A Day Out In the Sunshine

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a good week.

It has been another very dry week here in this small corner. However, as I type today's blog post, that is changing, and I can hear the much-needed rain pattering lightly on our conservatory roof. Much to the annoyance of D, who is on a half-term break from school, it looks like a wet week ahead. I'm sure we will find some fun things to do together, though.

On Friday, hubby had a day off work, and as the sun was shining, we headed out on a National Trust day, visiting two places we had enjoyed before. 

First of all, we stopped at Croft Castle near Leominster, Herefordshire.

The Croft family, who lived at the castle, owned it for much of the last 1000 years, with about 170 years where it was in other hands due to unforeseen financial problems. Today, it has a Gothic revival style inside with some Georgian influences. On the outside, Croft still retains the feel of a Medieval castle, which I really like. The views over the Herefordshire countryside are also stunning. 

This gramophone was a beautiful piece of furniture and would have been enjoyed by some Croft family members in the early twentieth century.

Dining for 8 today!

The amazing ceiling rose can be seen from the staircase along with the other Gothic features of cornices, friezes and wall arches. 

The Church of St Michael and All Angels sits almost on the doorstep of the current Croft castle and predates it by several centuries.

The bell tower is constructed of Welsh slate.

Inside, the church is quite simply arranged with a beautiful stained glass window and a memorial monument to the earliest recorded Croft - Sir Richard (1509) and his wife Eleanor (1529).

Many of you know how much I enjoy being in my own garden, and the walled garden at Croft was an absolute delight to explore.

These were some of my favourite blooms in May.

There were so many figs growing against this warm wall.

After a cuppa and a piece of cake, we drove on to Berrington Hall, which is also in Leominster. 

From the outside the Hall looks quite severe ,so it is quite a surprise to see the interior decorative features. It was built during the Georgian period for Thomas Harley a London banker and government contractor who wished to retire to the country. The hall was designed by Henry Holland and the parkland developed by Capability Brown

This is very much a building in the Georgian era. 

Inside is a very grand staircase and when you look up, you can see the domed glass ceiling letting in the light from above. 

Many of the ceilings have beautiful and intricate plasterwork and painted insets. This one is in the dining room.

Since we last visited, there is a new display of costumes from the Georgian period and this dress was particularly stunning.

 You would definitely have needed to turn sideways to get through a doorway!

On a smaller scale, these were some children's clothes.

Tea time and some embroidery.

Breakfast in bed.

A simple family meal.

Lots of beautiful ceilings and plasterwork.

We had a really wonderful day looking inside these two very different homes and enjoying their gardens in the sunshine. With NT membership, it was light on the wallet, too.😏

D tells me she wants us to go 'Mum and Daughter' shopping this week, which we both enjoy. Maybe we can squeeze in a nice cuppa and a piece of cake while we are out. As for the bank holiday on Monday, all three of us would like to spend a few hours in Hereford, but that will depend on the weather. 

Do you have plans for next week? D and I hope you have some fun things to do and that you have a happy week.

B and D x

Bread

Hello Friends.

Last week was an art and school work success story, and many items have now been recycled. However, I will frame the items below because they make me smile so much.

The box from the loft this week has been the photos, which will take a long time, but I shall do that in mini-steps. I want to create something special for D and C to treasure, so this project will involve more than just family photos. I'll let you know how that develops. 

I attempted something new this week. Well, almost new. I can't remember the last time I made bread, so it must be long ago.

I didn't expect the yeast to rise as well as it did - almost escaping the bowl as it enjoyed the sunshine in our conservatory. I used a basic bread recipe for this first loaf-making session to see how it all worked, and was so pleased with the result. I shall make a few more loaves and then try another type of bread. It's slow steps, but I am having fun with breadmaking.

Hubby has been concreting at the bottom end of the garden in preparation for a small seating area. We can then sit and enjoy the wildlife around the pond. Everything is filling out and growing well—still no sign of slugs on the hostas either. Long may it continue!

There are still a few areas left for other plants, but I am taking my time to ensure I choose the right plant for the right space. It looks like another warm week here in this small corner, so no doubt there will be some hours pootling in the garden.

I hope you have a lovely week ahead and find things to make you smile and be happy. Take care, everyone.

B x

Young Art

Hello friends.

This week, I wanted to share some very special items with you.

Boxes after boxes have been coming down from the loft over the last few months in the hope that they could be sorted through and cleared out.

This time it was the turn of some large boxes with all the children's primary school work. We divided the pile of books and papers into D's work and C's work, and slowly went through every scrap of work. 

D decided what she wanted to keep, and C went through his stuff on Saturday afternoon. We have had a lot of good memories and laughter this week. Our adult young people didn't want to keep much, but I have kept a few early books and some artwork from both of them, which I couldn't let go of. I have a couple of items to frame, but these paintings were some of the first ones they did when they started school, just after their fourth birthdays. 

The first two are by D, and the rest are by the artist known as C!

I can't remember the jumper, maybe it will be in an old photo when we look through that box.

Such a glamorous painting of me by my son. Jellyfish mummy. 😏

It has been such a fun week here. I hope you have found something to make you smile wherever you are and that you all enjoy some sunshine this week.

B x