Memory Joyride

Hi there lovelies - and a very warm welcome to my new followers - I am sorry to have been so quiet this last couple of weeks.  Work life took over with some unexpectedness, and blogging flew out of the window!!!!!! Yes over the past week or so, many's the time I have longed to be back camping (and that shows you just HOW much work unexpectedness there is for me to be loooonging to be back camping!)

A teensy bit of crochet has been achieved which I will hopefully show you at a later date, but for now can I take you along on a little "Memory Joyride" of my little holiday, cos that would help to relax me a bit and feel I was still there ♥

My first memory of the holiday was the joy I had making this:-

I really enjoyed making this whilst actually away "in the field", but I have to tell you a tale, not long after this photo was taken, hubby went to pour the tea, and the metal spout fell off!!!!!!!! How ungrateful is that - I spend ages dressing up the teapot and then it has the nerve to fall to bits!!!  Sadly this teapot was added to the recycling and now I am on the look out for another teapot with the same rounded dimensions to fit the tea cosy!!!!!

Our little campsite was very welcoming

very well kept and the most perfect washrooms and showers I have ever experienced, AND they had Radio 2 ♪♫♪ gently playing in the background!

Ducks and chickens roamed freely

and this was the beautiful lake where lots of people fished, you could see the fish jumping, and the whole area was filled with wildlife - very restful

We had "days out". I love that on holiday, you are away and you still have "days out". One of our "days out" was to Berrington Hall, which is a National Trust house, very grand in huge grounds designed by Capability Brown.  Sweeping lawns to a 4 acre lake which they had made - can you imagine excavating a 4 acre lake in your back garden!!

I fell in love with the green house and vegetable plot - I would loooove something like this!

A one time this house was lived in by a family of six and they had ..... wait for it......fortyfive members of staff!!!!!!! can you imagine.  There was a tour of the servants quarters by a lady dressed as a chambermaid and she brought it all to life so vividly - there were underground passages so that the staff were never seen, and if they were, they had to turn and face the wall until the family member or visitor had passed.  Lots of the rooms had secrect doors in the panelling so the staff could discreetly come and go, and they even had their own staircase at the other end of the house - it was fascinating.  We were also taken to the laundry which of course, was a full time job for the girls - and they used to soak the sheets in week old urine!!! ugh evidently this used to help bleach the whites.   She told us next time we saw Pride and Prejudice to think what Mr Darcy may have smelt like!!!!!

We also did a little hiking and climbed up to the top of a place called Simmonds Yat by the beautiful Wye River

It was lovely to "drink in" the lovely clear air.  We were also able to see some Peregrine Falcons flying across the valley which was quite a rare sight.

After all of that walking it was back down the hill to the lovely tea gardens for a quick bite

Thank you for letting me indulge in my holiday joyride today - it has had a surprising and very welcome calming effect on me. ♥

Speak soon xx