Dorothy Clive Garden.

Posted on June 10, 2020June 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2018, Art, Day out, Dorothy Clive garden, Drawing, Fun, Gardening, Pictures, Plants, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, VisitLeave a comment

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This was my drawing of the Dorothy Clive Garden on 6.5.18. It’s recently reopened but with a booking system so you have to book morning or afternoon slots to visit. There is a self service system at the cafe. I hope we can go one day next week if the weather improves, after a month or more of sunshine we have been having rain for the last few days. Good for all gardens including the Dorothy Clive.

It will be lovely to see different landscapes, beautiful flowers, and peaceful water features.

When you draw a place you are interpreting the world in a different way to simple photographs. That’s why I enjoy it. Trying to tame nature and describe it.

Dorothy Clive garden

Posted on March 22, 2020March 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cheshire, Closed for the time being, Day out, Dorothy Clive garden, Garden, Gardening, Life, Shropshire, Staffordshire, VirusLeave a comment

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Just had an email from the Dorothy Clive Garden, explaining that they are closing due to government advice.

It’s a lovely place on the border with Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire. It is a magical garden on a steep slope. If you get a chance when things have calmed down do go.

This is what I wrote back to them…

We visit to come and see the wonderful rhododendrons in the quarry garden every year, and have been enjoying watching the ecology section being created. Then the rest of it is just wonderful when it’s in full bloom. I love sitting outside the cafe and drawing the view, or walking down the steep slope towards the pond. Watching goldfish as they quietly go about their lives under the surface.

Ive been visiting over several years. When I was fit I used to cycle over with my husband.

I have a very overgrown small garden with lots of trees, but we have some amazing geraniums that have spread everywhere. We got them from you a few years ago.

Hoping for a speedy resolution to the current situation.
Sincerely

Owl

Posted on March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animals, Birds, Birthday treat, Day out, Eccleshall, Enjoyment, Gentleshaw, Life, Owls, sanctuary, Staffordshire1 Comment

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About nine years ago I had a birthday treat, we went to Gentleshaw Animal sanctuary and I got to hold and fly owls. Its amazing how light they are, they are all fluffy feathers. I think this is a Great Grey owl.

The sanctuary had bad luck a few years ago when a fire severely damaged some of the pens. It was a sad time, but they rebuilt. The staff are some of the Kindest people I’ve ever met. They treat all the animals with great care. They rescue animals from poor circumstances and help rehabilitate them.

Wonderful afternoon out, wonderful people.

Bodnant Gardens, Wales

Posted on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged A470, Beauty, Blogging, Bodnant, Conwy, Day out, Environment, Llandudno, National Trust, North Wales, Visit, WalesLeave a comment

The weather is changing, getting colder, wet and windy and the leaves are starting to change on the trees.

The Acers are the ones that turn deep red and orange, at the same time the seed pods also turn bright red.

All of thus beauty can be found at Bodnant Gardens in the Conwy Estuary, near Llandudno in Wales. Travel along the A55 and turn off at Llandudno junction and take the A70. Up and down some hills you will see a National Trust sign on your left hand side. Follow the long drive up to the car park up a hill on the left. There is a green pavilion at the bottom of the carpark by the drive and you walk down and past it into a landscaped spiral ramp down to a tunnel under the road and into the garden centre, shops, and entrance into the gardens.

There are tall trees, pines, redwoods, Acers and oaks. Autumn flowers and mountains in the distance. Formal and informal gardens surround the Bodnant Hall with an old conservatory or greenhouse attached to it. There is no entrance to the hall but there is plenty to see anyway.

Metal working tools…

Posted on September 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blacksmith, Blacksmithing, Day out, Etruria, Etruria Industrial museum, Forge, Heat, Light, Open day, Photos, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

And other images from the Forge at Etruria. I was there today and took a few photos in the beautiful mid September sunshine we had today.

When the sun is bright and low it casts deep shadows and picks out intricate details that you might otherwise miss.

The glow from the flames of the Forge added to the atmosphere, you can almost feel the heat coming off those flames.

The Forge is the domain of Sculpted Steel. You can see demonstrations of the blacksmiths work on open days at Etruria Industrial museum.

Day out at Rudyard

Posted on August 26, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bank holiday, Day out, Fun, Lake, Miniature train, Monday sun, Rudyard, Rudyard lake, Rushton Spencer, Sunshine, Water6 Comments

Rudyard lake, Staffordshire, on a bank holiday Monday afternoon. There is a miniature railway on one side of the lake that takes you up from a little station at Rudyard, which is just next to the railway bridge I’m the way out of the village. It then runs for about a mile and a half. It follows the track bed of the Great Central railway which was removed several decades ago. It heads off to the top end of Rudyard Lake where it ends at a halt and the footpath carries on to another village a few miles away called Rushton Spencer I think?

They had a miniature steam engine and a miniature diesel train pulling the carriages today. We got off at the first stop called the Dam for a lunch at the cafe, then we got back on the train and travelled to the end of the and back to the station.

The only bother was the parking. But someone was leaving so we snuck in a space. Definitely worth a visit and not too expensive.

Astle Park traction engine rally

Posted on August 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Astle Park, August, Chelford, Cheshire, Day out, England, Fun, Steam traction, Traction engine rally, Tractors, Weekend rallyLeave a comment

We visited Astle Park Traction Engine rally today. There were a vast number of stalls with everything from crafts, car spray paint, antiques, archery and many more things. There was a show ring and tractors, Land rovers, steam traction engines and other vehicles trundled round it to the delight of the crowd. We enjoyed a drink from a bar in a marquee and some food. There was an old fashioned fairground with a galloper roundabout and steam organs, there were also old lorries and military vehicles. We had a go at archery and firing cork guns and paint ball guns.

It was overcast and threatened rain but it kept off. The ground was churned up in places but because it was dry it was starting to dry out so there was only a bit of mud.

Astle Park is just outside Chelford in Cheshire, its near Jodrell Bank Observatory. The event happens in August every year.

Four years ago

Posted on August 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Air rifle, Blogging, Country show, Day out, Fun, Life, Memory, TargetLeave a comment

This was from four years ago in 2015 when me and my hubby went and had a go at air rifle shooting. I’m not trained to use them, it was a one off. We maybe have a go once a year or less. They were not special guns just fairground ones. I think the distance we were shooting was probably four or five meters. The first picture is my hubby’s, the second is mine. I was slightly surprised at how I did. Just found this on Facebook memories.

I have also tried archery but don’t have the strength to shoot far with that.

Rudyard lake railway.

Posted on August 16, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Day out, Life, Miniature railway, Rudyard lake, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Trains, Visiting, WritingLeave a comment

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This is a drawing I did last year of the dam, a little station on the Rudyard Lake railway, a miniature railway which runs over a railway bridge above the road going out of Rudyard village towards Macclesfield.

The station for the railway is situated just beyond the bridge on the land alongside it, you can drive up a slope to get into the car park. The miniature railway consists of small steam engines (I’m not sure of the scale, maybe a 5th or a 6th of the size of a fully grown one). There are small passenger carriages some with windows and some without that are towed behind the engine.

The line is open at weekends in the summer months to take you along the wooded valley that leads up to the lake. (Not sure how much it costs sorry). The first stop is at the Dam (pictured) which is where the lake has been dammed to collect water. That is because Rudyard Lake is a reservoir for the local canal system. The train journey then continues down the length if the lake to the far end of it.

The journey is very scenic, with views over the lake with boats sailing on it and the wooded hills beyond. Sometimes we get out of the train at the dam station so I can do a drawing or painting.

The railway was built by a school several years ago. It’s on the track bed of the Great Central railway which went from Manchester to Birmingham and then London. The track was taken up in the 1950’s we think. It went through Rushton Spencer and on to Macclesfield then Manchester apparently.

Anyway, I think the lake was named after Rudyard Kipling? But it might be the other way round. His parents used to visit the area, but I don’t know the story about that I’m afraid.

The miniature railway has a snack bar with teas and coffees. Rudyard Lake has a tea room and other facilities. Parking can be difficult by the lake but you can also park at the railway and walk along the track bed which is also a footpath up to the dam where you can walk across to the little area with the tea room. This is where the boat club is based together with a little visitor centre. The footpath continues along the track bed up to the head of the lake and there are also little paths that you can follow to get closer to the lake.

Other access to the lake is along a narrow road which takes you into the Rudyard lake hotel carpark. I’m not sure about the parking there. I don’t remember having to pay but it can get crowded.

Rudyard lake is a couple of miles away from the main road between Stoke-on-Trent and Leek. You can also get to it from the road between Leek and Macclesfield.

I’m not a travel writer so this may not be totally accurate.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Day out