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Penny is here for the weekend so we visited Petworth House for the first time. Wonderful gardens, excellent talk about the history of the house and its owners – the Percys and the Egremonts. The walk around the lake built by Capability Brown was very enjoyable, geese, ducks, coots, Fallow deer, damselflies, dragonflies and a snake swimming from shore, the first time I have seen this. Plenty of wild pasture with Common Spotted Orchids and butterflies – Small Coppers, Large Whites, Painted Ladies and a Peacock. We will return to see the renowned art collection. On our return Penny and Sue plunged into the icy (so they assured me) Channel waters.