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The Japanese garden at Compton Acres, Poole, Dorset

I hope this is the appropriate place for a bit of self-promotion. If not, I'm sure the administrator will gently rap me over the knuckles and tell me to sling my hook.

Among the many things I've been doing to keep myself off the streets since leaving the Beeb, I've been involved in Japan 2001, a year-long series of Japan-related events all across the UK that's just come to an end. As part of it, I helped develop a guide to Japanese-style gardens in the UK and Ireland.

It's now moved to my own web server http://japan-interface.co.uk/gardens/, and I am in the process of turning it into a searchable database. At the moment it lists 64 gardens listed geographically, with details of opening times and the garden's main features, as well as links to relevant websites. It may be of interest/use to people looking for somewhere different to go on a day out.

David Powers