meet several WI friends and husbands. After a wander around the amazing walled vegetable garden, we met up in the undercroft restaurant for lunch. My extra shows the gladioli growing amongst the potatoes, salads and herbs!
The grounds of this ancient abbey are very extensive, and include woodlands and a very large bog garden and ponds. The flower borders near the house were looking at their best!
In the afternoon we were fortunate to have a private tour of the house, normally closed to the public on Mondays. This was fascinating, bringing the history of the abbey and house to life. Beautiful tapestries, antiques from all over the world and a glimpse into how life must have been for the monks, and much later for the families and staff who have lived here.
It was a lovely day - and for us, it was then home for a bit of tennis watching - and Prosecco and birthday cake for JF!!