A Little Bit of House Envy....

On the Easter Bank Holiday I took Mum and Dad down to Newark Park in Gloucestershire.  It's a National Trust property at the top of a steep and secluded valley in the South Cotswolds.  The weather forecast for Monday had been really grim, so we had the added bonus of surprise good weather.  It was a perfect day to explore the house and grounds at a leisurely pace - which really suits my Mum.


The house was given to the National Trust in 1949, but it was let to a nursing home until 1969 and become increasingly run-down.  In 1970 a Texan-born architect called Bob Parsons took over the tenancy (joined in 1980 by his friend Michael Claydon).  The house and gardens that we visited were the result of 40 years of their hard work and vision.  (Bob Parsons died in 2000 but Michael Claydon stayed on in the property until 2011.)


The house is now cleverly arranged so that it feels like you are part of a house party and the tenants are just somewhere else, waiting for you to join them.  It's a technique that the National Trust have used in other houses where it feels a bit 'contrived'.  Here it seems to work perfectly... even on a busy Bank Holiday when the grounds were over-run with small people doing an Easter Egg Hunt!


In-fact I am now officially suffering from an acute attack of house envy.  This is my dream home and I'm sure that the National Trust could offer me a tenancy.....!  To see why - click here.


Back to the chalk face tomorrow...... but there's a day of trips on Thursday AND a long weekend coming up so I don't feel too bad about things!
Jx

Remembrance of Things Past..

Mark and I 'got lucky' with the weather when we booked a short break in Swanage just before Easter.  We parked the car at the hotel and walked everywhere for four days.  It was a great way to get rid of the last of the 'winter fug' and a lovely chance for me to revisit one of my teenage haunts.


I've shared some of my teenage memories here on the WordPress blog.  I hope that they amuse you!


Since we got back I've gone down with a cold and chesty thing, which laid me a little low for Easter weekend itself.  Fortunately Mum and Sister decided that they wanted to do all the big family meals, so all I had to do was sit quietly in a corner and try not to cough.  The bug seems to be clearing my system now.... I expect that I'll feel fine by the time I go back to work next Monday!!!


Mark moved his holidays so that we could have the break in Swanage.  As a result it's been really quiet around here since Monday.  Yesterday I caught up with all the 'niggly' jobs that have been tormenting me for weeks (dealing with charity shop bags, rag bags, cleaning the cat flap...) so today I feel 'super-virtuous'!


It won't last.....!!!!!
I hope you are all having a good week.
Jx

Season's Greetings!

Season's Greetings to you all from my poor neglected blog.  The last few weeks were SO chaotic (both in terms of a ridiculous workload at the end of term and lots of lovely Christmas stuff with family and friends).  My new year's resolution must be to post more regularly again.....!

Anyway, here's the edited highlights from December...  The harp moved out of the lounge so that the Christmas tree could move in.  I was very proud of the 'new look' silver and gold tree (63 baubles for £5 from a local Charity shop!)

The harp has taken up temporary residence in a corner of the dining room.  This photo was taken on Christmas morning.  There were five of us for Christmas dinner this year (my parents and Mark's Mum).  My sister and her family went to stay with her Father in Law in Derbyshire.

Thomas the cat has really enjoyed having his humans around.... in the form of open access to the sofa and an almost unlimited supply of treats!

On Christmas Eve we took my parents and Mark's Mum for a little drive around the Cotswolds.  This is the church in Temple Guiting.  Mum particularly wanted to see this village because she's recently read a murder mystery based in the area.

We then stopped off at the tea rooms near Broadway Tower..... A coffee break seamlessly moved into a lunch stop too!

The views from the windows were so gorgeous that it seemed a shame to move on..

Eventually we drove down the hill to Chipping Camden and stopped to explore another church.

The church was full of families rehearsing for the Nativity play and Christingle Service..... All very festive!

A very important, non-festive, development in our lives has been the arrival of another (!!!) Marcos.  You can probably see that it's another major project to entertain Mark for a few years.  (He gets as excited about Marcos parts as I do about wool and crochet projects!).  However it has to be said that family and friends are slightly bemused by the fact that this is Marcos number 3....

 

Anyway...

I hope that you are all enjoying the last couple of days of 2013

and all my best wishes for 2014!

Routemasters and Other Things...

 

Things have been  'mid-term' chaotic here -

 

400 effort grades and levels to do...

130 Year 8 reports to write...

Endless coursework to mark (to the rigorous detail of a new specification)..

The final weeks before a school show (in which I'm playing the piano almost continuously for hours every evening)...

AND Ofsted are now 7 TERMS overdue..!!!

 

Then....

My Mother-in-Law came to stay for three days at the end of last week to celebrate her 70th Birthday..

and Mark's been really ill (but is fine now)

 

So it's the little things that are making me smile...

like my husband's deeply eccentric ways of showing affection.

At the end of last week I was moaning that our lunatic schedule of commitments was making it impossible to get any real exercise.

"If I keep on like this, " I moaned "I'll be like the back end of a bus!"

"Never mind," said my husband supportively "You're my cute little Routemaster!!!!!"

 

It's a good thing I share his sense of humour!!!

Jx

Out Takes

We decided to make a permanent record of my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary

by having some 'proper' professional photos taken at a studio..

There are loads of really nice 'serious' photos - but I'm rather taken with this group of 'out takes'..

 

All the girls (youngest niece, sister, Mum, me and eldest niece)..

 

 

A lovely one of H. and I.....

 

Sis and I in giggles....!

 

It's the first time that we've had some professional photographs taken since we got married.

Digital technology makes it all much more immediate and it was great fun.

 

Here's a more serious one of Mark and I..

 

 

..But I think my favourite is still the first photo...

What do you think...

 

Good Things....

I picked up a horrible cold from the kids at school at the end of last week...

but the weather on Saturday morning was far too nice to stay at home feeling miserable.

We hurtled through the food shop then headed off for the Worcestershire+

Shropshire border and my favourite stretch of the Severn Valley.

 

This time we parked by the river, just south of Bridgenorth, and followed a trail

through National Trust land round the edge of Dudmaston Park.

There were some fabulous opportunities for early Autumn photos...

 

 

The trees were just starting to turn by the 'Big Pool'..

 

The house is closed to visitors on Saturdays so the parkland was really quiet...

 

We crossed the main road and followed the footpath to the north,

 up a valley with further small pools and fishponds...

 

It was a beautifully tranquil spot...

 

Eventually we followed a track out of the valley and started to walk south again,

along a gentle ridge with great views...

 

This house, near the church in Quatt, is in the process of being restored.

The sandstone panels round the windows were carved at some stage in the past.

Now they are really weathered - but you can just about make out the design...

 

Shortly after I took this picture a lovely elderly gentleman wandered down the lane.

He stopped to chat and offered us a taste of the late season raspberries that he'd just picked.

We started chatting (as you do!) and he explained that he'd lived on the Dudmaston Estate all his life.

His father had been the Gamekeeper and he'd been born in the Gamekeeper's Cottage.

I felt really privileged to be talking to someone who had such a detailed knowledge of the area.

He gave me some 'top tips' for the best places for Autumn colour photos - which I'll definitely be following up!

 

Then we wandered back across the fields to the car....

 

....and our picnic!

 

~X~

 

Other good news in 'Stand and Stare-Land'...

My Mother in Law's tumour is benign.

Obviously there are still further decisions to be made with regards to treatment

and her health needs to be monitored....

But we don't have to deal with the 'Big C' - Thank God.

A trip down memory lane...

This is the Oxford of my memories..

The curve of the High Street - buses, bikes and tourists..

 

The University Examination Hall..

(I actually took my Grade 1 Music Theory exam in this enormous building - aged 7)

 

The Jewellers where Mark found my engagement ring...

 

...And colleges where I went on Language and Linguistics courses while I was studying for my A Levels..

 

University security men outside the Sheldonian Theatre - and a graduation ceremony taking place..

 

Oxford's Debenhams - Home of my Mum's "Great Ryvita Scam"

(She convinced us that Debenham's Ryvitas were the most exotic food stuff on the planet - rather than the cheapest option.  Oddly enough, my sister and I still have an obsession with crackers and savoury biscuits.  Early training lasts...!)

 

Boswells - Home of pretty much anything and everything.

(I actually bought 8 X 100Watt light bulbs there on Saturday)

 

This is the Oxford of new memories...

made last weekend during my Parents 50th Wedding Anniversary Weekend.

 

Oxford Prison and Castle..

 

I left Oxford in January 1991 when the prison was still in use...  The castle is now a museum..

 

While the main building has now become a luxury hotel....

 

My parents opening some of the huge number of cards from family, friends and neighbours..

 

 

Grandad and Youngest Niece - exhausted by the process!!!!

 

~ X ~

 

A warm welcome to my new followers.  I will come and find your blogs at the weekend!

 

It's all good! Well almost....

Life has been altered beyond all recognition in 'Stand and Stare-Land' over the last two weeks.  I have stuck to my new school year resolutions and..

• Sleep (the real stuff that lasts for hours - not crashing out from exhaustion, then fretful wakefulness from midnight onwards) reigns supreme!  I feel great and could take on the world.
• Work is fine.  I'm making decisions with a clear head and a sense of perspective.
• I have Evenings....... real ones!  I have the energy to walk, read, do household chores, chat to friends on the phone and even go out and socialise.
• My weight has dropped by some 4 kilos - just in 2 weeks.

Now that I've reflected a bit, I can see that it wasn't really work that hijacked my life..... it was my atrocious sleep patterns.  I can also see the way that I constantly adjusted my life to compensate for my sleep deprivation.  It's been a bit like coming out of a long dark tunnel..... and I'm ridiculously excited about it all at the moment!  Life without a 'dragging tiredness' is much more fun.

Unfortunately, I think my new found energies may be taken up by family worries in the next few months.  Mark's Mum had a scan recently and she found out at the end of last week that she has a brain tumour.  We are waiting to find out the details - she has an appointment on Tuesday. 

Last night we went to Oxford to take Mark's Dad out for a birthday meal.  Mark's parents have been separated for almost 20 years but his Mum always phones on his birthday.  She hadn't rung this year so his Dad was already concerned.  Mark had the unpleasant task of explaining about the tumour.  Difficult....

Mark is also very involved in the final stages of a major project at Land Rover.  He's doing lots of extra hours because the contractors are working to his design and brief for the conveyor systems.  He's keeping a remarkably calm exterior but I think the his stress levels are rising.

The main problem is that Mark's Mum lives in Lincolnshire.  The journey between Worcester and Sleaford is very awkward - the roads are either extremely busy and frequently clogged up motorways or slow 'A' roads.  We can't visit her for an evening, as we can with Mark's Dad. 

We're not quite sure where all of this is going at the moment.... but I'm glad that I now have the energy to be a bit more useful!!!!

Jx

Happy Birthday Mum and Dad!

My parents share the same birthday - the 7th September.

This year Dad was 74 and Mum was 70.

My sister offered to host a party for family and friends.

Some of my parents oldest friends came down from Manchester

and over from London.

It was great to catch up with people that we see very rarely..

 

My sister set up the food indoors...

 

 

but the weather stayed mild and dry enough for everyone to move into the garden..

 

Mum had loads of cards and flowers....

 

....while Dad enjoyed catching up with his oldest friend

(they started Primary school together)

 

September is a month of celebrations.

Today Mark's father is 79.

In two week's time my parents will celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

On the 30th my youngest niece will be 14...

and her father also celebrates his birthday in early October.

Lots more parties to come!

 

~ X ~

 

Thank you for all your supportive comments on my last post

 - I really appreciated everything that you wrote.

I've stuck to my plans and I'm 'cautiously optimistic' that things are falling into place.

I've read somewhere that it takes about 3 weeks to embed or change a habit

but I've already noticed the difference in my energy levels and moods

(especially this weekend, when I've had very little time to myself.)

I'm definitely sticking with things this time!

 

Jx

An "ABC Tour..."

I come from a family of 'churchoholics'.  Dad jokingly calls our days out "ABC Tours" - short for "Another B*****y Church!".  Fortunately Mark has become infected with the same bug and happily tags along when my family are charging from the car park to the nearest church tower or steeple!

 

We found an absolute gem in the south Cotswold town of Malmesbury on Friday.

It's another Abbey Church which was taken over by the parish in the 1530s.

The grand west end of the building has largely disappeared - only the south-west tower remains.

Up close there's a hint of the fabulous carvings that must have surrounded the west door.

 

 

Incredibly, the south porch is completely intact and absolutely beautiful.

This is the outer part, which I believe tells the story of Christ's life..

 

Here are the carvings round the inner doorway...

 

With further carvings on the left...

 

and right.....

 

According to the guide book all these statues would have been painted (just like the porch in Lausanne that I posted about in April)  Even without its paint this is considered to be one of the best carved porches in Europe.

 

Here's the inside of the church - dating from 1180.....

There's no East Window because the current building is only a fragment of the original abbey.

The entire section from the steeple forward was made unsafe after the steeple was hit by lightening in 1497.  It's still a wonderfully imposing space...

Our eyes were drawn to this unusual little stone gallery...

Nobody is quite sure exactly what it was used for but there's a theory that it could have been used to 'keep an eye' on the huge number of pilgrims that used to visit.

A sort of Medieval CCTV!!!

 

This is the outside wall where the steeple once stood.

 

And here's a little of the ruined south transept..

 

The little market town that's grown up around the Abbey is also very pretty.

We walked down the hill, admiring the pretty stone cottages and tracing the path of the old town wall.  It's a great place to stop off and enjoy 'coffee and culture' for a couple of hours!

Jx

Time with Mum and Dad

This has been my bedroom for the last few days.  Mum, Dad and I have just had a little break in a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast near Shaftesbury.  'Rose Cottage' is tucked away down some seriously narrow country lanes and it's completely 'off the beaten track'.  With it's pale colours, vintage style and endless bookcases of well-read paperbacks - it's my idea of heaven....!

 

 

Shaftesbury is famous for the 'Gold Hill' - where a certain bread advert was filmed in the 1980s...

 

Until the Dissolution (in the late 1530s) there was a huge abbey on the hillside.  It must have looked very imposing to the pilgrims that approached it from the plain below.  Now the remains have been made into a garden and you can pay a small amount to visit.  There's an excellent 'walkie-talkie style' self guide provided which re-creates the beautiful buildings in your imagination.

(I learnt a lot about the Anglo Saxon Kings, politics and battles with the Danes on that afternoon!)

 

 

We also visited Stourhead and walked slowly round the Lake.  Mum and Dad enjoyed it very much.  Having stayed on the Estate for a few days in February, I enjoyed playing tour guide!

 

It was nice to see all the flowers and veg in the walled garden.  This part of the Estate had been very bleak during my last visit. Now it's really colourful..

 

 

On Thursday the weather turned much warmer.  We went over to Sherbourne to have a look round the town and Abbey.

 

The interior of the Abbey is as imposing as the exterior...

 

I was fascinated to read about the troubled relationship between the Abbey and the Town in the 15th Century.  This culminated in one of the townsfolk firing a burning arrow through the East window while some building work was taking place in the 1490s.  The wooden scaffolding caught fire and the intensity of the heat reddened the stone from the base of the tower to the high altar.  It can be clearly seen - even in the 21st Century.

 

At the Dissolution this Abbey was quickly taken over by the town.  It's a beautiful place with a huge amount of history in it's stones!

 

 

We also got out onto the hills around Shaftesbury.  This was the view from our picnic spot on Thursday evening.  Our Bed and Breakfast was about four miles away - right in the centre of the photo!!!!

 

 

 

I've loved the chance to spend more quality time with my family this holiday.  This year we've managed to be a little more co-ordinated with our holiday dates and everyone seems to have been in Worcester at the same time.  Tomorrow Mum, my sister and I are going over to Leicester.  I can't remember the last time the three of us went out on a day trip!!!