The grounds around Fernside are absolutely breathtaking, and we were
fortunate to have Mike, the gardener, to tell us about the history of the
grounds and what went into taking care of them. It was kind of like being
shown around the Shire by Sam Gamgee. While I was marveling at how well
tended everything looked, he was talking about what needed trimming or
replanting or suchlike.
Although this is not the tourist season, and there were no guests there,
it struck me that this is the ideal time of year to see the changing of
the colors of all the trees, which are probably mostly green in the summer.