I'm having some nightmare problems at the moment over my mother's house so when E asked for a lift into Solihull today I grabbed the chance as it meant I could escape to Baddesley Clinton for an hour while she met her friend for lunch.
It was cold and gloomy and the light was tricky for taking photos. The house itself is closed until the end of the month so I had a wander
round the grounds and main garden.
Canada Goose and Mallard added to the 2017 bird list :)
Not sure whether this is Tommy or Bella!
The ginger cake was delicious :)
Mahonia and Daphne in flower by the car park
I stopped off at St Giles Church, Packwood, on the way back to Solihull to check out the snowdrops but no sign of any flowers yet.
Last Friday D and I went to Birmingham Rep to see "Treasure Island". I really enjoyed the performance especially the sea shanties (although at 2 hours 40 mins including interval it was I thought a bit too long!). There was a particularly good scene with great special effects when the boat they were travelling on was hit by a storm.
Photo courtesy of Birmingham Rep's website.
25 comments:
Glad you managed to get out today, fresh air and a wonder round a nice place .. hope it took your mind of things for a while.
Wish there were a few place like this need me were I can get cake and coffee too.
Amanda x
I like houses with moats. Always imagine fishing out my bedroom window...
Amanda Peters - Thanks so much Amanda. Walking round did help a lot. We are fortunate to have Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton so close - always something to see whatever the time of year :)
Simon Douglas Thompson - Thanks Simon. lol re: fishing. It is a rather lovely house and moat :)
HAPPY NEW YEAR? Good to get away from problems for a while. I can nearly smell the Daphne in that shot. Love the cat and the grounds look good.
Margaret Adamson - Thanks Margaret and a Happy New Year to you too :) Daphne was full of flowers and perfume :)
Baddesley Clinton is such a lovely place to go to escape from your worries for a while. Wandering around the garden, spotting birds, seeing Tommy (or Bella) and enjoying cake would surely lift the spirits. I haven't seen snowdrops yet but have seen primroses, it seems so early doesn't it? The play looks like fun:)
Rosie - Thanks very much Rosie. From memory I think you've visited Baddesley so will know how lovely it is there. Certainly made me feel a lot better (at least while I was there!!). We have primroses in bud in the garden - last year they were actually flowering in December! I tend to find snowdrops round here won't be in flower probably until next month.
What a wonderful looking property, it reminds me a bit of Oxborough Hall in Norfolk, and nice to see a bit of colour in the garden at what is otherwise such a grey and dank time of year. The first snowdrops have just appeared in our garden, though the wilder ones are still weeks away from flowering up here.
Hope you are well and a belated Happy New Year, here's hoping for a great year ahead for the natural world and wildlife in 2017 :-)
PS. That cat looks rather well fed!
It is so good to see some blooms at this time of year.
I am sorry that you are having problems, I shall wish an easier time for you this year.
I would not have been able to sit for that length of time in the theatre!
David - Thanks so much and a very Happy New Year to you too with lots of wonderful wildlife :)
Baddesley Clinton is a lovely property and as you say nice to see some colour in the grounds. Lots of sheep in the fields but no lambs! Good to hear you have garden snowdrops - no signs of even buds on mine!!
Yes, cat does look rather plump!!
Toffeeapple
Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful words. It was lovely to see the colour in the grounds.
To be fair there was a short interval when I stretched my legs but anything longer than 2 hours is too long for me however good the play! It was billed as a family show too - I would have thought most children would have got rather fidgety!
I am glad you were able to get out and about. Baddesley Clinton is a special place to visit.
The ginger cake looks delicious :-)
CherryPie - Thanks so much. Yes, I do like Baddesley - it together with Packwood House are the closest NT properties to me :)
I do love to see moated houses and I'm glad you managed to get a break there away from any difficulties. There are no signs of spring flowers here either, just a few green shoots starting to appear. 'Treasure Island' sounds interesting.
Sorry you're having a rough time, it is good to be able to escape isn't it! Lovely place to escape to :)
Wendy - Thanks so much. Baddesley Clinton is a rather magical house :) We have a few plants flowering in the garden but mainly those that would appear at this time of year like Winter Jasmine and Bergenia?
Pam - Thanks very much Pam. The way things are I wish I could escape 24 hours of the day!
good you got out..... got to love Baddesley and it has a good 2nd hand bookshop!
Btw snowdrops are out here but not in great numbers....
Pete Duxon - Thanks Pete - yes I have made several purchases from that 2nd hand bookshop in the past!!! :)
Good to hear you have snowdrops - they always seem slow to appear here unless I am looking in the wrong places!
'Treasure Island' is one of my all-time favourite books. I wonder if you have read Andrew Motion's 'Silver'? We enjoyed hearing him speak about it at an event in Bury St Edmunds when it came out. Thank you for your kind comment on our Waxwing sightings - wish my pics were as good as your header!
Caroline Gill - Thanks Caroline. I haven't read "Silver" so I will look for the book on Amazon - I always like book suggestions :)
I was very lucky with those Waxwings - I spotted them locally on some trees I had been watching for months due to their berries and rushed home to get the camera. Conditions with the blue sky were perfect and the birds so tame. I was amazed when I uploaded the photos as I was so excited I was shaking like a leaf and even forgot to check/change camera settings!!! I've seen them on about 5 occasions over the years but that was the only time I got photos! Still none round here this year yet.........
Ah, one of my favourite places on the whole Earth. I wish I lived nearer and could visit more often. Hope house problems are soon sorted.
Countryside Tales - Thanks very much CT. It is a rather lovely house - something extra special about moated houses :)
Hmmmm.....ginger cake. Sounds interesting? I like ginger but not sure if it would taste good in cake form. Sounds.....interesting:) Well!!!! I finally am sitting down again catching up. What a whirlwind this all is!
That kitty looks cute in the photo. And what a great way to kick start off the year with Mallards and Canada Geese:) I think I had something similar. Lots and lots of Mallards out there. Happy New Year to you. I hope it is off to a good start.
Chris Rohrer - Thanks very much Chris and Happy New Year to you too. Ginger cake, of all types, is rather delicious especially if you like ginger :))) You must try some if you visit the UK :) You've certainly had a busy time recently and I do hope you enjoyed your holiday with your family. Weather not been very good over here so bird list for the year has got off to slow start although I did make a trip to a reservoir recently but little about!
I'm interested that David (comments above) saw a similarity (as I did) with Oxburgh Hall, one of my favourite places in our neck of the woods. Thank you for comment on my Bullfinch!
Caroline Gill - Thanks Caroline. Have just googled Oxburgh Hall and I can see what you both mean - they do look similar :)
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