So many things are possible as long as you don’t know they are impossible.
Mildred D. Taylor
Mottisfont Abbey
FRIDAY FINDS – ROAD TRIP
Sounds, smells, whirling dancers. Girls with flowers in their hair, children running and laughing. A man in a stripy poncho with a leather hat. Hot chocolate , buzzing from music, words and thoughts run through my head.
Continuing on from my Tuesday post, we travelled from Somerset to Shropshire stopping off in Gloucester and Berrington Hall before visiting the Shrewsbury Folk Festival.
Find One – The delightful Gloucester Docks, industrial heritage for the modern age…
Find Two – Berrington Hall in Shropshire. A Georgian delight with a Pride and Prejudice costume exhibition with THAT shirt.
Find Three – The sights and sounds of a festival I’d forgotten what fun they were.
Find Four – The joy of live music.
Finally – To see the joy on the faces of performers who love what they do.
Supplies by Anna Aspnes
Music listened to: The Dhol Foundation, John Jones, Molotov Jukebox, James Riley, Karine Polwart and Marin Simpson, and so much more….
Roll on next year !
A WALK THROUGH HISTORY
“The painter constructs, the photographer discloses.” ― Susan Sontag, On Photography
As many of you know Mark and I try to visit National Trust properties as often as we can. We are members which saves us a considerable amount of money. This week we revisited Lacock Abbey and the Fox Talbot museum in Wiltshire. It has a very interesting history, not only is it 800 years old in places but also was the home of Henry Fox Talbot. It was founded as a medieval nunnery in 1232. For movie and TV buffs it was used as the setting for the first 2 Harry Potter films, and the village was used as a setting for Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth one) and Cranford. To me it is the almost perfect place to visit (all is missing is water), it has wonderful medieval architecture a botanic garden and a very interesting history.
But this visit was really to learn more about Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877). He was a mathematician, botanist and chemist. he is known for inventing photography, his process of creating a negative in the camera and from that making multiple positive prints was the dominant process throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His work was based on earlier experiments by others.
Talbot inherited Lacock when he was 5 months old but didn’t live there until he was 27. His disappointing attempts at drawing whilst on his honeymoon led him to think how science might help people with no artistic talent to make images.
If you would like to read more about this amazing man you will some more information HERE
I wonder what he would think of today’s instant photography and the ease of processing !
Photo taken using Hipstamatic.
As summer begins to fade there was a last show of beautiful flowers in the kitchen garden.
I created a scrapbook page. Supplies by Anna Aspnes and Agnes Biro.
I love this quote from Talbot
Textures used in the scrapbook page are kk waterfront1 and quiet.
TEXTURE TUESDAY – OH TO BE IN ENGLAND
Last week on the spur of the moment ( and a good weather forecast ) we packed up and headed down to Cornwall, about a 3 hour car journey. With our trusty National Trust membership cards we decided to visit as many properties we could squeeze in. This is what the National Trust has to say about the property of Trelissick….
Tranquil varied garden in fabulous position, with a superb collection of tender and exotic plants
“On its own peninsula with ever-changing views of the estuary of the River Fal, Trelissick has one of the most amazing natural settings in the country. There are more than 12 hectares (30 acres) of elevated garden to explore, with twisting paths that lead you through significant collections of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, camellias, ginger lilies and year-round exciting woodland plants. As well as the garden, the 121-hectare (300-acre) estate, with its countryside, woodlands and coast, makes for breathtaking walks.As well as the garden and countryside Trelissick has its own renowned art gallery with a wide range of work from local Cornish artists. Why not drop into Crofters café which offers a delicious range of light refreshments, hot luncheons and afternoon cream teas using seasonal and local produce. Trelissick also has a gift shop, second-hand bookshop and six of the best National Trust holiday cottages located around the Trelissick estate”
A beautiful setting with the best view over the River Fal imagine having morning coffee here !
Lovely shady secret places
Because of the mild temperatures many species thrive…
Imagine working in the secondhand bookshop in this beautiful cottage…..
Here is the first scrapbook page of the trip.
Joining with Kim for Texture Tuesday texture used in all images kk_waterfront1
APP HAPPY EDITION
Last week Mark and I went on a bit of a road trip but we were chased by the rain. As we climbed up the hill from Lynmouth onto Exmoor the sun came out. I snapped this on my iPhone as we carried on climbing to the top of the moor.
I used Snapseed to tune the image, and used loads of drama and saturation. I then used a new app that Terri from Photographically Speaking recommended last week called LetterGlow to add my own word art.
Here is another image from the same road trip inside the stables at Arlington Court where I hid from the torrential rain. Once again Snapseed is my friend !!!
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| Wordart by Anna Aspnes |
Why don’t you join up with Barb ?
TEXTURE TUESDAY – THE EARTH DAY EDITION.
Happy Earth Day…….
Today we celebrate the joy, and appreciate, our wonderful Earth.
I thought I would combine my ‘simple’ edition with my appreciation and love of our wonderful home.
To me the ‘simple is the special’. Don’t get me wrong the spectacular is wonderful but I find
A footprint in the sand.
The raindrop on a catkin
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| Textures kk_waterfront27 and kk_1301 |
And the perfection of a flower
So breathtaking…..
So whatever you are doing today celebrate our Earth it is miraculous.
THE WEEKEND WALK EDITION – HOW TO SQUEEZE IN MANY NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTIES IN ONE DAY
Once a month Mark and I take his cousin out for the day. As we are all National Trust members it’s a great way of getting our money’s worth out of our membership.
My part of Somerset seems to have more than it’s fair share of old houses. In one hours’ travelling time we have at least four large houses and a castle.
So it was a cold, windy day but the sky was occasionally blue but in the most part a uniform grey.
First Stop – Lytes Cary a manor house it has parts dating back to the 14th century and the chapel predates that ! The unusual name derives from the Lyte family who lived in the house for four centuries and the River Cary which flows nearby.
I found the house very oppressive it has the typical low ceilings of the period. The gardens are set out in a series of ‘rooms’. I found some beautiful Snake’s Head Fritillary in the orchard but other than that it was pretty empty of Spring flowers.
It was time for an early lunch so off to Montacute House for cheese scones, pickle and a cup of tea.
We often visit Montacute House it is one of my favourite places to visit. It houses a wonderful collection of Tudor portraits from the National Gallery. They are kept in rooms darkened by heavy blinds just off the beautiful Long Gallery, where the occupants of the day took exercise on cold days. But today it was just a stroll around the gardens to walk off lunch.
Finally the last stop of the day, Barrington Court, another Tudor manor house. Begun around 1538 and finished in the late 1550’s. This poor house has been sold and passed onto many families and has suffered as a result . Fire almost destroyed it in the 19th Century and it was finally acquired by the National Trust in 1907. It was leased to Colonel Lyle of the sugar company Tate and Lyle and he restored the house out of his own pocket. As you can imagine it was a costly business . The house has no furniture inside but it does show off the oak panelling that fills the walls. In Summer the gardens are full of flowers and the kitchen garden supplies the tea room and restaurant with home grown produce.
Certainly without furniture it feels very atmospheric almost if the house is waiting for something to happen caught in time.
Hope you enjoyed my guided tour….
Linking up with my good friend Helen for her weekend walk, why not join up too ?
