I can get into the country

Posted on August 17, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Countryside, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2033, England, Life, Midlands, Motorways, National Trust, Stoke-on trent, TravelLeave a comment

What do you love about where you live?

North… Cheshire and Peak District, Staffordshire Moorlands, East – Derbyshire, South- Staffordshire, West – Shropshire and Cheshire. Further West – Wales. Also Stoke-on-Trent has good road links to motorways and A roads. Sometimes they are a little congested, but you can usually get out into the countryside in 10 to 20 minutes. It is interesting because of the variations in geology depending on the direction you take. Farmland and flat land South and West, with the hills of Wales and Shropshire in the distance. North and East hills and moorland including the start of the Pennines.

Stoke-on-Trent is situated in the North Midlands of England, it also has canal and train connections and the local area has many countryside attractions including National Trust properties, historic railways and museums, Alton Towers is nearby and Jodrell Bank observatory is a few miles north west. You can even reach the seaside in Wales or the Wirral in about 80 miles.

Golden calf

Posted on September 14, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Beautiful, Biddulph grange garden, Gardening, golden calf, Life, National Trust, old photo2 Comments

Old photo of the golden calf which is next to the Chinese garden and temple at Biddulph Grange garden a National Trust property. Near to it is a huge and grotesque stone frog. I guess the place is so eccentric that it’s worth several visits just to take it all in. There are garden rooms and buildings that are so spectacular. It’s hard to think the Grange was once a hospital for TB patients.

I must visit again before the end of the summer.

White and red

Posted on September 9, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Biddulph Grange, Blossom, Colour, deep red, Frothy, Garden, green grass, hedging, National Trust, White2 Comments

At Biddulph Grange garden last year. I’m not sure what the stone signifies, but the frothy white blossom flowers of the bush contrast with the larger strong red colour of the flowers below it. I love the combination of colours together with the green of the grass and hedging. I love coming across views like this and my phone is crammed with images that I have taken over the years.

Stumpery

Posted on August 29, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Biddulph grange garden, Gardening, National Trust, shade loving, stumpery, technique, tree stumpsLeave a comment

Old tree stumps can be used to create something like a rockery in a garden. This photo was taken at the Biddulph Grange garden last year. I’ve also seen this technique used in other gardens and there were some stumps created at Trentham Gardens last year too. I guess the stumps give an interesting effect, especially when they are covered in green moss. They can be interplanted with shade loving plants including ferns. The appearance is like seeing shedded stag horns scattered and stacked neatly along the path at the Grange.

Biddulph Grange

Posted on August 28, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Biddulph grange garden, China area, Day out, Egyptian garden, Japanese garden, National Trust, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Swiss cottage2 Comments

Somewhere I’d like to visit again. We haven’t been this year and I miss it.

Biddulph Grange garden is run by the National Trust and is a garden built on a slope that is made up of seperate areas… The Japanese garden, Egyptian garden, Swiss cottage, China area and other sections. The Daliah walk should be in full bloom. There is also a lovely tea room within the Grange building, although it can be quite busy.

It’s one of many attractions that are within a short distance of the city of Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire. So if you are in the area check out its visiting times and prices. Worth a day out.

Pompom dahlia

Posted on April 17, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Biddulph grange garden, Dahlia, Day trip, Gardening, Life, National Trust, Plants, themes, Time2 Comments

Dad used to grow these. You can see why they are called pompom dahlias. He had a whole patch of them in the back garden. I found some in the local garden centre so I have bought a packet of tubers just to see if I can grow them.

The best place to see dahlias in the area is the dahlia walk at the Biddulph Grange garden in Biddulph, Staffordshire. The National Trust owns the house and gardens. The building is only accessible in a few rooms, but the gardens are magnificent. Part classic gardening, part themed garden it is worth visiting and you have to see the Dahlia Walk in late summer. Sections separated by hedges on either side of a central pathway are filled with all sorts of Dahlia plants in all sorts of colours, for example red Bishop of Llandaff ones. Other sections in the garden have various themes, a Swiss cottage next to an Egyptian tomb, grottos and stepping stones and a Chinese temple and giant stone frog and golden calf!

Worth a visit if you are in the area.

Tree sketches

Posted on March 31, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Drawing, Facebook, Landscape, Memory, National Trust, Pencil on paper, Sketch, TreesLeave a comment

A few of trees I drew a couple of years ago. Pencil on paper. It’s nice to find these memories on Facebook. It reminds me of what I was doing then. I wish I was still going out and doing this. I think we had gone out to a National Trust property but have no idea where it was!

Take a break

Posted on June 11, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Bodnant Gardens, Day out, Garden, Life, National Trust, Sketching, Wales, Welsh hills, Welsh mountainsLeave a comment

Thursdays #bandofsketchers prompt was ‘take a break’ so I chose to draw this image from the front of the 2021 National Trust Guidebook. It’d just drawn in coloured pencil, charcoal pencil and fine liner black ink pen.

I need a break! So I would take it at Bodnant garden near Llandudno in Wales. It’s a National Trust garden. A beautiful place which drops into a wooded valley and is surrounded by the Welsh hills and mountains. We are missing the laburnum walk that will be in flower now. I hope to go there soon.

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.

Monochrome, Sue Vincent’s #writephoto prompt

Posted on May 8, 2019May 8, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #writephoto, Half timbered, Hall, Knot garden, Life, Moat, Monochrome, National Trust, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Sue Vincent, Tudor3 Comments

I’ve been here

When I saw the prompt I knew the place, so we visited two days ago. I’m pretty sure it’s the same place. From the front you can’t see the size of the hall. You walk over the bridge over the moat. Through an archway into the courtyard.

Inside the house is dark and panelled in old oak. There are places where wall paintings are being restored and the old windows are fantastic. Up and down many stairs and spiral staircases you reach the long gallery. Beware the bees nesting at the bottom of the stairs though!

Then outside to the knot garden and main garden. These are hidden round the back.

All in all not Monochrome at all. And if you want to know where it is you will have to wait for Sue’s explanation. I won’t spoil the mystery (and I might not be right!)

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: National Trust