Please keep out Mr McGregors about!

We found this sign in Mr McGregors garden at the Beatrix Potter museum this afternoon.

Once again I drove away from the Lake District in the sunshine only to arrive at work in torrential rain. On the way back again after morning surgery the rain had reached the Lakes too. I managed to get a very chilled out sleepy family into the car with masses of enthusiasm (on my part only) and only one false start (we left the warm Cornish pasties for lunch on the table for 2 minutes and Mr.Dylan snaffled them). In all the years we have been coming to the Lake District we have never visited the Beatrix Potter museum in Bowness on Windermere and a rainy afternoon was a good excuse to do just that.

We had a brilliant couple of hours, both the girls were really engaged, the little garden was charming and actually Beatrix Potter was an amazing woman. As a young woman she produced a significant scientific paper on the study of fungi but as a woman in 1897 was not allowed to present her paper to the Linnean Society. As well as her lovely childrens books she left to the National Trust, 4000 acres and 14 farms when she died. As a farmer she championed the local Herdwick sheep and became the first woman president of the Herdwick Sheep Society. I am in awe of all her very different achievements.

By the time we got back the rain had cleared and left beautiful blue skies, we took the dogs out for a long walk and then had dinner at the restaurant round the corner. It was a bit disconcerting that they took one look at India and Heidi who were beautiful in their smart dresses and sat us downstairs. Whilst downstairs has been beautifully refurbished we were the only ones relegated down there. We had a lovely chatty waiter though, yummy food, everyone on good form and India, Heidi and Mark ended the meal dancing together.