Saturday, 16-05-26

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to the second half of May!  The sun is shining and, while it's none too warm right now, it should be lovely later on, I hope.  The washing line is out and the first load is just finishing!

I did rather disappear for the last few days - I think the thing about Center Parcs is that we have been so often now, you've heard it all.  However, here's some photos from the week, some mine and some from Beth.

The pathway to our lodge - you can just see a bit of Beth's blue car at the bottom of the path to the right.  Because it is an adapted lodge, we didn't need to take the car back to the big car park, the adapted lodges have their own designated slot .
It makes a bit difference at the beginning and end of the holiday.

The kitchen area.  (I think I've already posted this, but not to worry).

A fairly typical photo of our evenings.  We ate out twice and ate in twice and always finished with a log on the fire and a glass of wine.
THAT has to stop!!  :-)

Spot the muntjacs!

This made us laugh.

There were loads of water birds and the ducks and geese passed the back regularly, wandering onto our patio and looking expectantly through the window.  We didn't feed them - you're not supposed to - but it was evident that they are accustomed to getting tasty bits and bobs.
I never had my camera to hand when they appeared!

Spring at Center Parcs is so lovely and green.

We went on the electric boats . . .

. . . and bowling is always fun.
I came a very poor third!

The swims were lovely!  Paddling about, the wave machine, the lazy river and the spa pool - bliss!!

And the journey home was very trouble free.  It was so nice to be driven rather than doing the driving - most relaxing.  
Here's to next year now.

When I got home, I had a wander around my estate - er - little garden!

The clematis is looking its best right now.

One of three (I think) surviving pears.  Fingers crossed!

And the hanging baskets are looking very promising, thanks to Tracy next door watering them.
At a penny under a fiver each, they were great Home Bargains value.

So pretty.

I do need to get the rest of the garden sorted.  I will probably be off to the garden centres tomorrow to get my tomatoes and then I can bore you with photos all summer.  

So, the annual Center Parcs holiday is over and normal life resumes.

In the coming week, I have

three fitness classes

a Kay-day (yay)

a meeting in school

the usual social things

Slimming World (oh, dear!)

a get together with Beth and Jen (SO looking forward to this

and . . .

the next coach trip with is a visit to the factory that makes the poppies and then a river cruise.  That should be nice and restful.

As for today - I have washing, drying and ironing, a morning online thing, a governors' training thing (which is a recording so I could do it tomorrow), finishing the unpacking, sorting out the garden and working out some meal plans.   I need to get right back on it again because I have gained far too much weight recently - that's the flip side of lovely holidays!
I almost forgot; one of the first things I did yesterday was get Bubbles out of the fridge.  I need to feed her and start Lindsey's sourdough.  Beth doesn't need bread this weekend so that's crossed off the list.

Have a lovely Saturday, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Friday, 15-05-26

Morning, everyone.  Apologies for the last few days - it's been a very pleasant holiday and I have taken some time off, not intentionally, it just happened!

We've not had much luck with the weather but we have manage to dodge the showers quite nicely really.  We've had it all - almost anyway.  Rain, sun, warm, chilly, an occasional clap of thunder and even several hail showers.  No snow though, thankfully!

We've swum a lot, we've walked, we've eaten out, we went bowling and we had a very peaceful time on the lake in an electric boat.  It's been a very pleasant holiday indeed but it's all over now apart from the packing and even that's almost done.

I shall miss the peace and quiet here (apart from the planes from RAF Lakenheath that rage their way over from time to time) but I think we are all looking forward to getting home as well.  Holiday's are wonderful and we are so very fortunate but home's best!.

See you again tomorrow as I get back into routine again, and have a lovely day.  xx

Tuesday, 12-05-26

 Morning.  So here we are, safe and sound at Center Parcs, Elveden, after a surprisingly easy drive up.  Well, it would be easy for me anyway as Beth was behind the wheel but it was good.  No holdups of delays and we arrived in perfect time to be at our lodge bang on one o'clock.

After a quick unpack, we had a toast and cheese lunch and then off we went for a food shop and then a swim.  The food shop was delivered while we were in the pool and all the fridge stuff was put away - such a helpful service.

The first swim of the holiday is always really lovely.  Alex and I got back to the lodge about five thirty and Beth trundled back at six - she wanted a bit longer in the pool.

The kitchen area.  Compact but very well put together.  

Part of our walk to the village centre.

In the swimming dome - that bridge is the exit of the lazy river.

Beth provided a lovely dinner.  No, we didn't eat it all, there's plenty left for lunch today and, most likely, tomorrow as well.

We started a log off in the fireplace (another CP tradition) and had a cosy evening, not that it lasted long because I was tucked up and fast asleep before nine!

Everywhere is quiet now - both Beth and Alex are fast asleep and the ducks and a muntjac have both wandered past.  The ducks all but knocked at the window; they are obviously used to being fed although we're not supposed to.  I tried to take photos but I wasn't in the right place and they aren't good.  Not to worry, there will be more opportunities.

When we get going, after breakfast we will pootle down to the pool again.  It is Alex's day today as it was his birthday last Friday and I think he wants to do the electric boats this afternoon, weather permitting.  In the evening, he has chosen Hucks Diner so that's where we are eating.  
It will be a lovely day!  xx

Monday, 11-05-06

Morning, all.
A short one today as I'll bee off later on and want to get the last jobs done and dusted.  It's time for our annual jolly to Center Parcs - me, Beth and Alex - and I'm so looking forward to it.  It's a home from home and has been ever since we first went when Beth and Dave were still at primary school and we went to Sherwood in the Autumn of their first year open in the UK.
As soon as Elveden opened, we changed from Sherwood as Elveden is so much closer and have been going ever since except for a gap when we spent several happy years holidaying at Streele Farm.

Streele Farm is no longer available which is a shame, but Center Parcs goes on and on and on.

This time we are just taking one vehicle (petrol prices, etc) and as Beth's is adapted to hold her wheelchair, she is driving and I'm sitting in the back relaxing.  Nice!!

That's about it really.  We should be able to access our lodge from one o'clock and then we plan lunch, a swim, a shop and a chilled evening, maybe with a log on the fire.   Nice.

Have a lovely day, all.  xx

A day trip to Leeds Castle - as always, photo heavy

On Friday, May 9th, I went on a Broomfield Coach Trip to Leeds Castle, Maidstone
(which is exactly how my children used to start their class visit recounts, poor things).

We left in bright sunshine that promised a lovely day to come and the journey down was, I assume, straightforward - I don't know because I fell asleep around the time we approached the QEII bridge and woke about ten minutes before we arrived!

Just a bit (bit?!) of history.  The foundations of the castle date from 1119 and it existed further back than that since 857, but very little remains of the original now.  It was a modest Normal fortification built on a series of small islands on a lake formed from the river Len.  
In 1278, the castle was acquired by Eleanor of Castile, the same Eleanor that I went on about after my visit to St Albans, much loved Queen Consort to Edward I and a driving spirit of the age in her own right. She remodelled the castle and this can be seen in the Gloriette, a D shaped building on its own island and in the courtyard, the only surviving elements of the original medieval castle.  
The castle continued to be owned by medieval queens - Eleanor herself and then Anne of Bohemia, Isabella of France, Joan of Navarre, Catherine de Valois and, finally, Catherine of Aragon -  and it remained a royal residence until it fell into private hands.
After that, it passed from pillar to post, family to family, and it all gets a bit tedious, until it was finally bought by a young heiress, the Hon. Olive Wilson Filmer, the sale being completed in 1927.
They took on a considerable amount of necessary renovation to make the castle merely habitable, let alone acceptable to their wealthy 'modern' standards but Olive worked hard to create her own personal vision of a marriage between medieval and elegant modern.
The interior of the castle reflects the changes she made but are not jarring and I feel it was a highly successful (albeit costly) work.  
The marriage didn't survive though and Olive married for the third and final time to a British MP and Baronet (she was American), Sir Adrian William Maxwell Baillie and she became known as the Hon Olive, Lady Baillie, a title she kept until her death.  She became a renowned hostess and held many house parties, etc, attended by many notables of the day.

She left the castle in trust to be open to the public and so it has remained ever since.

Further info

OK, now the photos.

There's quite a walk from the coach and car park to the castle itself but it was so pretty, through woodland, by streams, past water birds and with tantalising views of the castle from certain points.  Just as you thought you were getting there, off you went in a different direction!

I loved this view.  

Al along the paths were plaques commemorating key dates.  Very clever.

So many baby birds, so fluffy that, in photos, their bodies look out of focus.

Magnificent trees.

The oldest surviving remnants - the mill and barbican

The library

The dining room - very smart and elegant and not at all fussy as some can be.

This was interesting.
They are focusing on Eleanor of Castile this year and had an AI 'thing' .
You approached, said 'Greetings, Queen Eleanor' (in the way of 'Hi, Siri', to wake the AI up) and then asked a question.  After 'thinking about it' the AI answered your question.  Some answers came out oddly - such as 'I was thought to . . ., but it was really good.  You had, I think, two questions and then you were dismissed.

One of the better uses for AI, I think and one of the staff told me that next year they are doing Catherine of Aragon.

As you went round the house, there were special displays with more information about Eleanor and her life.

I loved this - all around the house there was info embroidered onto cushion covers.  Very clever!

Lady Baillie's boudoir

Her bed.

(the bedroom was lovely)

And a marble bathroom that would still be considered luxury today.

This is the courtyard that is one of the few remaining early parts.

I just liked this - an unusual brolly and walking stick stand!

For the Castle tour, there were headsets and recoded information.  I was a bit concerned about this as I don't have good experiences of how these things work with hearing aids but they were top notch, fitting above the ear rather than on so that the actual speakers hovered over the ear, preventing any feedback issues and also enabling differently placed aid pickups to pick up the words clearly.
Also, as you walked round, the information started automatically.
Very impressive - ten out of ten.  It shows it CAN be done!

After a slow stroll round the castle, I sat outside to read the guide book and then headed off to an area where they had a restaurant, etc and I treated myself to a very nice fish and chips.

It also has a more snacky food place, some shops that were not yet open and . . . 

. . . this.
All I can say is poor dogs!

I meandered through the Culpepper Garden and  past the Lady Baillie Mediterranean Gardens (both very lovely in their way), past the maze and children's area to the Birds of Prey centre where I saw part of a falconry display.

Why on earth do these display places have such very uncomfortable seating - high benches with no back and, when seated properly on them, your feet don't touch the floor.  I'm afraid I gave up as my back was starting to give me some trouble.  I found a more comfortable seat and heard, rather than saw, the rest of the display.

I didn't use the children's things, of course, but they looked really good.  A beach (sandpit with deck chairs round in which younger children were playing happily), adventure golf, a Knights' Stronghold Playground, an obstacle course, the aforementioned maze and grotto . . . so much for families!

It was time to start heading back so I took it slowly and the old back was fine.  

More views and birds on the way back to the coach.

  There was just time for a visit to the shop where I got my fridge magnet (I have to get a fridge magnet, don't I?) and to have a sit down before Andy, the coach driver,  came back and opened the coach.

I'm assuming a good drive back because, again, I fell asleep and woke just outside Chelmsford!  It does make for a very easy journey.

Leeds Castle is lovely.  There's loads to do, the staff are so helpful and informative and it's all just so beautifully cared for and attractive.  If you can, do give it a go.  You won't be disappointed.

I have just had a quick glance through the diary and it seems my next trip is a visit to the poppy factory and then a cruise down the river.  Quite a contrast but equally interesting.
After that it is Paddington - something I am really looking forward to.

So nice to have things to look forward to.  Thanks for reading.  xx

Saturday, 09-05-26

Good morning, everyone!  The sun is shining and the forecast is very promising for the whole weekend which is just as well because I have a whole lot of washing/drying/etc to do before Monday!  It's also good because the washing machine is working full pelt as I type and the energy thingy is reading zero.  Yay!

Yesterday was lovely.  I will do a separate post about Leeds Castle but it is possibly one of the 'nicest' places I have been to, very carefully designed and planned for great views, some exercise and things for the whole family to enjoy.
A few photos.

More later!

It was a 'try out the new (molto cheapo) camera' day too.  I'm no expert so really can't talk about the actual quality of the photos but it sits well in my hand, doesn't pull on my wrist (I use a wrist strap), is slightly slower in response than the old one but then it is an awful lot cheaper in numerical terms, let alone 'real' terms and it isn't draining the battery like the old one started doing.

On the other hand, the settings are more limited - and I did use some of the settings - and changing them feels a bit clunky.

On the whole, for now, I am satisfied.
Maybe I need to do some side by side stuff, old and new, just to compare.  I (probably) won't bore you with that though.  😉

On to today and there's nothing in the diary all weekend.  That doesn't mean there's nothing to do, mind you - there's the aforementioned washing, etc, I have both sourdough and yeasted loaves to make - double yeasted loaves because there's two for Beth and two to take to Centre Parcs on Monday.  In no way is that a hassle - yeasted loaves are dead easy and very satisfying as they rise, especially in this warmer weather and sourdough is much more responsive too.  There's a pay back in a less sour flavour but it is always delicious, however the starter behaves.

I have food to sort out and packing to do - again, not a hassle, it just needs doing.  Then I would like to ;leave the house in reasonable nick so there's dusting and sweeping, etc.  Oh, and the garden - those weeds need to know their place!!  

Better go and see how the washing is doing, I suppose.  And have my bath, get dressed, start the daily chores, etc, etc.

Have a lovely Saturday, everyone.  xx

Edit to add that there was a very odd comment on yesterday's post - I am sure it was some sort of spammy, scammy thing and I deleted it, of course.  I hope no-one clicked on it and apologies - one the Blogger filter missed.  x

Friday, 08-05-26

Just a quick one because in a while I'm off on a coach trip to Leeds Castle, somewhere I've never been before.  

Leeds Castle

I don't know what our tickets will include but there's loads to do and see there, I gather, so it should be a very enjoyable day.  I'm sure I will come home with guide book, fridge magnet, other tut and loads of new memories.  The weather looks promising too.  Not very warm but dry and sunny all day.  That sounds good to me!

Alex and I had fun making his birthday cake - well, he made it and I just advised and did the side icing.  The decorations are all his.

Happy Birthday, Alex.  Twenty eight today!  xx

Time to stop and do a bit of stuff before leaving for the coach.  Have a lovely day, everyone, and thank you for your kind comments.  I am fine, just a bit sore in certain places.  xx