A Tour of the Grounds

Well, this is my first weekend at the Manor, and it’s kind of relief. This week was a five-day week (Oh no! Working Monday to Friday?! Blasphemy!)  and I haven’t had a breather since arriving. I got more than eight hours of sleep last night!

So, pretty much, I’m in a fantastic mood.

Yesterday was interesting. We were visited by Nick Boles, the Member of Parliament for the Grantham area. We got to discuss politics and economics, especially the differences in the British and American system, and also the complexities of Britain’s spot in the European and global stages. All in all, an interesting hour. Even better, he wasn’t trying to get our votes!

 Today I took a break from paper-writing to put together a tour of the grounds for you.

 Starting at the side entrance, we exit to the Pegasus courtyard.

 From here we walk through the gate towards the Carriage house, but stop at the Smoker’s Lounge.

(It's that little bench over there. A swanky kind of place. Smoking anywhere else on campus is a 250 pound fine.)

 
From here, rather than turning left towards the CH, I’m turning right. Back here are interesting views of the Manor and some really nice trails.

Okay, enough of that. Heading back up to the side entrance, we’ll walk around to the front.

We have quite a driveway.

 

Partway down that driveway is the football (“soccer”) field, which I’ve kind-of almost pictured in the background of this much more interesting picture of a wall and some trees.

Okay, back up the driveway to the south side of the Manor to see the real gardens!

 Once in the main circle, we go up these stairs to get to the manicured grounds.

And then up some more stairs…. And then up a hill…. and finally...

Incredible Views!:

The Italian Garden:

The Reflective Pool:

Okay, and back into the Manor, because my shoes have soaked through at this point. At some point in the future, I may follow up with a tour of the indoors. Be waiting for updates, especially Rome, where I’m headed next week! Until then~