We have been busy cycling around as the weather has been very good. On Thursday we cycled to Kew Gardens and checked out the rhododendrums, not as good as the beautiful and varied specimens at Leonardslee, an amazing garden we visited in West Sussex last weekend. We visited the Temperate House where we were amused by the tall skinny acacias and eucalypts the waterlily house, the Ginko tree and the Wollemi pine which is doing very well. We also smelled the eucalyptus leaves on the big selection of trees !!

On Friday we cycled to Richmond and took a train to Hampstead Heath, a smart mid distance north London suburb, and despite its name it is quite hilly with good views to London. HH is quite large and there are some good cycle tracks crossing it and interesting buildings in the adjoining suburbs. We visited Kenwood House which is on the edge of the park and also has excellent views over London - we could see St Paul's! It was free entry with great art including works by Rembrandt, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Constable and some wonderful rooms. We also visited Fenton House, a 4 storey Georgian town house, which had an amazing collection of pianos harpiscords, spinnets and other early keyboard instruments, some dating back to the 1600's.