After a nearly sleepless night in sweltering London, we left early for a weekend road trip to Wales. By early afternoon we were in the green, hilly, blessedly cool Welsh countryside where all the road signs have more Ys, Ws, Ls, and Ds than you ever thought possible.

First stop: Powis castle and gardens. It’s a thirteenth century castle done up in a 17th century interior, with some famous Italianate baroque terraced gardens. It’s always fun to see in person a garden I’ve read about before. The herbaceous borders were more exotic than others I’ve seen in the UK, but it was the massive 300-year-old yew topiary that were most impressive!

We were the last to leave the castle and by then we were both pretty tired (that’s what three hours of heat addled sleep will do). Fortunately we had booked a room at a small inn only a few miles away. It has more of a bed and breakfast vibe than a hotel, being run by a quirky but friendly husband and wife team. But it’s clean and quiet and will do just fine.

And now to bed!