Wrest Park

On Sunday afternoon we set off to visit the grounds and gardens of Wrest Park (and to walk off our very nice lunch!).

The house and grounds are owned and managed by English Heritage and there is currently a twenty year long programme of renovation underway to restore the gardens to their original eighteenth and nineteenth century designs.

There was a great deal to see, from the restored Conservatory adjacent to the house to acres of woodland garden, water features and formal parterre with many classical marble statues.

At the end of a long gravel path and a reflecting pool is an important Baroque 'Tea House'..

The interior, on three levels divided by narrow spiral staircases, was very ornate.

Very little of the main house - dating from 1834 but built on the site of previous houses dating back more than a thousand years - is open to view.  There are just a few restored rooms on the ground floor which hint at the opulence of the estate in its heyday.

A very interesting estate and one which merits further visits as the restoration of the garden and house progresses.

English Rural Views

One of the things that we do miss in the US is the proliferation of local footpaths through the countryside that can be enjoyed in the UK.

These simple and peaceful views were all taken on a couple of short local walks in Shillington - yesterday and today.

Celebrating 220 years!

This evening we went out for a celebratory meal at a local restaurant with David's family to celebrate three 2016 birthdays totaling 220 years..

The venue was The Crown at Henlow, and although in the photo above,  borrowed from the web, it looks very quiet, this evening the garden was full of people enjoying the warm, fine weather.

Once back at David's parents house we were surprised with a large birthday cake which we enjoyed with a glass of bubbly.

A lovely evening and great to be able to celebrate together.

Early Morning over London

It really seemed far too early when I was asked to open the blind - and it was brighter outside than I expected - despite the fact that the moon was still up (looked bigger than it does in the photo).

Had quite a good view of the Thames and central London but the sun was at the wrong angle for a clear photo.

And so to breakfast.  This may have been a mistake..

An unusual table

This table came into the Bargain Loft the other day.  Initially I thought that it would make a good hall table, but in fact it is more versatile than that..

The drawer pulls out..

..to reveal the top of a full-size school desk..

The lid of the desk opens as it should - although it is barely deep enough for the break-time apple which I often had at junior school (and which used to smell so good at each change of lessons when the lid was opened!)

It still has its original Bakelite-topped glass inkwell and this gives the only clue about the manufacturer - American Seating.

It has been fascinating to try to research this item and the conclusion so far is that it is a created piece - maybe for home-schooling?

The American Seating company has been in business for generations - one of those manufacturers that you might not know the name of but in the US at least you are likely to have sat on or at their products - in schools, colleges, cinemas, libraries, theatres, community venues etc.

Anyway it is about to start a new life as my bead jewelery work station.  I just need to find the right size apple to fit - although I am not sure that will be the same without the accompanying small bottle of slightly warm school milk!

Early Celebrations

Lunch at L'Auberge Chez Francois at Great Falls is now a birthday tradition - especially for the 'big' birthdays!

Claire very kindly treated me to a lovely pre-birthday lunch - including the special dessert (diet, what diet?).

Having enjoyed the air conditioned cool of the restaurant, we decided to head out to the garden patio for coffee in the shade.

No tour of the garden this time, just a few  photos..

Thank you, Claire!

Boat Trip in Buffalo

Last Wednesday, after exploring downtown Buffalo I headed for the Canalside/Waterfront area.

This area is being regenerated, having at one time been a very busy port and the reason for Buffalo's prosperity in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Now being promoted as an area for leisure and events, this is the site of the Erie Canal, opened in 1825 to link Lake Erie (which runs 65 miles west of Buffalo to Cleveland) with New York.  The importance of this was that it opened up a route for grain from the Mid West farming states to be transported all over the world via the port of New York.

A few of the huge grain silos can still be seen in the harbour.

The boat trip took us out of the Harbour, past the naval museum and out onto Lake Erie.

We soon passed a quaint looking round building which is in fact one of the places where water is pumped out of the lake for use in the city.

Once out on the lake the boat turned and followed the Niagara River.  Like Lake Erie, the river marks the border between Canada and the USA.  

The Peace Bridge spans the river and flags at the Centre mark the border..

We travelled further up the river and then turned into part of an industrial canal which originally linked the Erie Canal to the lake.

The lock gates closed behind us..

Beyond the lock, bridges swung and lifted to let us through..

We were soon heading back to the Harbour and a view of some of the historic downtown buildings in Buffalo.