The view from Country Life

A week of rain to dampen the spirits, but it does encourage the green in every corner. Miraculously Paul Barker the photographer who was sent to take up to date photographs of our finalists for the Genuis of the Place Award (an award sponsored by Savills for the best revived landscape setting of a country house), managed to find openings in the weather to record the glories of Gresgarth, Daneway, Rycote and others, to capture slices of blue sky and sunlight at key moments, often very early in the morning.

Our desks have moved again within the new offices, but I am satisfied that if I look left I can see Southwark Cathedral, with that spectacular curve of the railway, and glimpse the turrets of the Tower of London. Our new cafe is wonderful, with a view directly over Tate Modern and St Pauls' effectively making a surreal montage, the food is very good too, and I have probably been the first to buy lunch there for a Gloucestershire-based baronet, a rather good lasagne. Pity no Chianti can be bought, but having Decanter in a next door office could be promising...