A Day Out

After having workmen in the house, well conservatory, every day this week we thought it would be nice to have a few hours away from home.  We decided to visit Shugborough Hall as we hadn't been there since last year.

Shugborough Hall is a National Trust property just a few miles south of us and close to the county town of Stafford.  It was the family home of the Anson family from about 1624. Here is a -link- to more information about how the house and estate developed.  More recently it was the home of Patrick Anson, the 5th Earl of Lichfield and noted fashion photographer, a first cousin once removed of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

We walked from the car park and reception area via the walled garden.  After refreshments we walked around the gardens and down to the Essex Bridge and then went into the servant's quarters, we didn't go into the mansion or the farm yard this time as we caught the little bus back to the car park.

I'll let the photos do the talking now.

It was good to have a break before the work begins again tomorrow. The new roof is on and has been rained on quite heavily this afternoon. The next step is plastering and re-wiring inside.

All for now.  

Birthday, Fox and the last two Wallabies

 A lovely day on Thursday with two cousins, a second cousin various spouses and a dog.  Lots of happy chatter and a house full of flowers and cake.  Where have all the years gone?

Such beautiful flowers, the living room has been taken over by the delicate scent of lilies.

The larger bouquet above has been split into two vases,  I'm hoping they last a while.

We'd told everyone about our fox and badger visitors and right on cue Mr Fox appeared much to everyone's delight.  He looks a bit concerned because he's not used to there being a dog in this house.

As promised in my last post here are the last two of the ten wallabies on the Where's Wallaby trail I first mentioned  here.  Not necessarily in the order we found them.

Above is Wojtek illustrated by Joanna Dawidowska in collaboration with the Leek Polish Connection.  This one is at Tittesworth Reservoir, Meerbrook.

Above is Woody on the woodland walk in Dimmingsdale near Alton.  He's painted by Jim Mcshee in collaboration with Tean Youth Club.

Next week we are having a new conservatory roof fitted.  We had booked this in before we had the problem with the main house roof which I described in an earlier post.  So more noise and dust for the next week or two.  Thankfully no scaffolding!

Is anyone else having soaring views on their posts?  I've gone from usually no more than a hundred views to more than two thousand five hundred on my last post.  I've been told it's 'AI bots.'  All a bit worrying.  What to do?  For the moment keep calm and carry on.  

See you in September.

Looking Autumnal

The tulip tree leaves are turning yellow already.  It's a very Autumnal thing but it could also be lack of any decent showers of rain lately.  Leaves are also falling on the top lawn.  August is fast fading.

The garden is looking uncared for, although work has been done.

Especially on clearing the gravel path of weeds.

Heleniums and Echinaceas are doing well.

There is a small apple on the small apple tree.

Out and about on our walks there have been plenty of berries and fungi too.

There is now a slight chill in the morning air and jackets, admittedly lightweight ones, have been worn again first thing.

Can you bear another Wallaby?  I hope so.  This one is Nibbles.

He's at Rudyard Lake, near the café.  He was illustrated by Hannah Walton and Beki Kremer in collaboration with Leek and District foodbank.

The last two next time.

Monday

 On Monday we visited Ilam (pronounced eye-lamb) Park, in the Staffordshire Village of Ilam.  It is a 158 acre site which sits on either side of the River Manifold. It's managed by the National Trust.

  It seems ages since we last walked there.  I'd have to search back through my photos to see when it was.  I searched on here and came up with a post of November 2021, so possibly that was the last time.   

Ilam Hall, which was re-built and re-designed in the 1820s by the Watts-Russell family, was donated to the National Trust in 1934.  The main hall is leased to The Youth Hostel Association.

How the hall used to look before part of it was demolished in the 1930s.

Above The Church of the Holy Cross. 

The remains of a Saxon Cross on Paradise Walk. It was found in the foundations of a cottage in the village of Ilam in the 1840s.

Morning Coffee at the tea rooms and a visit to the bookshop before a quick photograph of another wallaby.

This one is Walla-B Fierce painted and illustrated by Ella Kasperowicz in collaboration with Pride in the Moorlands.

It was a lovely morning for a walk, dry and not too warm. There were lots of families enjoying themselves on the Mole Trail.

It was time to move on to our next destination for lunch and another wallaby.  I'll save that for a later post.