Wimpole

2005-08-21

I didn't have a great deal to do on Saturday, so in between fits of idleness, reading the paper and other essentials, I trotted off to Wimple to have a look, seeing as it was there.

Partly it was heaving with people, especially families with little children, probably attracted there by the Home Farm and its promise of geese, sheep and other edible but cute staples of my diet. In the end I stuck to the Gardens and Grounds, as the farm needed paying for, and I can see chickens in Waitrose whenever I like.

The gardens were ok, in their way, with a neat bright parterre and a walled garden full of vegetables and out of season roses (which is to say, sharp spiky bushes). The grounds beyond the gardens were better, but were lacking somewhat in features. The house has a folly and an in and out avenue stretching to the distance, but that's it. Added to this, the house only looks right from directly in front, or directly behind. Ideal for the estate agent's window, or a postcard.

The Folly from The Bridge

The House from The Ugly Aspect

The House from The Architect's Drawing

For Sunday, I went over to Milton Keynes, which turns out to be more sensibly set up than I'd thought. I managed to find the snow dome (xscape) without knowing quite where it was or seeing any signposts for it. Either I got lucky, or the roundabouts and boulevards are configured to remove any sense of time passing until magically parking you at your destination.