Tuesday 5 August 2014

A Sunday Outing

Hello Lovelies,
I'm failing with the "short sweet" posts, I know :0)

Here's a photo heavy post about my Sunday.

In the morning I loved flinging the window open wide and looking at my pretty Gerbera collection on the kitchen windowsill............


and spending some time in the garden, leafing through the latest edition of Country Living, which had just landed on my door mat the previous day.............


It did take a while for me to find something inspiring, but I LOVED this crochet blanket, well the whole photo.............


and I loved this converted windmill...........


and especially this chair..............


then I came across a small feature on the Botanic garden in Nottingham...........


There was a  lovely illustration of the walled garden and I'm very fond of old spaces like that............


oh look, it's open Sundays 2-4pm............

It's not too far from us.

and it's nearly 11am.............

Best make a start on the dinner.


After our usual Sunday roast we headed out to Wollaton Hall and searched for the botanic garden.........the article said it was hidden away, and it was. A helpful lady in the shop told us where to look in the end........


Through a dark passage we found a sun filled space...........




With plants all beautifully labelled ...........



Lovely old brick walls and stone troughs...............


Busy bees...........


and pretty flowers............



After I purchased a plant from the helpful volunteers we decided to wander a little further.........


The boys found acorns.........


and I found a pretty bench..............


Wollaton Hall is somewhere we have visited many times before, and it always looks stunning..........


It's owned by the local council and is set in beautiful gardens and parkland..............



The 16th century stonework is so ornate..............


and in the gardens there is a lovely Camellia house..............


This formal part of the gardens is beautifully cared for.............


and I loved the purple and pale yellow colour scheme the gardeners have chosen this year.......



It certainly felt like a calm and relaxing place to stop and enjoy the beautiful surroundings on Sunday........


To be honest we were in two minds as to whether we wanted to go inside the hall it's self. But I'm glad we did. It seemed much more well cared for than our visit a few years back, when it all looked a bit sad really.

This light filled hall is a highlight, with a gorgeous ceiling...........


and beautiful paintings.......

See a better image of this touching scene HERE

I do love paintings that tell a story, THIS has been a favourite for many years.

There are not many rooms set out as they would have looked in their heyday, but this one was beautiful........


I loved the embroidery and the wooden sewing box...........


And this is the view from a first floor window..............


Much of the first floor houses a natural history museum.

Wollaton is a wonderful estate that provides so much enjoyment to locals and visitors alike.


It's still free to access the house and grounds, there's just  a (reasonable) charge to park the car................and there's the temptation of yummy ice cream too..............


I hope you enjoyed your visit :0)
You can see loads of photos and reviews HERE if you are interested.

Thank you so much for all your super kind comments on my drawing.......they really made my day.
Jacquie x

26 comments:

  1. I am ashamed to say that although Wollaton Hall is only down the road from us, I have never been! We are always looking for short trips at the weekends and you have certainly whet my appetite with your lovely post.

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  2. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit thank you for taking me along. We are off to Attingham Park this week, that is our local haunt. Jo x

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  3. Oh my, I must have been about 10 the last time I visited Woolaton, I remember that there was a large stuffed gorilla which made me a bit nervous!

    It really looks as if the council has done a really good job, it was very run down as I remember it in the 70s.

    And so nice to have somewhere to visit that is free, especially with kids.

    Helenxx

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  4. Looks like a great way to spend a day! I used to love looking around houses with my parents when I was little but haven't really done it for years! I have the new issue of CL to read too! Love it when it plops onto the doormat :)

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  5. The walled garden is beautiful isn't it, and so is the house and the grounds as well. It is lovely to be able to visit these places isn't it. Thank you for taking us along with you! xx p.s. you aren't failing at your posts, just taking a different direction! xx

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  6. What a wonderful relaxing day, the house and gardens are stunning. My absolute favourite bit - the camellia house, oh wow, I just love places like that. I'm a big fan of camellias as well and orangeries and citrus trees. Love it all. I think I need a conservatory! CJ xx

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  7. Thanks for taking us along....I enjoyed every bit of it...

    God bless,
    Sabrina

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  8. What a beautiful garden! : )

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  9. Lovely little tour, thank you!!! Yes it's hard to stay off the grid intentionally!!!! Have a happy week!!!
    Love
    AMarie xxx

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  10. Your kitchen window with the Gerbera Daisies sure is a pretty sight. I never have been able to grow them. I really like your blog and now that I have retired I get to enjoy reading it. Amazing pictures of an amazing place "Wollaton Hall" It would be a dream to walk the beautiful open spaces.

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  11. Thank you for the lovely photos. You are so lucky to live where you do. Hope you have a wonderful day.

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  12. I always enjoy your outings and walkies, sorry i dont always comment~ i'm often here though ;0)
    I love the places you visit too. I was trying to save my money and not buy magazines for a few or more months, but after my works course in my lunch hour i brought Coast magazine & now ive seen this post about Country living i feel its just an awful month to try and save hehe ;0)xx

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  13. What a nice visit, and lot of inspirations for gardening.
    I like the big home it is like in a miss Marple landscape. So beautiful.
    Miss.

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  14. Looks wonderful I always preffer the gardens when we visit places like this, sometime don't even go into the houses
    Clare x

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  15. Wollaton Hall - I haven't heard of that before and it probably isn't too far from us. It looks lovely:)
    www.thequietstitcher.com

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  16. What a lovely place to visit. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon. x

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  17. It looks like a beautiful place to visit.

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  18. Brilliant post Jacquie, thankyou. My husband is from Nottinghamshire, must ask him about this :)
    Jillxo

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  19. Beautiful photos! Your kitchen windowsill is a delight! :-D

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  20. I love these sneak peeks - at both Country Living mag (I'm waiting for the October issue as a treat) and inside Wollaton Hall. It looks like exactly the kind of place I love to visit (and photograph!) Beautiful gardens - especially the little walled one.
    I hope you go along regularly as it must be lovely to see the changing seasons there.
    Sarah x

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  21. Thanks so much for taking us with you Jacquie. I think when I come to the UK, I'm going to need substantially longer than what I think would be a nice holiday! So much to see and do.
    Cheers

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  22. What a fantastic place and your photos are brilliant.

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  23. You are lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit nearby. Your photos are really lovely and, I agree, the colour combinations of the flowers do work well together.

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  24. Thanks for sharing your visit. Well worth the trip out, x

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  25. How lovely to bring the magazine to life! The hall is simply beautiful, I love the architecture and the views that greet you. Thanks for the tour x

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  26. Oh it's all so very lovely, thank you for taking us along. I especially loved the gardens and the purple and yellow combination. I can see why The First Born is a favorite!

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