More on Kedleston

In my last post but one I promised more on our visit to Kedleston during the very sunny week we had earlier this month.

We didn't go into the house this time as we've been in a couple of times before.  We decided to go on one of the estate walks first before lunch and then visit the gardens, bookshop and church.

Lots of sheep baaing in the fields as we walked.  Some were curious, others not.

 

We used Merlin to find out what birds we could hear as we walked along.

Woodpeckers were rat-a-tat tatting almost all the way of the walk.

Kedleston has been owned by the Curzon family since the mid 12th century.  The Mansion was designed by Robert Adam and was commissioned by Nathaniel Curzon in the 18th century c. 1750.  The church is much earlier, probably 13th century and is all that is left of the mediaeval village of Kedleston as it was moved to make way for the building of the Hall.

Inside are many memorials to the Curzon family.  It was difficult to take photos inside as there were a few visitors moving around and also a small group in front of the later tombs.  I was able to take a few photos of the earlier memorials.  the one above from 1456 is of Sir John Curzon and his wife Joan, daughter of Sir John Bagot of Blithfield in Staffordshire.

Both figures have a dog at their feet.

Below, within the chancel, is the memorial to an earlier Sir John Curzon who died in 1406, his wife was Eleanor Twyford.

Apparently he wears  a Lancastrian SS or 'esses' livery collar.  This was an emblem of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

I was trying to work out what animal he had at his feet.

Is it a lion? Or is it a mythical creature? I can find little on google but my book on Derbyshire by Arthur Mee says it is a lion.

Three of the six heraldic shields which decorate the ogee arch above the earlier Sir John's effigy

Two of the stained glass windows which were behind the heraldic shields above.  They both have the inscription Curzon of Kedleston.

Back out in the garden the sun was still shining, but it was time to think about heading for home..

Below is a link to a blog post I wrote in September 2018 about the inside of the Hall.

Post of 2018

All for now.

The last few days

 Five happy moments over the last few days captured by my camera.

First butterfly visit this year to our garden, well the first I've spotted. I think it is a Comma.  It was sharing the heather with all the bees.

A couple of hours later the second butterfly appeared.  I think it's a Small Tortoiseshell.

Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday and also Pancake Day,  We had pancakes for lunch and squeezed orange juice all over them. 

The Asian Short-Clawed Otters at the Peak Wildlife Park have a new compound with two lakes.  It will mature with time and be a lovely new home for them.

They are beautiful creatures.  

Wednesday we visited Kedleston Hall near Derby.  We had a lovely walk in the grounds, there were lots of wonderful views of both countryside and the hall and church. 

More on this visit in a later post.

Suddenly Snowdrops are disappearing and Daffodils are popping up everywhere with their bright yellow cheerfulness.

All for now.  Take care.

A Breath of Fresh Air

 I mentioned in my last post that we were hoping to get out for a longer walk and yesterday we did just that.  

After the wind and rain of Friday and before the wind and rain of today we drove up to the village of Hartington which is on the Tissington Trail.

The Tissington trail starts at Ashbourne and ends at Parsley Hay where it joins the High Peak Trail.  We have, over the years, walked all of the trail.  This time we just walked from Hartington to Parsley Hay.

The sun was showing its face, the breeze was brisk and the views were stunning.

A patchwork quilt of fields edged with dry stone walling

The trail itself is easy going underfoot and follows part of the old railway line which ran between Ashbourne and Buxton.

The railway cutting just before Parsley Hay.

We passed a farm and there were lambs in the fields already.

I love to hear them bleating, mums and lambs calling to each other.

A brown sheep and lamb in a field of six camping pods.

The wind picked up and the light changed

Luckily we got back to the car and had just left the car park as the rain started.

It was back to wind and rain again today.

A Stop on the Way Home

In my last post I hoped that snow or fog wouldn't affect our journey and thankfully we had neither.  Lots of heavy frost though.

 The day of the funeral was cold and dry and the sun came out to shine through the windows of the chapel at the crematorium. Snow had been forecast for later the next day so we decided to go straight home after breakfast.

The golden stag was outside the East Midlands Designer Outlet which was on the opposite side of the road to our hotel.  We had a wander around the shops just as it was getting dark before going back to the hotel for an evening meal.

On Saturday morning we stopped in Cromford for a short walk around the village rather than down by the Mill and canal.  It was so cold.

Above and below Cromford Mill Pond.

We were headed for a favourite book shop. I've written posts about it a few times over the years.  Hard to take in that I'll have been blogging for twenty years in March of this year.  Where has all that time gone?

Inside it felt warm and we were greeted with a friendly welcome.

I treated myself to a book I'd wanted for ages, I found a new copy but the member of staff who greeted us heard our conversation and came to say that she had a second hand copy of the same book which was much reduced and that the previous owner seemed hardly to have looked at it.  She thought it would find a good home with me. How kind and thoughtful.

It is a Persephone publication Long Live Great Bardfield: the Autobiography of Tirzah Garwood.  Tirzah Garwood was a wood engraver and artist and a member of the Great Bardfield group of artists.  She was also the wife of the noted painter, wood engraver and book illustrator Eric Ravilious who is one of my favourite artists.  The other favourites are Gwen John and Dame Laura Knight.

 

The bad weather closed in just a few hours after we got home and we woke up to a white dusting of snow all over the garden.  

We are now at home for a few days and without an oven as, for some reason, it stopped working on New Year's Day.  We have a separate hob and a microwave so that will keep us going until the electrician comes on Wednesday evening. He seems confident that it can be mended.

Belated best wishes to you all for the New Year.

Snowdogs at Buxton

We chose to visit Buxton on a beautiful day.  At first, as we travelled along the A53 past the Roaches and the Winking Man we were in mist and low cloud but as we descended into the town this cleared and half an hour later the sun was out giving a golden glow to everything.

We parked at the Pavilion and popped inside for a coffee and to pick up a map to tell us where the Snowdogs were.

Here we spotted the first Snowdog.

Elf, artist Amanda Quellin 

The Snowdogs are, of course, from the popular cartoon The Snowman and the Snowdog by Raymond Briggs.

The Snowdogs are a Wild in Art event, sponsored by Markovitz in aid of Blythe House Hospice.  There are twelve to find spread across the town outside various landmarks,  in parks and by the riverside.  The furthest out of town is at Poole's Cavern.

We took all morning to wander around the town.  The dogs were proving very popular.

The Heron below was popular too as it strutted proudly along the river. I think it was used to having an audience.

Below outside the Opera House

 

Classic by the Wild in Art Studio. 

On top of Monument Hill.

Boats on the lake in Pavilion Gardens.

 

All Twelve Snowdogs on display until 15th December.

We did find all of the Snowdogs, the last one up at Poole's Cavern probably my favourite.

 

Rosy Posy by Jessica Perrin.

 

We ate our lunch outside next to Rosy Posy, pieces of homemade pizza and the last two homemade date slices. 

  In my last post I promised a second post about Clumber Park, that will come but I wanted to show you the Snowdogs whilst the day was fresh in my memory.

 

I've added links to the places mentioned on our journey.