One of my favourite places...

Whenever Lovely Lawyer Husband and I have something big to discuss or want to make future plans, we go here...

This was once Rudyard Kipling's home and is now owned and maintained by the National Trust. It's a beautiful Jacobean house with its fantastic gardens, and Kipling's study is pretty much as he left it. But, I have to admit that I haven't actually been in the house for several years. We did the full-tour the first time we visited, but now we just tend to use our National Trust membership to take advantage of the gardens...

...and the delightful tea rooms (yay for freshly baked scones and homemade soup...mmmm!). It is in these tea rooms and on the peaceful outside terrace that LLH and I have made so many decisions and plans over the years...This was where LLH finalised the structure of his Masters dissertation and where we worked out how on earth we could finance my first year as a grad student. And, today it was where we discussed our search for a new home and other things we want to achieve over the next few months. We always go armed with notebooks to write lists of our goals and things-to-do (which clearly bemuses the other visitors enjoying their cream teas), and I always leave with a sense of accomplishment, motivation and excitement. It's a place that is both calming and invigorating at the same time.