Barrington Court on a Bank Holiday

A large erection in the gardens of Barrington Court. And on the right, a sun dial.

Summer is reaching it's climax with all the usual signs that we see so often. Temperatures are slowly ebbing away, back to school adverts are dominating the airways and the Pakistan cricket team are embroiled in another controversy. And so the World keeps turning. Another sure sign that summer is fading is the request to come over to Barrington Court on a Bank Holiday Monday and have a quick stroll round the gardens. And on a day like today, truly nothing could be finer. The sky was a Canaletto blue, the wind but a gentle breeze, the sun was a warming and trusted friend in the sky, and only one bloke asked me that stupid bloody question about which wife was I with today. Can it get any better than that?

We had a really good turn out today, the over flow car park was over flowing - that's how busy it was. I wandered the gardens and met some lovely people. It would appear the town of Bideford was empty today as nearly everyone I spoke to was from there. There was another family where the father had a strong Scottish accent. I asked him where he was from - Yeovil was the answer. You haven't always come from Yeovil, I said - where are you from before that? His response? Cornwall. Eventually I got it out of him that he was originally from Edinburgh, but the first two answers made me laugh. There was another little boy who every time he saw me would burp alarmingly and then burst out laughing. Possibly something that is tremendously amusing when you're six.

Matthew Applegate looked very relaxed and sun tanned after his two week break in France, and we are sure to be getting together soon for another session of "choir practice".

All in all, it has been a pretty nice day, and sitting here now with a cool breeze coming in the windows, a fine sunset across the valley and the distant bells of St Bartholomew's Church pealing across the other side of town there is no where else I really could want to be.

First new Henry show will be on 8th September in Newbury in Berkshire. But before that I might just put another wee advert on Ebay...