We drove a long way to get our eggs and potatoes on Sunday. But that wasn’t the sole reason for the trip. We wanted a walk. Somewhere pleasant. Somewhere we thought we’d be able to keep our distance from people. We didn’t need a lockdown to tell us to keep our distance. Every other idiot round these parts gathered in large groups on the beach at the weekend, a ten minute walk from home. We wanted no part in that. We went to Minterne Gardens.

We’ve been there many times. It’s one of our favourite places. We pulled up in the car park across the road to assess the situation. If too many others had had the same plan, we’d drive on. Happily, there were very few people about. We didn’t come within ten metres of anyone else, let alone the mandatory two. 

Truth be told, the gardens won’t really come to life for another few weeks. But some of the early booking magnolias were out. Running water is always calming. And the sounds of birds tweeting, squirrels squirrelling and horses neighing soothes the soul. 

And, of course, we got those eggs. I took the video, because that place is going to grow fonder in our hearts as the memory of it recedes.