Highlight The charm of Holland Park's park.

We headed for the Portbello Market after breakfast on another lovely summer’s day. We had spotted the way to the market on a previous bus ride and this was confirmed by Jane. I then saw there was a cache at the entrance. It was disabled as it was missing but it gave an extra guide if we needed it, but we didn’t.

We joined the crowds walking towards the market and checked out the shops and stalls that interested us as we went. If we had stopped at them all we would still be there, however as we didn’t need to buy ‘tourist’ items and had not need for old cameras and no intention of carrying back china we were not really tempted to buy much but it was fun looking. We hit the food stalls and grabbed a ‘traditional’ donut each then wandered to the end. There were some berry fruits but it is a bit early in the season for them. Coconut and pineapple containers seemed popular. John opted for a calamari takeout at the far end of the market and that is when we found our old notes we had left from our last trip and brought with us are no longer accepted although it appears we can cash them in through a bank.

We then went back through the market at a slightly faster pace except for the areas where the crowds streaming in were the hold up. We were pleased we went when we did as it was before the biggest crowds. I had a crepe filled with strawberries as my lunch then we both opted for freshly made lemonade as we left. It was so refreshing and we were happy with that as an alternative to coffee.

I had then spotted a park area to visit having seen there were caches there but also noted the comments from the finders about the loveliness of Holland Park. They were right.

Holland Park is spread across 54 acres of what used to be the grounds of Cope Castle, a large Jacobean mansion hidden in the woods. It was built by Sir Walter Cope in the early 17th century, who became Chancellor of the Exchequer under King James 1. It was renamed Holland House after the Earl of Holland’s wife Lady Rich inherited the property. Holland House was badly damaged during World War II. One wing was saved and is used as a youth hostel. A remaining section of the front terrace is now used as a distinct backdrop for the park's summertime open-air theatre productions and classical concerts.

We entered by the Suntrap Entrance which had a large onyx sculpture as a feature. I looked it up later to find the sculpto,  Jonathan Loxley studied marble sculpture techniques in Florence and set up his own studio in Carrara, Italy. His work is mystical, and understanding it is left to one’s own imagination. Tonda is a beautiful piece of onyx, carved by Jonathan, and found at the entrance to Holland Park, London, in the ‘sun trap’ garden. It was erected on 17th July 2014. Why Tonda? A suitably mystical name with links to her Italian origin, Tonda is an Italian word which is used for rounded pieces of art and, since the piece is female, Tonda seemed very appropriate.Jonathan said of Tonda…...'People respond to Tonda’s colour, texture, feel and shape in a way that is hard to describe to someone who hasn’t seen her'.

Then we headed to the café and toilets but the café queues were off-putting. The park was full of groups and individuals enjoying the sun. Some were drinking wine which was obviously acceptable. There was a big sports area as well as a number of feature gardens. The Dutch garden was full of colour and the Kyoto Japanese garden was very peaceful. We finished in an area which had two turtles holding a large triangle aloft, that on a second look showed us it was a sundial. We found 4 caches at the key areas, which we were happy to log. We may well return to the park as it was really lovely and the Japanese Garden in particular could do with a longer visit.

Then we headed ‘home’ to Jane and Ian’s. They are planning changes to their courtyard area and we spent time discussing their (and our) ideas. We are good at ideas we don’t have to pay for. We all then worked on ivy removal and blackberry removal, both very satisfying. It was a gardening job where both many hands made light work and we could see where we had been. We then bused to Lidl to supplement evening meal supplies and had a mix of deli food with a wine before an earlyish night. We are still not sleeping well but better each night.