Is this "getting back to normal"? It was certainly very good.

Nostalgia bites hard, but I really wouldn't want to be boating in this heat! (The 9.3° is the minimum we've experienced inside Kantara since the beginning of the lockdown.) This was Tuesday at around noon. The max figure was 33° at 7:00 pm.

On Thursday, we arrived at Upton House Gardens at just past 1:00 pm. There was no queue to get into the car park. The control of arrivals by timed tickets was working well. The cheerful lady who ticked us off her list was the only member of staff we saw in the whole afternoon, and social distancing was maintained entirely by visitors. It was all very relaxed and sensible, and very beautiful.

A friendly sign by the hand sanitiser at the entrance to the gardens read, "We'll forgive your lockdown haircuts if you forgive ours."

That's one heck of a front drive!

There was plenty of shade from trees, and folk were picnicking, lounging, even sleeping, all around the gardens.

Understandably, house and garden both looked the worse for the neglect of previous months

Weeds were in profusion, but did nothing to spoil the views

We particularly enjoyed the way they had taken over the stone steps

A lot of the garden had been tended, though, and was really beautiful

It was a wonderful place to relax in.

The pond put us in mind of Claude Monet

By 3:30, we'd walked all the way around, and looked back at the house

from the entrance gate. Yes, it's there in the distance!

This had been the hottest day of the year so far, beating the past two days by several degrees, and, by the end of it, we were both feeling rather overwhelmed by it, despite keeping to the shade as much as possible. But it had been a really good break. Well done, and thank you, National Trust.

This morning, we booked to visit Canons Ashby next Wednesday.

(Preview)

We returned to the boat yesterday to find the temperature on the well-deck to be 52.8°C, and the nasturtiums were cooked. We didn't think to leave the cratch cover open. Sigh.

*******