I hear you knocking

but you can't come out. I wonder when these doors were last opened. I doubt residents of the flats behind the hedge & doors even know they exists. Many of the large houses around have been converted into flats, & sadly in need of some TLC. Having said that I'm staying in a reasonably sized house & looking out the bedroom window noticed that many of the houses of this type/build are painted magnolia & off white... BORING!! Someone needs to go bold, make a statement. Magnolia & off white, come on!!
So today Millie & I had a lovely walk, the hedgerows are looking lush & happy, we came down through the cider apple orchard to check progress on this years crop. Plenty of fruit on the trees, one lone tree virtually naked bar blossom. Rather late for apple blossom. I thought Millie might like a cultural fix so we swung by the 2019 Sculpture Trail. I'm not sure that she was that impressed to be honest. I was'nt getting any feedback from her so I'll take that as a '"It might rock your boat but does'nt rock mine". To be honest there was'nt too much that rocked my boat either. I did like the Sun Lady, a rather large piece made from metal and recycled objects but to big for my garden. We got back just before the mizzle started. I quickly did the last bit of garden tidying out the front of the house, cut back the cotoneaster, chopped some of the osteospermum back that had got leggy, then retreated to the warmth of the greenhouse. Watered in there then prepared cuttings from the osteos. Will take them home and pot them up. I'm back home tomorrow evening.
Faffed around indoors for a while, uploading some pics, then it was lunch time :) The perfume of the sweetpeas hit me as soon as I opened the door. There is nothing quite like the perfume of sweetpeas. These have lovely long stems as well so I must ask J which variety they are. That's 2 questions now .. why the ball throwing machine, now sweet pea variety.
Had a craving for something sweet this afternoon, chocolate was what I was thinking, nipped down to the Coop in the car, then bought a maple & walnut Danish. I wanted an avocado. Actually I think that's really why I went down to the shop, anyway, they did'nt have any. Next stop Lidl's, they're bound to have avocado. Yep! Rock hard, ripe, & well over their use by date. Ripe was perfect :) Then I found my salami,  in the same aisle & on the Scandinavian theme, I bought a tub of herring in a creamy gherkin & apple sauce. Oh yum!!! They got the taste buds going ... boiled new pots,  fresh dill. Legged back to the fresh herbs .. no fresh dill. Hang on I wanted the avo to make guacomole to put on my veggie burger for dinner. Plan A had leapt to plan B, correction,  menu B :) It's all good. This was at 3.45pm they close at 4pm so it's every man and his dog heading towards the tills. ARHHH! I'd forgotten olives. No way was I going back. Lidl's retail experience over, I got back, unpacked and then it was time for Millie & I to go walkabout again. We had an urban bimble this afternoon. Exploring the streets, numerous gardens, cut throughs, it's quite hilly around here so there are steps cutting through from one tier to another. Down towards Torre Abbey, taking a slight detour to avoid the adult swans and their young on the lawn, past another bowling match, the players in their waterproof whites. All that standing around on a damp chilly afternoon is not what I call pleasurable,  past Torquay railway station where there is some lovely  detail to the building which was built in the late 1800's. The forecourt is supported on large wrought iron brackets which are painted cream, red & green. The same livery as the 2 bridges spanning the railway track, one at either end of the station. Then the climb back up Walnut road and home passing this set of doors.

Dinner was delicious.

Not sure about Beecham House.

Time to hit the sack, after I've washed up.

Thanks to 60plus for hosting