Clumber in Autumn

Hello there Lovelies,

last week I took mum up the motorway to meet up with an old friend from Yorkshire that she had been invited to stay with.

After seeing her safely transferred for the second leg of her journey north I was free to head home, but I had already decided to make a stop along the way.

Said stop was at the lovely national trust property Clumber Park ....yes we have rejoined :0)

There is no big house at Clumber , it is long since demolished, but the working buildings are still present and very attactive.

Of course the National Trust is just so good at adding pretty and fun seasonal touches.

I do love to notice the colours of autumn develop, though it's usually as I walk beneath them.

This was the start of my circuit of the lake today. Repair work has started on the bridge. It was vandalised last year.

After all our wet weather the little weir was gushing.

The weather was a bit gloomy so my eyes looked for small details to admire.

It's a very pleasant path beside the lake . I recalled fondly a picnic stop we made as a family here back in ( hang on, lets google it....2014!)

More gushing water at the opposite end of the lake.

This cafe van wasn't here on that first visit.

Oooh sunlight!

That's better.

Time for a rest and a snack from my rucksack here I think.

Perfect, I'm feeling very lucky now.

A little further round I was fascinated with these dead trees in the lake.

They made an excellent perch for the birds.

A Crow.

Gulls 

and cormorants I think. I just loved the twisted grey branches and birds against the changing sky.

Oooh, nice reflections here.

And looking down I spotted my favourite fungi...Fly Agaric.

Swans and ripples.

Sunlight on the woodland floor.

Sweet Chestnut cases.

I loved looking back across the lake now the sun was shining.

and wandering along the easy path.

Here you leave the woodland behind and head into the more formal gardens.

But there's still plenty of sweet chestnuts for the squirrels to prize open.

To reach the tasty nuts :0)

You walk between towering cedar trees.

And come upon the towering church.

It really is a sizeable building .

I've been inside before and time was getting on so I decided to turn left at this point and head to another part of the estate I remembered enjoying on that first visit.

Past the cricket club.

What a clubhouse!

and onto....The Walled Kitchen Garden. What a nice display of succulents.

This greenhouse it huge. It just goes on and on.

I simply loved the displays of squashes displayed here.

So many interesting varieties and great old tools for props.

Long bendy ones.

and the sort that look great on your mantle :0)

It really was a delight to admire in the warn afternoon sunshine.

This greenhouse really is a beautiful structure. I loved the ornate floor grates here.

It's fabulous looking upwards too.

All the plants looked so healthy.

More seasonal displays.

this area was scented by the pelargoniums. A nostalgic scent of summers gone by to me.

here's the outside view of the greenhouse....or is it a glass house?

The garden was still looking lovely too. With plenty of dahlias.

Rudbeckias.

This Michaelmas daisy was alive with buzzy bees.

As were the cosmos.

I loved the autumnal light and shadow.

Perfect.

Sadly, after a short rest here I had to leave and travel onward to home. But happily hubby and I paid an overnight visit to Yorkshire when we picked mum up a few days later.

I hope you will enjoy my pictures from that adventure too.

Back soon.

Jacquie x