Been a few days of solid work, but today we have had to leave our current house, while it is valued.
With a need to continue earning, but also hoping to enjoy the wonderful May weather, we located a pub with good Wifi. The Plough at Itchen Abbas was our fortunate find, with an excellent lunch menu, great beer garden, (also with Wifi) and a lovely river to walk along nearby. Annabel tucked into her work and lunch, while I went out for a stroll along the river, to the gate of Avington Estate, a luxury holiday park.
After a couple of hours at Itchen Abbas, we decided on a drive, locating the intriguing Grange. Today the Grange stands in my opinion as a quirky mix of architecture, having started off in the 1660s as a beautiful brick mansion, but which was later adapted to look like an ancient Greek Temple on one side. With fantastic grounds surrounding the building, Annabel and I found this place a delight, though the Greek elements are out of keeping with the beautiful red brick building that was originally there. Sadly we couldn’t go into the house, as it is still in the process of renovation, but we could stroll the garden as if it was ours, there being nobody else there apart from a couple of stage hands preparing for a play. Indeed the Grange is a fantastic venue for a concert, wedding, stroll, it just needs the drive to be smoothed, (pot holes a 2CV would struggle with)!
All in all, a great day exploring away from our laptop screens.
