Attingham Park

Since I've been to Attingham Park three times in the last week I thought I better write about it!
As with all National Trust properties it's a beautiful place and has a mixed history. Attingham as a property has seen a lot. The man who commisioned to have it built died before it was completed so it was passed to his son when it was finished. The son however changed the design of the house and had more work done. He furnished it extravagantly and lived beyond his means until he was forced to flee to Italy to evade his creditors. 
Furniture and fittings were sold and the building left largely abandoned for many years until, in the 1920s, Lord and Lady Berwick moved in and tried to restore some dignity to the place. The trust took over the building around the 1980s and have been restoring the building and adding to the collections since. 

The trust is also restoring the gardens and greenhouses. The gardens are always my favourite part of any property tat we visit and at this time of year I like to see the volunteers planting out the new seedling and also seeing the early flowers coming into bloom.

 
  At the moment in the gardens they have a focus on what it would have been like during the war. They have a pen of chickens on one of the vege plots and this cute sign to show you that, during war years, chickens were enlisted too! These chooks were super friendly too and wandered over to the mesh to eyeball us and see if we were going to feed them. 

 Every large garden should have a cat to keep the rats and mice down. This curious fella followed me and Dad through the green houses and out to the gate. I think perhaps he too was hoping we might give him some breakfast.

While I'm on the subject of animals I should mention one of my favourite reasons for visiting Attingham is the deer herd. They have so many that it's really quite a sight the first time you see them. I'm not sure on the trusts breeding policy but since it's spring I'm hoping I might see some fawns soon at the feet of the does. 

 
 For now though I am content just to see the hinds and the stags with their large antlers. They really are a beautiful creature.

Attingham is also a farm and has a few different herds of cows and sheep that graze the outer pastures. Today we saw this gorgeous little bull calf out the back of the property with his mother. I have a thing for cows, espeicially speckled ones .

 Not content with pets and farm animals, Attingham is also a haven for wildlife. Squirrels, rabbits and pheasants all call the fields and woods their home as well as wood peckers, crows and hares. There is even a pair of swans nesting in the reeds this year.

I really enjoy going to Attingham as there is always something new to see in the garden and there are so many animals to watch. If you are ever in the Shropshire area you should really give it a visit.
 

Ashley Park Country Fair

Summer is finally starting to tentatively show it's face and today was a lovely sunny day. Me and Mum drove out to Ashley Park and spent a nice few hours wandering the stalls and looking at the animals during their annual country fair.

Spring Has Sprung

 These snap dragons were at one of our clients properties who recently passed away. It seemed a shame that no one was there to enjoy them anymore so I had to take a few pics. They also happen to be one of my favourite flowers as I remember playing with them as a kid.

 Cherry tree in bloom and sunshine glinting on water, what more does a picture need.

 Here's another cliche pic that I couldn't resist. A bee on blossom. Not quite a bumble bee yet though, they still elude my lens for now.

 I was quite taken with this tree for some reason. Perhaps just because it was so large.

 This cheeky chap is an escapee from the aviary that is on the other side of the lake I reckon. He certainly seemed rather tame as he was happy to sit and watch me as I watched him.

 Daffodils! There are so many at the moment and all different sizes and colours too.

 The swans have started nesting so the ducks can't be far behind. I'm looking forward to getting some pics of fluffy ducklings.

I quite like this pic although it didn't really turn out like I hoped. The coot was moving too fast for me to get another try though.

Photo Challenge - Part 2

Today was so sunny and beautiful that I spent most of the day with my camera around my neck taking pics of anything I could see. I was actually waiting to go visit a friend but due to family issues it never happened. I don't mind though, there are other days and I got to potter about instead.

A Family Crest

So it's not for a family and I'm not entirely sure what a crest is defined as but I figured this was close enough for a country that doesn't display family crests.

A Castle Turret

This was another tough one because as far as I'm aware there aren't any true castles in New Zealand. This Castle restaurant though is close enough to fit the bill.

Free Shot

I went for a little wander this morning and this sign just stood out for me. I'm not sure why

Clouds

This is how clear it was today. The pattern of weather lately seems to be all clouds or no clouds so this seemed about the best shot I was going to get.

In The Garden

Since it's the middle of winter there isn't much in our garden except dead looking things so here's my photo. We decided to have a little fun on our saturday night so burnt as much of the dry greenwaste as we could while enjoying a cider.

A Pond With A Fountain

A large pond, more of a lake perhaps, ok definitely a lake and a very large fountain. It still counts!



I still have quite a few pics on my list so I think I will have to make a special trip out and about to tick some more off.

My Life May Be Odd Because I'm Odd

This morning was another cold one and I couldn't resist taking pictures of the frost. At the moment I find it hard to resist taking pictures of anything. During the work day I got a pretty good snap of a heron and also a kingfisher, both of which were hanging around areas which are normally dry but are currently under water.

After work we picked up Rush again and brought him home and I took him for a walk along one of the lanes just so that he had a little exercise before we slobbed in the house. At the end of the lane we saw some cows with covers on which was totally cute but so strange as most farmers would just let them deal with the cold. They may have only been old grain sacks cut in half but the thought counts.

Just outside our house I found a baby hedgehog which is definitely odd for this time of year as they should all be hibernating. Its a real small one though and oddly tame so I picked it up and brought it in. I can pick it up without it curling into a ball and it has a kind of weird cough/sneeze going on so I think it's underweight and ill. I've popped it into my old rat cage on the porch with some hay and an egg to eat. We are planning to buy some cat meat tomorrow and we will fatten it up over the winter and release it in spring which we have done before with another hedgehog a few years ago. Hopefully the little cutie lives.

Rush had a bit of a hissy fit this morning and refused to eat his breakfast. Mum is determined that he doesn't like his dog food because the biscuits are burnt. They aren't but the fact remains that he wasn't keen so since he had to stay with us again tonight I decided to bake his dinner for him and he got tonight's serving still warm from the oven.

I have changed the original recipe so many times that now only the oats, eggs and flour remain from the ingredient list. Tonight I wanted it to be a meat and veg dinner so I added beef stock, garlic, carrots, parsley and silverbeet. I mixed it all up, rolled it out and baked for 30 mins. Don't ask me what nutritional value it has as I have no idea but Rush loves it and ate 2 biscuits in a matter of seconds! I reckon tomorrow he might decide breakfast is worth eating after all.