An English Idyll
To Sheffield Park today with Lorraine. A beautiful country house gardens, full of ponds and lakes, which provide gorgeous reflections. Today was supposed to be the hottest of the year, but it was rather cloudy until mid afternoon. Lorraine and I spent several hours mooching about looking at plants, and damselflies and hawkers over the water-lilies. Following a path we heard the unmistakable snick of leather on willow wood. There was a cricket pitch on the edge of the grounds, which in the late 19th Century had seen some big games, against international opposition, and there was a photograph of W.G. Grace, the most legendary of all cricketers, who had played there. We found a wooden bench and passed an hour watching a game between Armadillo Cricket Club and its opposition. A beautiful scene, with the pitch surrounded by trees. Couldn't help thinking of the contrast between Sheffield Park and North Acton. Home and had supper with Betty and Laura, dining healthily on squid and t...