Sunshine Day

It has been a very bright, sunny day, which is most unusual for my birthday. We celebrated with  Grimsby kippers and croissants for breakfast, before visiting  NT property,  Mottisfont Abbey, near Romsey. Here you see the old house, built on the site of the much older priory, with the River Test, a fine old Plane tree, and snowdrops,  in the foreground.  In the summer,  a highlight of any visit is the  walled garden, famed for its spectacular collection of old roses. Today, we watched some of the climbing  roses being expertly pruned.Then we took a stroll by the river and  through the winter garden. Finally, we went in the house where currently there is  an exhibition of Norman Thelwell's artwork. He was a very talented artist being known for his watercolour landscapes, sketches of his life as a solder in the  second world war, and  later cartoons about country life.However, he is  probably best remembered for his cartoons of recalcitrant  fat ponies and  their spirted young female riders who are gamely trying to control them. 
This evening we have enjoyed a very good meal at Rick  Stein's restaurant in Winchester.