Mr C and I spent yesterday at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire with my parents to celebrate my birthday. Amazingly the weather held for us and it was so unlike the autumnal weather that we seem to be having today. I have to admit that I had no real idea what to expect from Anglesey Abbey as the location for our celebrations was mainly chosen for being roughly halfway between where my parents and we live. I was somewhat amazed though at just how much there was to see and do. I was intrigued to know where this door went to. I'm guessing it was some sort of performance area in ... read more
Shaw’s Corner
To provide a break from packing and sorting, Mr C and I took a trip along to Shaw's Corner, the former home of George Bernard Shaw. We've been there a couple of times before and always enjoyed the peace and quiet and lovely gardens. This time was no different.Although, my macro photography skills do seem to be improving. One thing that all visitors must see though is GBS's revolving Writing Hut at the bottom of the garden. This is where he wrote many of his famous plays, with telephone connectivity back to the main house. The hut was designed to rotate to allow it to ... read more
Hardwick Hall
Mr C was off on a stag do last Saturday, so I decided to head up north, meet up with my parents and explore somewhere where we used to go when I was a child.I have very fond memories of going for lunch in the Big Kitchen at Hardwick Hall. Now that I'm a bit larger myself, the kitchen didn't seem quite as big as I remembered, but the rest of the hall certainly didn't disappoint. Bess of Hardwick used to be the second most powerful woman in the country, following Queen Elizabeth I, and the house gives the visitor an insight as to just what that power brought in terms of a home. ... read more
Village cricket
One tradition Mr C and I have every summer is to pop down to Mr C's dad's local cricket club in Harpenden. It's a lovely way to spend a lazy summer Sunday afternoon, especially with a cold drink in hand.I wouldn't really call myself a cricket fan - I certainly couldn't even try to explain the rules - but any games that stops for afternoon tea has to be good in some way!Afternoon tea the last time we were there provided a great opportunity for a walk around the area and there can be nothing quite as nice as a field full of buttercups like this. Buttercups just ... read more
Attingham
Normal service is almost resumed chez C.Yesterday we were at a wedding over in Shrewsbury and seeing as we had to check out of our accommodation by 10.30 and yet weren't due to see friends in Birmingham until 3pm we decided to once again make the most of our National Trust membership and went along to nearby Attingham. I'm so glad we did as it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Not only was I delighted to see the carpet of bluebells in the wood, but the rest of the grounds were also lovely and tranquil to walk around. We were also lucky enough to ... read more
Birds, birds, birds…
We've had quite a quiet Easter weekend, but it seems that we've actually been quite busy looking at birds and making the most of our RSPB membership.On Saturday we headed into the centre of St Albans to Verulam Park where there are currently a large number of herons nesting on the island in the centre of the lake there. We read in the local paper about how the RSPB had set up a viewing facility there for the public to get a better view of the nests and chicks. Unfortunately the day that we went along this didn't seem to be operating. Still, with the binoculars ... read more
St Albans’ Abbey
Last Sunday a friend of ours came up to St Albans to join us for Sunday lunch. After being well fed on a fantastic pub roast dinner we took a walk around the city centre to show him some of the sights. One must do venue was the Abbey. It's one of my favourite parts of St Albans and the building itself is quite spectacular.I'd like to share two of my favourite features with you. Firstly, the ceiling of the tower which dates from the sixteenth century. The middle four panels show the arms of St Alban, England, St George and Edward the Confessor. Surrounding these four panels are ... read more
Tintagel
As I walked home from the train station tonight I found it hard to believe that just a week ago Mr C and I were down in Cornwall with amazingly warm weather - we were even able to wander round in a t-shirt and jeans at one point! Tonight that it felt bitterly cold - as if spring has gone totally.On our first full day in Cornwall we decided to explore the nearby village of Tintagel and the surrounding cliffs. We started off at the Old Post Office that is now owned by the National Trust (another good excuse to get our membership cards out). It is a delightful old ... read more
An anniversary at Heligan
Mr C and I decided to spend our wedding anniversary itself at The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Both of us had read about the gardens and seen them featured on various television programmes and as soon as we planned our trip to Cornwall it was obvious that we'd have to visit. For those of you that aren't aware of the history of the gardens here is a very brief summary. The gardens were originally part of the Heligan estate owned by the Tremayne family. A team of gardeners were employed there, but many of them were called away to serve in the First World War. As a result of the ... read more
Silence is golden…
Apologies for the blogging silence. As Liz has pointed out in the comments I left on a bit of a cliff hanger sitting in the dark following a power cut one evening. That threw all my plans to pot and hence I wasn't able to tell you about our planned long weekend away.Mr C and I have just returned from a wonderful break in Port Isaac, Cornwall, where we've been celebrating our first wedding anniversary. It was a truly perfect trip with the most amazing weather for March. There is so much to tell you about, including cliff top walks, National Trust properties ... read more