Downton Abbey etc!

There has been a lot of toing and froing of offspring over the last month or so, which has been absolutely lovely. E is on the point of starting a new job and, having accumulated a fair bit of holiday, stayed for a few days on either side of a visit to London to visit L. She then returned a week later en route to Gatwick for a flight to Vietnam. She stayed overnight, and we dropped her at the airport at 8am to check in. It feels very odd waving your daughter off for a solo holiday in a far flung place. I am so proud of her for having the gumption to do it - I certainly wouldn't be brave enough - but I'll sleep much easier once she is home again. I keep dreaming of her, which shows that my brain isn't quite at ease with the situation. 

In between E's visits, L and her partner, V, came to stay over the August Bank Holiday weekend. V is a big fan of Downton Abbey. Despite the series supposedly being set in Yorkshire, it is actually filmed in Highclere Castle, just 10 minutes down the road from us. We had promised them a visit and booked tickets well in advance as they sell out quite quickly. Surprisingly, R had never been either - despite me taking the girls several times when they were young; it must have been during the summer holiday when he was busy working.

We arrived equipped with a picnic which, sadly, we weren't allowed to eat in the grounds, so after looking round the castle, we ate it in the car! Nor was photography permitted in the house itself, which was a little disappointing. They must be making an absolute mint, given the number of coach tours we spotted. Many were from Yorkshire, and we wondered if they were under the impression that it was a local trip when they signed up for it, before becoming confused as to why they were suddenly on a motorway and heading for Hampshire! They must have had a very early start to get there for 10.30 in the morning.

The house was lovely and very familiar if you have watched the Downton series. We decided to play a game where we each had to choose an object that we would like to take home with us - and say where you would position it. My choice was a modest oil painting of a cow which had taken my fancy, and it was to go on the wall to the right of the stove. R wanted the grandfather clock - although the only place that we could put it in our current house would be on the opposite side of the bay window to our other grandfather clock, which might look a bit odd!

L, unsurprisingly, wanted the grand piano - but admitted that she would have to get rid of either the sofa or the dining table to fit it into the flat. Good luck getting it up those stairs is all I can say!

Finally, I think that V wanted the desk that had belonged to Napoleon, which might fit where the current desk is with a bit of a squeeze!

During WWI, the castle was turned into a hospital for wounded soldiers, and in the Second World War, it was a home for evacuated children from London.

The Egyptian exhibition in the cellars was fascinating, as Lord Carnarvon, of Tutankhamun fame, lived at Highclere. He is buried on top of Beacon Hill, overlooking the estate. After Carter died, his son (the 6th Earl of Carnarvon) wanted nothing more to do with the artefacts and they were squirrelled away behind plant pots, urns and between rooms. His son and grandson eventually decided to go on a treasure hunt after the butler told them of their presence. The exhibition celebrates the 5th Earl's discovery of the tomb.

After our car picnic, we explored the gardens using the map provided. They were lovely and we made up for the lack of photography in the house, by taking many family shots on the various benches!

Other happies this month include:

The partial solar eclipse. The last one was when we had just moved into our current house, and I remember R rigging a similar set up with the telescope then for the girls to watch it.  This time we invited the neighbours' children round, as I was worried that our trees in the back garden might block their view.

I found the shadows on my potting shed particularly eerie - as too was the moment when the birds all fell silent, thinking that it was their bedtime.

A trip to the Southern Wool Show at Newbury racecourse. I made a few modest purchases but really enjoyed looking around all the stalls and eating my emergency sandwich in the stands overlooking the racecourse!

We also enjoyed a street party to mark the end of summer. We have some new people who moved in this year, and they wanted to meet the neighbours, so a picnic under the willow trees was organised and a fine time was had by all. I didn't take any photos! :O)

Finishing my Prague Blanket. It is absolutely huge - I think that I got a little carried away. It was inspired by our trip to Prague and It-Is-A-Sarah's blanket, which she based on the colours of the houses in Prague. To be honest, I'm in 2 minds about my choice of colours, but it's too late now! If we ever have a camper van, this is the blanket that will live in it. I have donated the remaining yarn to E as she enjoys a bit of crochet.

The border - made using Bunny Mummy's technique, to make it lie flat and not ruffle:

A trip to Bristol to take E out for a celebratory lunch when she got her new job:

A trip to Shaw House with E to see the Altered States sculpture exhibition:

I loved this pair, but they were £40,000 each! Any takers?

R having a Dick Van Dyke moment, and me checking that the brush had fully emerged!

Another walk at Stourhead with my friend, S, and her dog, A. As well as stunning scenery, they do a fine vegan, gluten free pasty!

A walk with L and V to Donnington Castle:

Lastly, a trip to Ledbury to meet my friend, C. We caught up over coffee, pottered round the independent shops, then ate our picnic lunch in the market square, before exploring the museum and church.

That's all for this month. After the neighbours came round for a cup of tea this morning, R and I had lunch and then went for our usual walk. It seemed very hot and muggy, so I have my fingers crossed for a storm. I hope that all is tickety boo at your end. Until next time .....

Toodle pip for now. x

Sussex and Other Happies.

Just before the school summer holidays started, R and I decided to go away for the weekend to sunny Sussex. Why Sussex? Well, for a while now I had wanted to visit Bateman's, the family home of Rudyard Kipling. We love a National Trust property and, whilst we have done most of the ones close to home, this was a little further afield and not really suitable for just a day trip. Bridget the Midget had been given the once over during the week prior to our departure, and Friday saw us setting off with a weekend bag, an emergency sandwich for me (vegan and GF food sometimes being tricky to find) and hope in our hearts. Actually, scrap that last sentiment, it sounds a bit too much like something PM Andy Burnham would say!

We stopped en route to visit Petworth House - a 17th century house with a magnificent collection of artworks, set in a 700 acre deer park. The grounds were beautiful, the house itself was lovely (it even had a kitchen!), but the artwork was absolutely stunning.

Our favourite piece was 'The Adoration of the Magi' by Hieronymus Bosch. Dated about 1515, the colours were incredibly vibrant. Apparently, he used to include an owl in all his paintings - if you look closely, one can be seen here peeping out from the left side of the gable of the roof:

I was also quite partial to this portrait of Henry VIII by Holbein's studio. This was a copy of a portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger, which was originally on the wall of the Privy Chamber in Whitehall, before it was destroyed by fire in 1698.

There was also an exhibition (Expressions in Blue) of hand thrown large vessels by modern artist Felicity Aylieff. Some, especially the ones in the gardens, were so large that they must have been thrown as separate pieces which were then joined together.

There were two further objects of note. The first was the Leconfield Chaucer, an illuminated manuscript of the Canterbury Tales, dating from 1430. The manuscript was written out on 307 pages of vellum. The English is in the dialect and spelling of the North and West Midlands, and the pages are turned regularly to protect them from sunlight and to keep the bindings supple.

The second was the Molyneux Globe, the first terrestrial globe to be made in England, recording the extent of English geographical knowledge during the reign of Elizabeth I. Petworth's is the only surviving first edition.

Petworth itself was very pretty and full of quaint shops. The one way road through the narrow centre, with consequent queues, must be Hellish at times for the residents though. 

After exploring to our heart's content, we continued on to Wadhurst, where we had dinner at an Indian restaurant, before heading to Little Tidebrook Farm, our B&B for 2 nights. The livestock were mainly horses and chickens, the room was comfortable and the breakfast excellent. We made friends with a couple from mid-Wales who were starting their own arboretum and attending a nearby course on hornbeams. They were fascinating to talk to.

Our room:

Bridget parking overnight:

Our first port of call on Saturday was the long awaited Bateman's. The Jacobean house was built in 1634 and has a working watermill, dating back to 1750, in the grounds. Rudyard and his wife, Caroline, bought the property in 1902, and lived there until their deaths. The furniture was all bought by the Kiplings to match the age of the house. It wasn't all to my taste, however, and didn't seem as homely as some of the other NT properties that we have visited.

The 17th century Dutch clock that Kipling bought when he was interested in horology. He carried out some of the work himself. It continues to operate but can, apparently, chime at any time!

Kipling's study. I was very excited to see the famous pair of glasses on the desk. Sadly, they are not actually Kipling's - according to the guide, someone stepped over the security barrier and stole the originals!

Map boxes containing the maps, used by the Kiplings in their search for information about their son, John.

Barred from the Navy because of his poor eyesight, John used his father's connections to get a commission in the infantry, in the 2nd battalion, Irish Guards. He arrived in France on his 18th birthday, and 6 weeks later was sent to the Battle of Loos. On 27th September, John's battalion was ordered to cross open ground and head towards Chalk Pit Wood. Here the story became confused, with some eyewitnesses claiming that John headed towards the Germans, and some that he led his men towards a farm. John's Colonel wrote that he had been spotted hobbling near the enemy line with a head injury. His body was never found and Kipling and his wife spent 4 years searching for their lost son. They recorded the places that they had visited on the maps in the map boxes shown, holding onto the hope that he had been captured and made a prisoner. In 1919, he wrote a letter to the army accepting that his son was probably dead.

A portrait of their eldest daughter, Josephine Kipling. In an earlier family tragedy, Josephine died of pneumonia at the age of 6. She was the inspiration behind 'The Jungle Book', and the 'Best Beloved' of the 'Just So Stories'.

The watermill, viewed from across the pond:

After a picnic lunch in the gardens, we decided to head off to explore another National Trust property (we certainly made the most of our membership over the course of the weekend!),  Bodiam Castle. This 14th Century moated castle was built in 1385 to defend the area from a French invasion during the Hundred Years' War. The ruined interior features spiral staircases up the towers, battlements and a portcullis.

After a day of exploring, we were too tired to go out for dinner, so bought picnic stuff from a supermarket in Wadhurst and ate it in the garden back at the B&B.

The following day, after another lovely breakfast, we checked out and headed for Nymans - a Grade 2 listed National Trust house and garden in West Sussex. 

Ludwig Messel (a member of a large German banking family) settled in England in 1890 and bought the Nymans Estate  - a house with 600 acres. He set about transforming the Regency house into a German style structure. Later, his son, Leonard, inherited the house and, at the request of his wife, transformed it again into a mock medieval stone manor. After a disastrous fire in 1947, the house was partially rebuilt, the ruined part remaining as a garden feature. When Leonard died, the property was turned over to the National Trust.

The ruined part, now a garden feature.

With one afternoon of our holiday remaining, we decided to take a look at Royal Tunbridge Wells. Here, we explored The Pantiles (a Georgian Colonnade in the town centre) and admired the Chalybeate Spring, where the waters are rich in iron.

There was a Polish Cultural Festival going on, and we listened to the traditional music and looked longingly at the food available - sadly, none of it suitable for us.

After that, we made our way home, with Bridget just about making it without needing the services of the AA! It had been a lovely weekend away - we were blessed with the weather, spent very little (owing to our NT cards), and returned feeling as if we had been away for far longer.

Other happies recently include:

A walk along The Ridgeway:

A spa day for some of my many (R would capitalise that last word!) houseplants:

Some of the others queueing up in the kitchen, waiting for their turn:

An outdoor production of Othello, by the all male 'Lord Chamberlain's Men' at Chawton House - they were their usual brilliant selves.

Anniversary sunflowers from R:

My Peruvian Apple Cactus flowering. Initially, it produced just the one flower and I was worried that it might be feeling stressed and attempting to reproduce before it died. After upgrading it to a larger pot, however, it became thoroughly over-excited and produced 6 more flower stems. They flower for just one night and, in the wild, are pollinated by moths, before producing apple-like fruits. Mine lose the dead flower, which falls off to reveal a moist, long dangly thread, reminiscent of an optic nerve in a horror film! Whilst the flowers are magnificent, I try to avert my eyes from the resultant freak show, until all is back to normal!

A trip to the Somerset lavender farm with E. We had a lovely time, wandering through the fields admiring both the flowers and the many, many bees.

Upper Woolhampton and Douai Abbey Walk:

A picnic lunch of pumpkin and lentil soup, with leftover sushi and edamame beans:

I took a photo of this sign that I liked in the local churchyard:

A trip to Bristol with R to see E and take her and her friend's dog, P, (she was dog sitting for the weekend) out for lunch.

The Garden of Easton - a very dog-friendly cafe:

Cloudy lemonade:

My crispy Chinese-style pancake:

R and E had the same thing - aubergine fries with black olive tapenade, salsa, coriander dip and sourdough toast:

Vegan, GF, chocolate brownie!

For his excellent behaviour in the cafe, we rewarded P with a walk in Leigh Woods:

Working on the border of my Prague Blanket: 

Last of all, trying out my blocked Hobbiton Vest. It will be cosy in the autumn, even though it's a bit too hot for it at the moment!

Well, that's all for the moment. Well done if you made it to the end of this rather photo heavy post. I'm off to stare despondently at the garden for a while - my lawn is burnt to a crisp (although R is thrilled that he hasn't had to mow it all summer!), my veggies are drooping in the heat, we have a hosepipe ban, and my water butts are empty. I shall probably look back fondly on these sunshine-filled days come the winter months. At the moment, however, I feel that we've had rather too much of a good thing and would love a bit of good old English rain. If you're having any in your corner of the world, please send some in our direction. 

Toodle pip for now. x