Although I really wanted to see the gardens I couldn't visit this place without looking round the house so I decided to do that first. There was so much history connected to Blickling that it would have taken me ages to read through everything so I just followed the designated route round and through the house and if I liked the look of a room I took a photo of it. I particularly liked the arrangement of a decorative mirror and two wall plaque/candle holders on the wall above the fireplace in one of the bathrooms, I thought they were really pretty and deserved a photo of their own.
Back outside I went back to the car park to make a quick check on the dogs - they were all asleep - then with the camera working overtime I wandered round the gardens. With terraces, borders, formal and informal flower beds, shaped hedges and immaculately-cut lawns they were a visual delight, and I'd never before seen so many gardeners busy working in various areas. I got chatting to one of them who was mowing a section of lawn and he pointed out a dragonfly resting on the side wall of the fountain; I've never really seen a dragonfly close up before so that was definitely an opportunity for a photo, and luckily it stayed still long enough for me to snap one.
With time getting on and the need to get back to the dogs I couldn't explore the gardens as much as I would have liked - there was a lake, a walled garden and acres of parkland to see yet - but as I drove out of the car park I mentally put Blickling Hall down on the list of places to return to.
My route back to California took me through Potter Heigham, and although it was late in the afternoon I once again found myself heading into Latham's for my fourth coffee and Belgian bun; a guilty pleasure maybe, but I'd enjoyed Blickling Hall so much that a coffee and bun just rounded off the afternoon nicely.
