Life Lately

A slow week. Literally.
With my joints getting increasingly worse, we have had to slow down considerably. Staying close to home and finding things to do.
A day at the farm playing with Papa, table top activities; playing playdough with Isaac and practicing lots of writing and drawing.
Baking home made sausage rolls and my famous chilli con carne. 

21 Houses, 3 Gardens, 1 Beach and endless possibilities.

This will be our third year as members of the National Trust. It has been such a pleasure visiting such wonderful places on a regular basis. And counting up, we visited a whopping 21 houses since June 2011.

Baddesley Clinton

Belton House

Blickling Estate

Calke Abbey

Canons Ashby

Castle Drogo

Charlecote Park

Clumber Park

Coughton Court

East Riddlesden Hall

Farnborough Hall

Gawthorpe Hall

Hardwick Hall

Kedleston Hall

Lanhydrock

Moseley Old Hall

Packwood House

Rufford Old Hall

St Michaels Mount - eek, I can't find the photographs from this one!

Sudbury Hall

Upton House

Not to mention Glendurgan Gardens, Trengwainton Gardens and Biddulph Gardens which we have visited on our travels. And also Godrevy beach (our favourite!) and the nature reserves too.
So far, it has been money well spent, and as a family, we can not wait to see that number rise. Maybe one day, we will see them all?

PS  If you visit the tab at the top of my page, you can find all of our national trust adventures :)

Spontaneity

We woke this morning and Dan decided that he fancied going to RAF Cosford to see the planes for the day. After picking up some goodies for tea from our local Farmers Market, we made the 65 mile trip to the museum near Telford. 

Our tummies were telling us that it was nearly lunch time. Dan wanted to eat up and head home, but I suggested getting lunch on the way home, via a National Trust property, so that our day wasn't wasted. We drove up some beautiful, yet very narrow country lanes to Moseley Old Hall, a beautiful 16th century farmhouse which was used to hide King Charles II when he fled Oliver Cromwell after the Battle of Worcester.

We enjoyed a sweet little picnic in the orchard surrounded by lavender, bumble bees and butterflies. It was such a peaceful way to spend the afternoon. We walked around the beautiful gardens and woodland and learned so much inside the house. The kitchen was fully stocked as they had just provided a banquet in full 17th Century style for its historians who were in full get up for the day. We chatted with a magistrate and a gentleman about coins and books for a good while.

Louie and I had a go in the stocks! 

And to end a perfect day, Louie won a competition in the shop, being the first to find a miniature Charles II in his little house, and I was treated to this beautiful book!
Yet another, perfect day.

Cheating the Weather

Whilst most of the country was experiencing torrential down pours and electrical storms, Anna and I were blissfully unaware, having a beautiful day in the heart of Warwickshire. After our last rainy visit, we thought we would return and chance the weather.
Our raincoats stayed safely in the boot of the car all day as we wandered and explored this lovely property. We even treated ourselves to the biggest ice cream ever!