Grandpa's birthday gave LMC and I an excuse for a day out today, so we met my parents at the National Trust's Wimpole Estate up in Cambridgeshire. The weather was kind to us, despite the very threatening clouds, and we were able to have quite a long wander around with her buggy. The gardens at the hall were looking fabulous at the moment and the team of gardeners were certainly doing a fantastic job. The walled garden was also looking spectacular and their display of squashes was great. Lots of lovely autumn colours and combined with the slight chill in the air it made me realise ... read more
Registered Post
It's sometime funny what things I see that make me stop and take a photograph. When Mr C and I were in Hastings Old Town we came across this post box (outside what I understand used to be the old Post Office) which I believe to date from the reign of George VI. I've seen old post boxes before, but not one that features advice on not posting valuables in it. I'd be intrigued to know the history behind things like this, but guess that if you're not local then it's not always that easy to find out. A shame, but fascinating all the same. ... read more
Bodiam Castle
If you asked a child to draw you a picture of a castle I'm pretty sure you'd end up with something that resembles Bodiam. The round towers and large moat give it a simple look which just makes it seem even more fairy tale like.Sadly it was chucking it down with rain when Mr C and I visited, but despite this it was still a lovely couple of hours wandering round. Definitely the kind of place that I'd like to take Baby C to when he or she is old enough to appreciate a good fairy story featuring knights and princesses! ... read more
RSPB Dungeness
Another of the visits that Mr C and I made whilst away was to the RSPB reserve at Dungeness. This shingle filled reserve almost looks lunar as you approach in the car, but I'm pleased to say that it gave us one of the best days of birdwatching that we've ever had. Mr C's been keeping some good records of what we saw, especially photographic ones, and if you pop over to UK Nature Blog he's included a complete list as well as a couple of posts on specific sightings of the meadow pipet, Great crested grebe and the rarer Slavonian grebe.A quick stop-off at the Rye Harbour ... read more
Chartwell
Our journey down to Hastings included the need to stop off for lunch somewhere and the fantastic new National Trust iPhone application told us that by 12 noon we were very close to Chartwell, so off the M25 we turned and after a brief detour due to a road being resurfaced we soon pulled into a very busy National Trust car park. Luckily there was plenty of space still in the restaurant so food could be acquired to ensure that myself and Baby C had enough energy to make the most of our visit. Chartwell was home to Winston Churchill and his family and the house is set up so fantastically that as ... read more
A couple of days in Hastings
A few days away in Hastings to celebrate our wedding anniversary means that I've been doing lots of things that I want to blog about, but I haven't had the time to do so! Look out therefore over the next week for news of visits to Chartwell, RSPB Dungeness and Bodiam Castle. There was also time for a wander round Old Hastings, an fantastic art purchase and I also seem to have come home with more books that I left with (but don't tell Mr C that as I don't think he's realised yet!) There's also another discussion of the NTTVBG tomorrow - luckily I'm ahead ... read more
A weekend in Bath
A friend's wedding gave Mr C and I a fantastic opportunity for a weekend away before Baby C comes along. Somehow I've not been to Bath properly before. I've passed through on the train many times and even been for a job interview there, but the city's delights escaped me until now. An evening wedding meant that we had plenty of opportunity to explore on foot before we dressed up for our trip to the Assembly Rooms for the ceremony and reception. Even the weather was nice to us! The wedding itself was lovely. A beautiful bride, an opportunity to catch up ... read more
Cragside
One of the nest things about having had some time away from home was being able to go and re-visit places that we used to go to as a family years ago. One of those was Cragside where we regularly used to visit on trips up to Northumberland. The house itself is fascinating and full of great antiques and period furniture. Sadly the timing of our trip meant that the house had closed for the winter just the week before, but the grounds still hold lots of wonders themselves.The November light gave things a slightly eerie feeling and it wasn't difficult to imagine seeing a strange figure ... read more
Scott’s View
There is something quite magical about the Scottish Borders and I think that this panorama from Scott's View gives a fantastic example. With the Cheviot Hills in the background and the River Tweed running through the valley there is no wonder that this was Sir Walter Scott's favourite view. When ever he passed along the road he always stopped his horses so that he could take in the view. The story goes that his funeral procession also passed this way and that the horses stopped of their own accord to allow their master one final look. ... read more
Planned excitement
Still feeling rough from a cold that I seem to have picked up, but to cheer myself up I've this morning booked tickets for a couple of things that I'm planning to do over the next couple of months.Firstly I'm going along to the annual Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace. This is an event that I've been along to many times over the last few years. I normally spend most of my time going round the stalls, but this year their theme is make do and mend, something that I'm always interested in. The demonstration parts of the day may therefore be of ... read more