A childhood dream realised

So when we were planning this trip I mentioned to Lorraine that I wanted to go to Hampton Court.  She was a little perplexed why, so this is the story of why, dating back some 45 years?

As a child in primary school, there was a subscription magazine, the name escapes me, but it included the usual sort of educational things, word games, stories, and trivia. One issue there was an article about Hampton Court and the Topiary Maze made entirely of hedges.  I had to go.  So I get out the Melways street directory and find there is a Hampton in Melbourne, surely that is where Hampton Court is with the Maze.

So after some careful child manipulation I convinced my parents to take the family out for a picnic day to Hampton. Hampton for those unaware is a seaside suburb of Port Phillip Bay.  There are parks, and I was sure one of them contained this topiary maze.

So imagine my disappointment when I came to the realisation that there can be more of one place with the same name, and that Hampton Court is in the far away place called England.😕😢 I was devastated.

So I always promised myself, one day if I ever get to England, I had to go to Hampton Court to see the topiary maze before it is gone.

Today a childhood dream is being realised.😁