Cambridge Botanic Gardens

After the trauma of yesterday evening, I had a surprisingly good night's sleep, and woke refreshed and scarcely in pain at all. I took Rosie for a short walk, and then decided I was fit enough to drive Ben to Cambridge for his biology exam. Luckily the journey was very straightforward and we arrived in good time.

While he was slaving over a hot exam paper, I had a very pleasant couple of hours in the Botanic Gardens, pottering round very slowly, and resting on a seat or the grass as soon as my leg started to nag.This is a view of the glasshouses with their fantastic bee borders in the foreground, packed full of nectar-rich species such as Allium, foxgloves, lavender, Phacelia and Cerinthe. I'm quite surprised that there's no people in it, as the summery weather had brought out the crowds, which were swelled by a couple of visiting schools.

Ben's exam went well, with ony a couple of tricky questions, and we then went back to the cafe in the Botanic Gardens for a drink andslice of delicious frangipane cake before setting off for home. Over three weeks before the next exams - though unfortunately they're both first thing in the morning, which is far less civilised.