Last Dance

Hello friends,

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. We have had a fantastic time in this small corner.

Yesterday, D, hubby, and I took ourselves off to the BP Pulse Arena (NEC) Birmingham to enjoy watching 'Our Last Dance', the final ice dance tour of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.

I first became aware of this amazing ice dance couple in the early 80's and was spellbound by their routines. D discovered them when they started Dancing on Ice and has enjoyed their routines ever since.

In 1984, the pair represented the UK at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and achieved incredible scores of 6.0 from all the judges. The Bolero routine which they performed was controversial because of its length. Rules stated that the ice dance must be no longer than 4 mins +/- 10 seconds, and even with major adjustments, the piece was still 28 seconds too long. However, the rules also stated that the dance routine did not start until the skates touched the ice, so the couple started the dance on their knees. It was timed to perfection, and the gold medal belonged to them.

D has seen the pair dance several years ago, but Hubby and I have not seen them perform live before. 

Jayne and Christopher were supported by other professional ice dancers, several from Dancing on Ice, who were amazing and made the show unforgettable. There were great songs, choreography, and a happy audience who enjoyed every moment.

Next week is looking much quieter, but with lots of sunshine forecast, more time could be spent outside. 

Have a lovely week, everyone.

B x

Games and Toys

 Hello friends,

Earlier in the week we discovered an old game that had been lost in the time warp of the loft. We are still trying to get as much as possible out of the loft, and this week, it has been sorting out the toys and games. 

Ker-plunk is described as a game of skill involving marbles and long, thin sticks stuck in a cylinder. The aim is to remove the sticks without allowing the marbles to fall. We found that it is a very short game. However, the most challenging task, which requires the most patience, is inserting the sticks into the plastic at the start of the game. D and I discovered we had no patience for this task and happily watched Hubby do it. Getting the game out and having a final play was fun, but it will be finding a new home.

Next, it was on to the dolls section. We have kept some dolls, but others will be donated, along with all their paraphernalia. Two Tiny Tears dolls are staying. One belonged to me and is a 1960s version. D has one from the 1990s, and the two dolls are pretty different. They were both great companions when we were children. 

Further investigations in the loft revealed another childhood favourite, 'Frustration' with its pop-a-matic dice. We all enjoyed this game, so it will join us for a few sessions before we decide its final destination. The space in the loft is growing and so far nothing has been returned which is really good news

It is also the Easter weekend, and D and I have been enjoying a little crafting. This is our Easter tree. Although we bought some of the eggs, we decoupaged some ourselves. D painted a Spring design on a rock, and my Easter cross stitch sits at the base of the twiggy tree. 

Regardless of how you spend the weekend, D and I wish you a very Happy Easter.

Have a good week!

B x

Aston Hall

Hello everyone. It has been a beautiful sunny week here, and I hope you enjoyed the sun wherever you live.

It's not quite an armchair visit this week, as we have visited this place several times over the years, and it used to be somewhere we went on school trips when I was a child. 

Aston Hall is a listed building in Aston Birmingham. The Holte family built it in 1618, and they were supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War. Aston Hall is also known as a 'Prodigy' property. These were places of great extravagance for the wealthy and those whose ambitions were to rise higher in the royal court. The aim was to entice the monarch to visit, giving the hall owner great prestige.

Well, it worked because Charles did indeed stay for one night before the Battle of Edgehill.

The house was severely damaged when it came under attack from over 1000 parliamentary forces. However, the story goes that the siege took three days against only a few musketeers inside the building before the enemy took the house. It must have been a little embarrassing for the Parliamentarians, even though they ultimately won the day! How true the story is - I don't know.

Perhaps the most famous damage inflicted was to an oak staircase, which now bears a cannon ball-sized hole. Oak was used extensively in this house as it was another symbol of wealth. A lot of glass was also used for the same purpose, although the individual panes were small. 

When we visited, we were treated to a musket gun demonstration of how the weapon would have been prepared for use and fired.  

If you want to armchair visit Aston Hall, here is a 360-degree tour.

Back at home, we have made more progress at the bottom of the garden. I have moved some hosta from pots into a new position, edging the pond in the hopes that the slugs will not want to encounter the army of frogs nearby. Foxgloves have also been added along with more ferns, an astilbe, ligularia and heuchera, all from other parts of the garden - slowly, the space is filling up with plants.

Hosta shoots just breaking through

As well as the frogs returning to the pond, I noticed some solitary mining bees that have taken up residence around the pond. These bees excavate small tunnels into the ground leaving a volcano shaped mound at the entrance.

And finally, my onions are ready for planting out.

Happy days to you all, and have a lovely week. 

B x

Visiting Croome, Worcestershire

Hello Friends.

This morning (Saturday) promised to be another beautiful and sunny day, so hubby and I headed out to visit a local National Trust site that we have visited several times over the years.

Croome Park is in the county of Worcestershire and about 40 minutes from where we live. The grounds are always wonderful to wander around, and we began our walk with the sun on our backs and a gentle breeze.

Croome was built in a low dip in the landscape as a country house and was the vision of George William, the 6th Earl of Coventry. He utilised the designs of Capability Brown for the landscapes and Robert Adam and later James Wyatt for the interior of Croome itself. The current house was built between 1752 and 62.

The grounds at Croome were naturally heavy clay, and it took a great deal of engineering to construct suitable drainage systems to make the area useable. Various native and exotic species were planted in the fertile ground, and the woodland is now a joy to walk in. 

These Crown Fritillarias were a welcome surprise. 

Although the Gothic church was originally much closer to the house, the church was moved to higher ground, where it now overlooks Croome's country mansion.

One of the outstanding features of the landscape is the winding river developed by Capability Brown, which meanders to the west of the house. The restored bridge, which William Halfpenny built, is named the Chinese Bridge because of its style.

This rather splendid building is a very fancy eighteenth-century greenhouse! This is the Temple Greenhouse; it even had underfloor heating when the owners originally used it. There aren't many exotics kept in there now, but you get the idea.

This dry bridge was constructed so visitors to the grounds and lake did not have to cross the busy carriage drive that led to the house.

Hiding away in this shady grotto is the water nymph Sabrina, who, according to legend, lived in the nearby River Severn. The stone from which the grotto was made is limestone, which gives it a sponge-like structure. While we were there, the insects seemed to enjoy the cool resting places in the rock holes—a beautiful habitat for wildlife.

By the 1870s, Croome was past its peak glory days, and the old ways were lost to modernisation.

In the twentieth century, the RAF used Croome to create a new airfield during the Second World War. Later, it became a Catholic school and, in 1979, was the base for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. Now, the National Trust looks after Croome.

Meanwhile, back at home, a few more things have been happening in the garden. We have planted this year's potato crop in the ground, where we stripped the turf to edge the pond. I'm hoping for tasty potatoes in the coming months. Early lettuce is sprouting, and my onions, which I always start in pots, are making a good start in the greenhouse.

I am also ready to start picking rhubarb for this year.

The Amelanchier has blossomed in the front garden.

And here is another welcome visitor to our garden.

It has been such a lovely week here, and I hope it has been the same for you. A new week is starting, and I hope it is filled with more sunshine for you all.

Take care

B x