Finally got a chance to get out for a day, so it was off in the car to Standen, a National Trust property we last visited with the girls and Jesse in 2005.

After a morning coffee, Rocco was rather full of energy, so I took him for a walk in the woods while Tina explored the house:

Rocco managed to find a muddy stream, so I had to wait a while throwing sticks for him in the long grass while he cleaned himself up (next time, put a towel in the car!):

Then a short wait in the shade while Tina finished in the house:

The house is in “Arts & Crafts” style, but much more homely than similar properties we’ve visited:

We then explored the upper garden:

By then it was time for lunch. Unfortunately, there was no shade in the picnic area so we got a bit hot.

After lunch, we explored the other gardens:

Then the lawn by the house and the quarry garden:

By then, Rocco was desperate for a run-around, so we followed an estate walk through Hollybush Wood. Unfortunately, there is a lot of problems with Ash dieback in these woods, so many paths were closed and the walk was much shorter than advertised, the last bit going through a field of cows:

Just for reference, this is a photo taken on our last visit in 2005: