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

Tidying up the Wool Stash...

 Introducing.... my first ever 'scrappy blanket'.

 

After two years of happy crocheting I've collected loads of 'part balls'.  There's some cheap and cheerful DK in there but I've also got some lovely soft cottons and bits of interesting textured yarns.  My first 2014 project is to work them all together into a 'scrappy blanket'.  (I'm just working with one yarn until it runs out then tying the next one in.) Currently I'm in a pink and purple phase....

 

I'm trying to create a bit of a 'summer garden' effect with all this colour.  The blue bit at the centre is supposed to be a garden pond, the green is the grass and all the other colours are the flower borders.  It may not be the most elegant piece of crochet I've ever done but the riot of colour is banishing my January blues!!

 

 

Once I've finished up all the purple and pink, there's still another red section to do and enough bits of yellow for one more paler border.  I hope that it will be finished by the end of January.

 

I spent some time tidying up my wool stash over the holiday.  I realised that there's several 'close to being finished' pieces of work tucked away in there.  I hope that I'm going to have the self-discipline in February to finish these things off! 

 

I'm back to school tomorrow... although the New Year starts with training rather than teaching.  My school has joined up with some of the local primaries to do a large scale training event at the NEC.  (That's another first for my 'Novelty' list!).  I'm actually really looking forward to the new term.  I feel as if I've had a proper chance to recharge my batteries over the holidays.  I've also had plenty of time to catch up with niggling jobs and other bits and pieces that were waiting patiently for my attention at home.  In short, I feel 'smiley and positive'.

 

Not sure if I'll feel the same way when I have to get up at 'stupid o'clock' tomorrow morning....!!!

Ha Ha!

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!

Sunrise, Sunset....

Here are a small selection of my favourite photos from last week's break in the New Forest...

Boats on the Beaulieu River - in early morning stillness after the storms had passed..

 

 

The hotel's landing stage and reflections of a deep blue sky..

 

Reflections further up the river as we walked to the little village of Beaulieu..

 

Peaceful lanes..

 

Sunset over the marina by the hotel...

 

 

..And a seriously dramatic sky (taken a few moments later)

 

 

Stormy skies over the Isle of Wight and the Needles...

 

..And the last sunset of the holiday at Lymington Marina..

 

I really didn't enjoy the transition back to work this morning.

The pupils were fairly grumpy too - I think we all wanted to be at home under our respective duvets!

After school we had a staff meeting about the latest changes to our pay and conditions.

Pay.... deteriorating (in real terms against the cost of living)

Conditions........!!!!!!!!

 

I've popped a couple of shells from the coast near Lymington next to my computer in my classroom.

A little reminder of the beauty of things when everything gets a bit complicated...

 



Excuses for my blogging break...

We just about scrambled to the half-term break this year.

I felt dreadful in the week before the holiday - suffering with migraines and stuff - while Mark was completely submerged in some major changes at work too.

You know you really need a holiday when it feels like there's no time to have one!!!

Fortunately I'd spotted a great deal at one of our favourite hotels and booked it way back in July.

We packed our bags, walking boots and the camera - and took ourselves off to the New Forest.

 

After the storm cleared the weather was perfect for dramatic photographs.

This was the view at the beginning of our walk on Wednesday...

(The view up The Solent from Lymington Marina)

 

 

We stayed at The Master Builder's Hotel in the picturesque hamlet of Buckler's Hard.

The hotel is the last two cottages on the left (plus some extensions round the back that overlook the river).  I was constantly rushing down to the water's edge with my camera to try and catch the changing light.

 

The hamlet is just the two rows of cottages and a marina, so it was the perfect tranquil 'get away'..

 

A couple of years ago we got a great deal on a room in the attic of the main building.

This time we got a sweet room in the more modern block for a ridiculously good price.

 

The hotel describes itself as having 'quirky luxury'.

I think it's a bit like staying with an wealthy elderly relative..

(Sadly I don't have one of these in real life!)

 

Red wine and an open fire completed the relaxation process!

 

We've come 'back to earth with a bump' today....

(Paperwork for school for me and changing the gearbox on the Discovery for Mark)

Never mind - we can still feel the residual 'chilled-ness' of our break!

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!

 

A walk round Namur

Namur is dominated by an immense citadel, perched on the cliff above the river Meuse.

 

There are extensive views up and down the river.

Its easy to see why, in this frequently war-torn part of central Europe,

that the King decided to build this immense fortress..

 

 

The old castle fortifications were swallowed up by Vauban's new ditches, tunnels and walls..

 

 

The citadel is so enormous that it took us a good 2 hours just to walk round the walls

and read all the information boards.

 

Eventually we made our way out onto a huge, cliff top parade ground.

This area was used by the military and the town for sports, royal visits and other

out door entertainments.

 

This stadium was built around the end of the 19th Century to give a commanding view over the arena.  I was fascinated by the building because it is basically a multi-purpose, dual faceted structure.  The other side was an outdoor theatre.  Sadly the whole building is suffering from age and neglect and it was difficult to take photos of the theatre side.  There's an auditorium of concrete steps and even some little gothic ticket booth and entrance gates.  I love this kind of quirky, unexpected stuff!

 

 

Beyond the parade ground complex there's a further palace - now a really beautiful hotel.

They have a really talented gardener who has been organising the grounds through scent, colour and mood.  It's a beautiful place and completely free to anyone who wants to wander round.

 

Eventually hunger got the better of us and, about 4 hours after we'd climbed up into the citadel, we walked back down into town.

 

Namur does street cafes and squares really well.  There was lots of choice for the starving explorers!

 

Two huge pizzas later, we had the energy to start exploring one of the churches of the town...

This ornate, Baroque church replaced an earlier medieval one (which had presumably suffered during one of the many periods of fighting in the region)

 

It was as spectacular on the inside, as it was on the outside.

 

The carving were heavy and detailed..

 

And the sunlight fell just right for me to be able to take this picture...

 

For me, this was probably the best photo of the holiday.

I am REALLY pleased with it!

 

(An hour or so later Mark received his 'best car compliment' of the holiday, when she was described by a Belgian Aston Martin owner as an 'objet d'art'.  He was SO chuffed!  All in all, a great day out!)

When things were great AND terrible...

From the noise and action of the Nurburgring - to the peace of the Moselle Valley....

 

 

This was probably my favourite part of the trip.  We stayed for four nights in a Bed and Breakfast in a small village by the Moselle.  For us, it was the perfect location.  The village was really quiet but the busy, tourist town of Bernkastel was only a two mile walk down the tow path.  Effectively it gave us the best of both worlds.  We parked up the car and walked everywhere.

 

This was our base.  When the weather was good breakfast was served on the terrace.

The owner and the rest of his team were SO friendly and kind.

It was lovely...

 

This was the main square in a village just up the valley.

Away from the 'tourist traps' the area is very quiet and tranquil..

 

This old house in Bernkastel looks like it's defying gravity.

I was completely sober and vertical when I took this picture!

 

Mark did his best to eat his own body weight in puddings and ice-creams...

 

... while I couldn't resist this local dish

(Grilled pork steaks on toast with mushrooms and hollandaise sauce,

plus a generous salad)

"Now you see it...."

 

"... Now you don't!"

 

After a couple of days we learnt how to plan our routes so that we could climb up through the vines.

It gave us a fresh perspective on the area and made the walks a little more rigorous.

This is a view of our village during the walk that we did on the third day (about 11 miles long - which worked off some of the calories!!!)

 

At the end of the 19th Century many of the wine producers built big gothic mansions by the river.  These buildings still serve as a 'front' for the businesses (with offices, storage and beautiful homes).

This was one of our neighbours in the village..

 

I felt that we'd only just started to get to the know the region when our 'time was up' and we were on the road again.  This is definitely the down-side of touring. This photo was taken at the beginning of the most difficult day of the holiday...

 

The heat in the car was immense as we travelled away from the Moselle and through the hills to the Ardennes.  The exterior temperature was probably in the low 30s but all the engine heat came back into the cabin of the car, and we were cooking.  What should have been a pleasant and interesting drive became an exercise in managing heat exhaustion.  (We found out later that all the previous driving had simply broken a seal and Mark was able to fix everything with a roll of black sticky tape - but that was another day!)

 

We decided that the only logical thing to do was to keep moving and go straight to our hotel.

From the word "Go" this third hotel wasn't quite right...

I've written a Trip Advisor review that summed it all up nicely (if you're interested click here - I'm 'Gullymog1' from Worcester)

 

The holiday picked up again nicely after all of this, but I think we were thoroughly spoilt by the great food, country-side, walking, accommodation and general 'value for money' of the Moselle.

 

I'd have stayed there forever - seriously!