First of all, we do not live in a Stately Home! It has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, neither en suite, 2 tiney ex maids rooms, now our offices. Downstairs, a drawing room, sitting room, small hall, dining room a loo and a kitchen. The so-called utility room is several yards outside the house, beyond the Conservatory. It has a washer, sink, table, dryer, and another table. Also garden tools and all sorts of other gardening bits and pieces!
The house was built in about 1570 as a Bastle House ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastle_house ) The stone vaulting mentioned is not here and may have never been. The "New Front" was probaly put on in the mid or early 1600's. The wall is thinner and of course has proper windows in it, though they were smaller then. An extra pane was added in 1927 when the ceilings were raised. The square bit was added in about 1730 and has a flat roof. Used to be lead but not any longer.
Film set - it has been used once, or rather the flat roof and the front door were. A children's film a number of years ago. The rooms are all too small for films and there are so many better houses in Northumberland, even for Cookson films.
Shall have to discover how to transfer the Common Room Post to here, so that this makes sense!
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
WI visit to Yorkshire Lavender Farm and Castle Howard
Yesterday (Monday) 22 of us set off for Yorkshire in a 24 seater coach. It poured as I walked down the village to the coach and as we boarded. It poured most of the way as we drove South and was still raining when we arrived at Yorkshire Lavender. We hurried in and had coffee etc. I had coffee and a delicious buttery crisp toasted tea cake. By the time we had looked round the shop and the owner was ready for us, it had stopped raining and we walked down to the polly tunnel, where he talked about the history of the farm and much about lavender. As he had lived for quite a section of his life in Northumberland, he talked to us like blood brothers!
The famous fountain, in which the young men bathed in Brideshead Revisited.
We had a short time to look round, but it was so wet under foot that we did not feel inclined to explore far. Another visit before too long perhaps?
Then we boarded the bus again and went a few miles to Castle Howard. It was still not raining!
This is the recently restored cupola - as close a copy as could be made, with only old photos to go by. The original collapsed into the hall below when there was a disastrous fire in 1940
And this is the inside. The painting is also reproduced from black and white photos, using great knowledge to create it. Below is one of the burnt-out room, now water proofed and with a wood floor. It, with 2 or 3 others, was used in the second filming of Brideshead Revisited. These rooms are very odd, with open ceilings and bare stone walls, mostly and a little of what the film people did. One day, they will be properly restored, but it costs so much to maintain the house, that it will pobably be a very long time before the money is available.
The famous fountain, in which the young men bathed in Brideshead Revisited.
Two bird species that were around in large numbers. It not being mating time, the peacocks tails were firmly down!
The rose garden. There is also an ornamental vegetable garden, which is most impressive. Produce from it is sold in the Farm shop.
Our day was rounded off with supper in a pub on the way home, and we got back to Kirkheaton, in light rain, about 10.00 pm. Everyone had had a lovely day as we always do when we have an "outing"
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
An interesting day
G put the dishwasher on after breakfast. When I came to empty it after lunch it hadn't functioned. Oh burger! Put it on again and it stopped again at the same point. Rang the local man who does Bosch. When I gave him the model number and said I though it was at least 5 years old, he said add 10 - ie 15 years old or thereabouts. It could be repaired but at a great cost. Discussion with G arrived at the conclusion that the most cost effective action was to renew. So we will get another Bosch. They are so reliable. I need advice about which one to get, so putting a thing up in the forum.
Settled down to wash up before I had to go out. Did the 'old man' offer to help? No, he was sitting with his legs up in the Conservatory, alongside the kitchen, reading the paper. After a while, he needed a pee, so on his return offered to dry up the few remaining glasses! Brilliant!!!
Next on the programme was to go to the occulist. He is lovely and has been doing our regular eye test for years and years. "Anything special about your eyes?" "Yes, I am having trouble reading road signs at a reasonable distance away" In a second a car number appeared on the wall and I could just read it, so I am legal! Then he set about testing my long sight and gradually all things came clear, first with one eye, then the other. So --- I am to have glasses to drive in. Good. Then he moved on to my short sight for which I have had glasses for ages. At one point I said "ooh that's much better" and later when I asked whether I was to have new lenses he said did I not remember how much better I had found one setting. So --- I am to have new reading lenses. So far so good, but then he shone lights into my eyes and puffed air on my eyeballs. The puffing showed no problem with pressure, but he found that my lenses were dirty!! A lovely way of saying that the beginnings of catteract where showing. Not a problem yet, but will be in time.
After that I went to Curries and looked at Bosche Dishwashers. Came to a partial conclusion but need your input/advice. See forum.
Settled down to wash up before I had to go out. Did the 'old man' offer to help? No, he was sitting with his legs up in the Conservatory, alongside the kitchen, reading the paper. After a while, he needed a pee, so on his return offered to dry up the few remaining glasses! Brilliant!!!
Next on the programme was to go to the occulist. He is lovely and has been doing our regular eye test for years and years. "Anything special about your eyes?" "Yes, I am having trouble reading road signs at a reasonable distance away" In a second a car number appeared on the wall and I could just read it, so I am legal! Then he set about testing my long sight and gradually all things came clear, first with one eye, then the other. So --- I am to have glasses to drive in. Good. Then he moved on to my short sight for which I have had glasses for ages. At one point I said "ooh that's much better" and later when I asked whether I was to have new lenses he said did I not remember how much better I had found one setting. So --- I am to have new reading lenses. So far so good, but then he shone lights into my eyes and puffed air on my eyeballs. The puffing showed no problem with pressure, but he found that my lenses were dirty!! A lovely way of saying that the beginnings of catteract where showing. Not a problem yet, but will be in time.
After that I went to Curries and looked at Bosche Dishwashers. Came to a partial conclusion but need your input/advice. See forum.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Purple pics
A Geranium like one already in the Common Room
Black Elder in flower. This picture cannot begin to show the beauty of this seen from the upstairs windows of the house, when the light is right. It is a joy all spring and summer.
This close-up probably gives a better idea of how beautiful it is
Does Catmint attract cats or put them off? We do not have problems with them (cats) in the front garden, where this is. They will stalk the birds in the back where they are fed. They are mostly ferals - but nice and plump!
Unfortunately the Buddleaea (spelt wrongly) and other lovely purples are not yet out in this Northern outpost.
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Judging - day 1
Today I was up at an early hour (for me!) and left the house at 7.30 to meet my co-judge in the Ikea car park at 8.15. Then I drove us down to Billingham to judge the town on its entry to Northumbria in Bloom. I remember the place as very boring but with an exciting new feature - the Forum, with a swimming pool and an ice rink! I am talking about the early 1970's. Now it is a thriving town. ICI, which was its raison dêtre, has gone. The memorial to the ICI war dead has been moved alongside the town cenotaph in the Peace Garden. This lies between 2 main roads and is a haven of peace.1
There is a lot of colour about. The roundabouts are very variable - they range from all covered by trees, to one, (with pipes and wires just below the surface), that is covered in gravel with large plantes full of bedding scattered about. Another is covered in the most beautiful annual wild flowers.
There are two wonderful wild-life areas. One has a large fishing lake, a smaller one and several ponds. Between the paths it is left to itself, so between the trees there are brambles, nettles and so on, so that animals, birds and insects have a really natural environment. The other has acres of meadow, which we saw at their best, with orchids and many other meadow flowers showing their colours. There are woodland areas too and a lake and wet lands. Originally it was salt pans - long ago. In one place lime had been tipped, so that led to different types of plants. We would have loved to have spent much longer there, rather than the 20 minutes we were able to give it.
We spent a happy time in an Infant School, where they had had a competition to design a flower bed. Two pictures were chosen and then planted in the grounds. We met the 2 boys and 2 friends - all year 2's - and went to see the beds - in a heavy shower. They were lovely little people who had helped to plant one to the beds. Once their initial shyness had worn off they were full of chatter. Then we went to the associated Junior School, where one young girl's design had won the prize for the best butterfly. This too had been turned into a bed, which we went to see. The wee girl also brought a friend, but was pretty firm, when it came to photo time, in seeing that she was the only in the picture!
During our tour we were given a light finger lunch, overlooking bowling greens and accompanied by 2 teams of lady bowlers, who were unable to play because of the rain.
From there we drove to Spennymoor in County Durham - an old mining village/town. In this case we were entertained by the Town Mayor and the officer responsible for N in B. The atmosphere was quite different because responsibility is shared between them and the Borough Council. There was much less to see but two things stood out. First the Cemetry. As you enter you look down between two herbaceous borders, backed by hedges. Most unusual and they won the best cemetry in the country last year. Although it is very open, with few trees in the main bulk of the buriel area, trees do continue to border the road after the herbaceous borders, to the centre. The man who cares for it is also planning plantings to break up further areas.
The other outstanding area is the Park. They have a wonderful new play area with innovative activities. One amused me in that it was an exciting slide, but only available to anyone who could either climb a mini climbing wall or get up spread footholds, hanging onto a rope. In other words you have to work for the pleasure of going down the slide and little people are prevented from getting into a dangerous situation! The planting in the Park is lovely and the bowling greens are, unusually, not fenced off, so the beautiful grass and plantings round each area can be seen by all.
The great joy of a day like today is the people you meet. They are all so lovely and so proud of their town and so keen for it to do well.
There is a lot of colour about. The roundabouts are very variable - they range from all covered by trees, to one, (with pipes and wires just below the surface), that is covered in gravel with large plantes full of bedding scattered about. Another is covered in the most beautiful annual wild flowers.
There are two wonderful wild-life areas. One has a large fishing lake, a smaller one and several ponds. Between the paths it is left to itself, so between the trees there are brambles, nettles and so on, so that animals, birds and insects have a really natural environment. The other has acres of meadow, which we saw at their best, with orchids and many other meadow flowers showing their colours. There are woodland areas too and a lake and wet lands. Originally it was salt pans - long ago. In one place lime had been tipped, so that led to different types of plants. We would have loved to have spent much longer there, rather than the 20 minutes we were able to give it.
We spent a happy time in an Infant School, where they had had a competition to design a flower bed. Two pictures were chosen and then planted in the grounds. We met the 2 boys and 2 friends - all year 2's - and went to see the beds - in a heavy shower. They were lovely little people who had helped to plant one to the beds. Once their initial shyness had worn off they were full of chatter. Then we went to the associated Junior School, where one young girl's design had won the prize for the best butterfly. This too had been turned into a bed, which we went to see. The wee girl also brought a friend, but was pretty firm, when it came to photo time, in seeing that she was the only in the picture!
During our tour we were given a light finger lunch, overlooking bowling greens and accompanied by 2 teams of lady bowlers, who were unable to play because of the rain.
From there we drove to Spennymoor in County Durham - an old mining village/town. In this case we were entertained by the Town Mayor and the officer responsible for N in B. The atmosphere was quite different because responsibility is shared between them and the Borough Council. There was much less to see but two things stood out. First the Cemetry. As you enter you look down between two herbaceous borders, backed by hedges. Most unusual and they won the best cemetry in the country last year. Although it is very open, with few trees in the main bulk of the buriel area, trees do continue to border the road after the herbaceous borders, to the centre. The man who cares for it is also planning plantings to break up further areas.
The other outstanding area is the Park. They have a wonderful new play area with innovative activities. One amused me in that it was an exciting slide, but only available to anyone who could either climb a mini climbing wall or get up spread footholds, hanging onto a rope. In other words you have to work for the pleasure of going down the slide and little people are prevented from getting into a dangerous situation! The planting in the Park is lovely and the bowling greens are, unusually, not fenced off, so the beautiful grass and plantings round each area can be seen by all.
The great joy of a day like today is the people you meet. They are all so lovely and so proud of their town and so keen for it to do well.
Sunday, 6 July 2008
Visit to Berwick
This morning it was grey and damp. We had had .6ins of rain yesterday and another .03 in the night. It did not seem much brighter today. However, we were due to go to G's cousin in Berwick today, so set off somewhat unwillingly. We took my little (Peugeot 207) car to save fuel and to aid parking, and drove up through almost continuous showers, with car lights on. It is about 60 miles and took us just over about an hour and a quarter. When we got there we found their little house as happy as ever. It has a room with windows all round the east side that gives a fantastic view of the Tweed estuary. It is worth the drive up, just to see that.
G's cousin is an art dealer. He gets most of his pictures these days from Russia and Serbia. His wife is also an artist and paints lovely pictures of flowers. One of his brothers is an art dealer too. He has a gallery in Petersgate, York and space on the 4th floor of Liberties in London. Another brother is in Australia and in the same trade. We wonder where the genes came from! In fact, G has the collecting habbit too and if he could have afforded it would have a house full of lovely pictures. As it is he has quite a number.
They have a summer party each year to which they invite friends and people they think will buy pictures. They are hung all over the walls and each one that is available has a number - and a good price! We have been once before, so recognised some of the people there.
That particular branch of G's family deserves a blog all of their own, but sadly, I could not possibly write one without their vetting it first - so no go. Such is life in ciber space.
G's cousin is an art dealer. He gets most of his pictures these days from Russia and Serbia. His wife is also an artist and paints lovely pictures of flowers. One of his brothers is an art dealer too. He has a gallery in Petersgate, York and space on the 4th floor of Liberties in London. Another brother is in Australia and in the same trade. We wonder where the genes came from! In fact, G has the collecting habbit too and if he could have afforded it would have a house full of lovely pictures. As it is he has quite a number.
They have a summer party each year to which they invite friends and people they think will buy pictures. They are hung all over the walls and each one that is available has a number - and a good price! We have been once before, so recognised some of the people there.
That particular branch of G's family deserves a blog all of their own, but sadly, I could not possibly write one without their vetting it first - so no go. Such is life in ciber space.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
My Garden
I was out in the garden this morning with my camera. These caught my eye.
Abutilon, Clematis and Rose.
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