Birmingham Land of the Brummy August 2006

As usual I wanted to pack as much into a trip as possible so persuaded John that we could certainly fit in a visit to Hardwick Hall on the way down. John is getting a little jaded with country houses but enjoyed this one as it is virtually untouched since it was first occupied by Bess of Hardwick who built it in the 1500's. An ambitious lady this she married 4 times each to a man of money so she build her "dream house". well it's not to everyones taste with old Halls & long galleries but no doubt created quite a swell impression at the time. Bess was one of Elizabeth 1st ladies in waiting & they had planned to guard Mary Queen of Scots here but never got round to it. (she was at Chatswood which is not far away & owned by the same family)
The gardens are impressive & formal.

After all this culture we ate our egg sandwiches in the grounds & then drove onto Bromsgrove where my cousin Sue lives, with her husband Peter who is the headmaster of a private school there. My auntie Marie lives with them & keeps the garden immaculate.
Peter & Sue are also very fond of food & drink. Sue is a marvellous cook & Peter has a very extensive cellar, which we added too & quickly drank again, comparing some beautiful NZ & Australian wines with some French.

We spent a day at Worcester which is a little further South of Sue & Peter & visited the impressive cathedral. King John the horrible is buried here & brings back memories of AA Milne's "King John was not a good man" "Blushing beneath his crown". A nice stroll round the canals looking at the flood points ended the sojourn.

Next day was spent at Stratford On Avon strolling again by the water, with thankfully less reminders of flooding, though the hapless rowers who lost their boats may have preferred a view of the bank from a different angle.

Views & a walk around the Malvern Hills looking into Wales kept us occupied the next day, famous for it's curative waters & Sir Edward Elgar, who was said to be inspired by the gorgeous views. We felt less inspired wandering round them in a roaring wind which whilst good for the kite flyers made us feel rather vulnerable if we got too close to the edge.

Howard Castle (Home of Brideshead re-visited)

This was a little adventure with my sister & her lovely friend Norma, both of whome can talk for England so we had a very jolly, witty day. The event was Christmas Shopping in the castle in aid of "save the Children" Of course with these things you know you are going to be paying though the nose but what the heck, all in a good cause & a great venue.

I went by train through Starbeck, (uhgg) then through Knaresborough over the bridge (ahhhh) & into Cattle (hmmmm) Judith met me there in the car & we drove to the outskirts of York to meet Norma.

The house is Baroque & built in 1699 by the 3rd earl of Carlisle. It is quite an amazing house & the gardens even more so, lakes, woods etc & wonderful stands of beech trees as you drive down the avenue.

Judith & Norma are probably famous for going to the Christmas fair & never buying anything, except Xmas cards & we thought this time they may not even achieve that. Judith however bought a lovely jacket from a woman who came from the south of England as many of the stall holders had. I bought some greeting cards, it was left to uphold the standards of the thrifty.