A short while ago, I decided to take a trip out to the very beautiful Fyne Court, just outside Taunton. The skies were perfectly clear, which gave the warm sun the opportunity to shine down through the canopy of trees, highlighting their beautiful autumnal colours.

The pathway too had a beautiful golden carpet which the blackbirds and robins frequently turned over, looking for a tasty morsel underneath.

As I wandered through one of several beautiful paths at Fyne Court, I was accompanied by the chip-chip call of a great spotted woodpecker, the soft cooing of wood pigeons, the melodic songs of blackbirds and robins, and the distinctive calls of blue tits and great tits.

Below me there was a beautiful walled garden, and I could easily imagine the gardener tending the plants and herbs that must have grown there years ago. The house itself had to be demolished in the 1800s, when a maid left for a trip to Taunton with the owner of the house, forgetting to extinguish a candle she had lit to heat her curling tongs. The flame caught hold of the curtains and by the time the fire brigade arrived from Taunton it was too late to save the house.

The grounds, however, are in beautiful condition and always worth a visit. Especially if, like me, you enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside, where you can just chill out among the beauty of nature.

L B Loxley