Fancy a summer’s walk? No? Oh well, suit yourself. Yes? Good for you. Here’s a series of photos I took last August, on a rare sunny morning. Starting at the car park entrance, I took a shot every ten paces as I walked up to the iron gate at the top of the drive. Beyond the gate is the real world; best avoided. Rather than post almost 30 snaps, I’ve made them into a minute long film. I’ve also added a soundtrack of birdsong* which, though recorded in June, is pretty close to what I heard on that day. (Listen out for the cuckoo).
Shall we set off? You can take my hand if you like; it’s not so very grubby.
Not terribly interesting I’m afraid but it gives you an idea of how long the drive is. And how much work there is outside the gardens: cutting the hedging, ensuring trees and overhead branches are safe, pruning apple trees and shrubs, strimming and mowing verges and a further three ‘lawns.’ My job isn’t just wandering about wearing a wide-brimmed, straw sunhat and pink gloves, humming Vivaldi and deadheading roses, you know. (Though much of it is).
Erm, you can let go off my hand now.
* With thanks to Freesound
The Anxious Gardener 
I guess this is the real proof of all that work trimming the hedges, they are endless! Lovely place to hang on, ehm work in. As for the straw hat… Well I hope you also wear a silk scarf around your head, the Geena Davis way, to go with those pink gloves, you know…
LikeLike
The silk scarf goes without saying, Mr A. Ms Davis in ‘Thelma and Louise’ has always been my fashion role model. Obviously. D
LikeLike
I knew it was Geena! Her or Priscilla, queen of the desert. Although the latest has a far wider pink scarf…
LikeLike
A glorious place to work in, Dave, even if Vivaldi isn’t piped through the leaves! You ought to be truly proud of all you’ve accomplished!
LikeLike
Vivaldi is kinda piped through the leaves Faisal. Least ways when I’m wearing my MP3 player headphones. Dave
LikeLike
Like the new look. My first thought, like Helen’s, was “what a lot of hedge and verge to cut”. Don’t envy you that at all. Second thought was how magical that tunnel of trees is. Please can you give us more of a tour around the Priory? Assuming you are not too busy with the pink gloves and Vivaldi…
LikeLike
Hi Janet, generally pretty busy with Vivaldi and my pink (more cerise to be honest) gloves but I’ll see what I can do. That tunnel is magical isn’t it? A small area of Margaret’s wood was cleared a couple of years ago and it has allowed the sunshine to really stream in. Dave
LikeLike
It’s a beautiful place and looks like a great place to work, but my back aches just thinking about trimming all of those hedges. What a lot of work, and they must need to be done at least twice each season. Whew!
LikeLike
Hi Allen, yes. We cut them in July (you can see how they have spurted again by August) and then I go over them again in Sept/Oct. Hard work but satisfying. Dave
LikeLike
No wonder you occasionally dream of help — that is a lot of (absolutely beautiful) landscape to tend. If you took a photo of my garden every ten steps, you would not get a minute-long movie out of it. And the birds would sound more cynical and urban somehow.
For what it’s worth, I like the new look!
LikeLike
You’ll have to do a film, Stacy, at every (short) step – and circular perhaps. Glad you like the new theme – felt time for a change. Dave
LikeLike
Nice to remember summer and it proves you did have a few sunny days. Christina
LikeLike
Emphasis on the few I’m afraid, Christina. Dave
LikeLike
A wonderful walk, sunshine, blue skies and bird song. Particularly nostalgic as it has just started snowing here! Thank you for all your uplifting (and humorous) blogs
LikeLike
Hi Alison, I’d actually welcome some snow down here. ‘They’ forecast some for this weekend but it just rained and rained. Again. Still, never mind – soon be Christmas. Dave
LikeLike
Help – my comment didn’t appear. Try again. What a lovely way to go to work – the image of you in a straw hat and pink gloves will stay with me forever.
LikeLike
Hi Elaine – your comment did appear after all. I used to live forty yards or so from the top gate and my commute to work was the walk down the drive. I rather miss it as I now have a 30 min drive and coming down those 300 yards or so in a car isn’t the same. D
LikeLike
What a lovely way to arrive for work – the image of you in a straw hat and pink gloves will stay with me forever.
LikeLike
That is a very long driveway and so much hedge. It reminded me of the description of the driveway to Madelay in Rebecca where they go through darkness, albeit caused by rhodies, before emerging by the house.
LikeLike
Hi Helen, yep me too. Indeed Jim suggested the first line of the post should be “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Dave
LikeLike
I don’t know why but I was expecting an Eva Cassidy number not actual birdsong! Still ovely though! Sasha
LikeLike
Hey Sash, nope – I don’t know why either! A reminder that that walk isn’t always grey and mud, eh? Dave
LikeLike
Beautiful fresh green leaves with amazing bird song, so different from now. Its quite a few years since we heard a cuckoo in our part of Devon, but where was the rain, you had sunshine!!
LikeLike
Cuckoo’s are a regular visitor, Pauline – indeed I saw one the year before last. Flew right in front of me calling as it went. Needless, to say I didn’t have my camera. D
LikeLike
It brought up a deep sigh in me. Peaceful place.
LikeLike
I’m pleased, though it seems like a dim and distant memory to me now. D
LikeLike
Sigh, I miss summer, and I look forward to this years even more so now. Cross fingers it’ll be sunnier, warmer, and less wet…
LikeLike
It has to be a better summer, Boys. It has to be. I’ve decided. D
LikeLike
It made me really nostalgic for summer.
LikeLike
Yesterday was lovely here, Amelia. Blue skies, bright sunshine and robins singing. Today though it is back to the grim reality of dark cloud and rain. The ground having dried out a bit will now be sodden again. Good grief. Dave
LikeLike