Kirkley Hall's Zoological Gardens

Don't run over the peacocks, please!

Especially the ghostly, white one.

Family ticket: £18.50

Yesterday, the boy, Himself, Daughter number Three and Granddaughter number One and I wound our way up the A696 north of Ponteland  and followed the signs to Kirkley Hall because we thought we were following the route to a sweet, little petting zoo.

Well, what we found was even better: a proper and exotic little zoo with a great conservation ethos set in the grounds of Kirkley Hall's Horticultural College. 

Kirkley Hall was built on higher ground and the views of farmland and country garden around it are inspiring.  It was one of those grand country villas but now has many surrounding parts dedicated to agricultural research and education.  And it has this zoo.

There is a wide range of animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles from the four corners of the globe, which the children loved.  Meet Oscar, the blue and yellow parrot, say, "Hello," to the wallabies who lounge so tranquilly in the sun or sing "KOOKABURRA" to our Australian friends.  There are fat-bellied pigs, goats, capybaras and an axolotl.

And there are lots and lots of rabbits and guinea pigs.  One little baby rabbit snuggled down in her straw (and closely supervised) was allowing herself to be petted - so we did get to pet a cute little bunny after all.

An hour and a half later we were ready for a cup of tea in the garden beyond the orangerie  and the boy was determined to try out the climbing frame.  This was a great afternoon out for the whole family.  We may be back for the open air play of Pride and Prejudice later on in the summer and there's a version of Peter Pan and of Macbeth too.

Morpeth and the best hardware store - ever!

Morpeth, about 15 miles north of Newcastle and just off the A1, is one of those market towns which has, or appears to have, a very thriving life all of its own, quite apart from its visitors.  I always think it would be a very nice place to live - close neighbours, great shops and just large enough to be able to find a great, little corner to escape to. Not to mention the river, the park, the grand sloping road in from the south...

It certainly does have a good range of shopping for both natives and visitors.  You can find artisan cheese shops for yourself or your guests or, if it's high-street shopping you want, then you can find M and S, White Stuff, East and Laura Ashley. Plus lots and lots more and they are beautifully and tightly packed into a very pretty main street, which is currently overflowing with torrents of  gorgeous flower pots and baskets, striking. Definitely a contender for the prettiest town.

Before I go on, I should really plug two of my favourites: Rutherford's ( a department store of high quality STUFF) and the arts and crafts stalls in the town hall -last year I bought my mum one of those original jigsaws made from the artist's painting, with cunning pictures on both sides of the pictures, evil in cardboard form.  I thought I'd got her that time!

But if you are looking for a real shopping experience, something to transport you to true purchasing paradise, then visit J. Smail and Sons> Ironmongers smack, bang in the middle of the high street.

Is this somewhere you could bring your children? I hear you ask. Definitely. They have to know the realities of life, don't they? Everyone's sink will block. Everyone needs exactly the right size of nails, screws, plugs, sandals, shirts, pots, pans, glassware, tea towels, kettles, tables, chairs, underlay... need I go on?  Oooh, the detail!  The expert advice.  The down-right, pure practicality of it all.

Visit it soon.  It's one of those shops a lot of us keep in the back of our heads but does not feel altogether of this world.  It's not modern or sleek but it's real.  And reality wins out every time.

ROMAN Corbridge,

It's a great road, the A69 - I always enjoy the dead, straight, westerly direction and you get some fab views of rolling countryside and high, towering sky-scapes.  Summer really is the time to travel, to put the air-con on and watch the tall grasses and the pink rosebay willowherb swaying in the verges.  Holiday Time at last!

We parked on Helen Street ( first 30 minutes are free then 50 p an hour) because, as usual, the centre of this ancient town with its narrow streets was crammed tight with tourists and shoppers. How could it not be?  It is exquisite.

The warm honey-coloured sandstone, whether squarely dressed or roughly hewn, has created an interesting yet entirely coherent mixture of buildings.  It feels as if the  history of the area- roman, medieval, Victorian and modern - has been condensed and homogenised.  Indeed, at The Tower, we passed a stone cross that had first been erected in roman times and was renovated in the 1970s.

Coffee and pudding at Il Piccolo was as delicious and relaxing as ever (this Italian restaurant has my custom once a year at least, when an old college friend and I meet up to chew the cud) and then we trod the streets, visiting the shops.

Corbridge is good for: jewellery; galleries; pretty lady-gardening shops; material; art ( my new favourite is Delight and Wisdom, where I bought Mod Podge of Pinterest fame); sweeties; bread (see Grants- yum! look out for the Italian meringues, which are amazing); clothes (Katie Kerr's is a long term favourite and she has a sale just now); books (The Forum) and last but certainly not least, JFWalton's hardware store.  I did notice lots of little tea or coffee shops around the place too but I don't know them- yet!

This was a very harmonious experience;  Corbridge is more than nice; it is a time capsule living in its own dimension; it pulls like gravity; if you come once, you'll be forever in its orbit.  Which reminds me of the saying: all roads lead to Corbridge- cos lots of local roads do show the sign TO CORBRIDGE.

Sunderland Mowbray Park

Complete with bandstand, shady walks, a pond with ducks and gulls and an award-winning children's play park, Mowbray Park in the middle of dusty Sunderland is the perfect oasis if you're in need of something green. The museum adjacent to the park is well known for some excellent exhibitions too.

We picked the boy up there the other day and I was struck again by how necessary this haven is in the centre of town.  The boy has always headed for his favourite statue of the walrus, on which there have been many photographs. 

There is also the very famous war memorial, which Himself says is one of the most visited and most significant in the country - and he should know.  In more recent years the British army's post 1945 campaigns have been commemorated on separate walls around the World War memorial, which adds interest as well as pathos to the scene, a further reminder of the history of the area.

Indeed, Sunderland is a city which wears its history on its sleeve, some might say a careworn sleeve, and it is a city where the old, Victorian realities sit closely together still - compared to say, Newcastle, which has been cleaning itself up for the C21st ever since I have known it. 

It is interesting to note, however, that several new developments have been taking place in Sunderland and there is certainly something exciting going on around the old Vaux Brewery site as well as improving the access to the Wearmouth Bridge.   Demonstrating its new city status perhaps? Let's watch this space.

P. Lomas- plant nursery - good value

what: plant nursery 
where: the back road up from Ponteland towards The Milkhope Centre
Why: cheap as chips and much more cheerful. PLUS it's man-friendly

Every year at around this time I visit P.Lomas'  nursery because I crave colour in my shady, green garden ...and dread the hefty price tag of the big garden centres.  This time Himself was with me and, because it is not a huge affair with thousands of plants to see, he coped with it rather well.

So, the attraction for me? A one man show with, yes, a limited range of annuals but with luscious colours that you can easily choose from. It's really just like a sweet shop for plantaholics.

This year, 4 geraniums ( sorry, ordinary pelargoniums) for £1,  4 fat-budded exotic begonias for £2, 8 of those French marigolds in jewel colours for £1.  How does he do it? Honestly, I don't know but I guess plenty of water and plenty of plant food. My own seedlings are nowhere near as fat and hardy looking.

They're now planted up and I feel deeply satiated - see how the colour-craving gets me?  I know I was looking for violas to bob prettily in my terracotta pots, looking like fairy princesses and instead I have great big fat gypsy wedding flowers ( you should just see the wide skirts on the fuchsia - £2!!!) but I feel grrrrrrrreat!

Next year I'll do the dainty violas ( or if I can find some this summer) but I'll have to find some more pots because they're ALL filled and, as Himself said, for pennies!

THE PARLOUR AT BLAGDON

Where?   Old Great North Road, Seaton Burn
e-mail: contact us at theparlour@blagdon.co.uk
What is it? a tea shop cum ice cream parlour cum plant nursery

If you're planning on a trip up the coast or just going north ( or coming south and it's that time of day) you could enjoy a nice break at this little hideaway, sheltering amongst trees. There are several tables set under mini marquees in a gravel garden, where families can take their drinks and ice creams. In fact, if you're a grandparent like me, you'll be making mental lists of where you can stop for a break that the kids will like too.

And what's not to like?  Gravel paths provide a crunchy maze for little feet, you can browse the many plant-stands for a treasure to take home with you or buy for a very reasonable price one of the ready-made hanging baskets... and the whole family can visit the gelaterie and indulge in delicious glaces for about £1.80.  They also sell fancy pasta and cute souvenirs. The whole place feels calm, civilised and, I might add, elegant, painted as it is in restrained hues.

We left feeling that we'd like a lazy afternoon there one day soon - and rather envied those who were sitting around in the sun enjoying their tea or coffee. We, however, were on the hunt for pansies and violas for the garden ( see the post on THE GARDEN STATION) and I was on a mission.  Next stop, a garden centre!

Garden Station near Haydon Bridge

What: a tea shop set in an old wooden station building surrounded by woodland gardens
Where: from the A69 going west,  take the A686 as soon as you see the signs for Haydon Bridge
Walking: as much or as little as you like down the old railway track - a few steps down into the garden
Entrance fee: none
Parking: free
Cost of a cream tea - about £4

Chance of seeing a squirrel: possibly- you'll see baby frogs by the thousand (in July)
Children: young and old, tiny ones will love the few toys set on the lawn; the boy will probably hunt the frogs or use the tree swing in the woods
google: The Garden Station at Langley
star rating: ten out of ten - not joking either!

At least two people I know had told me about the Garden Station and Saturday was the first time we had managed to make it.  We were both tired for various reasons and honestly couldn't do very much but go for one of those gentle jaunts that you take when you just want a ride out. The Garden Station - well, I wouldn't have believed such a place existed - cheered me up no end.

The road up from the A69 winds around significantly and is often overshadowed by the enormous beech trees that grow so well in Northumberland -so take care.  The place is signposted twice before you reach it but the final turning is very narrow and requires a little manoeuvring. It's worth it.

There's an old station house and a painted, wooden waiting room with some pretty, little station buildings painted in shades of green standing on what would have been the platform but is now all laid to grass.  The owners have planted an inspired garden full of hostas, lady's mantle, aquilegia thalictrum, grasses and brunnera Jack Frost- and plenty more yet to flower.  Look out for the unusual ironwork sculptures too.  Dotted about are little folding tables and chairs set on the very smooth lawns, both down in what would have been the track and up on the platforms.

We had our afternoon tea and coffee first  (my mum asked if the cups and saucers matched and no, they don't!) then wandered down the path, the first part of which is also beautifully managed but gets wild beyond the railway bridge.  That's where the baby frogs, as small or as big as house flies, were hopping in their multitudes.  The track would go on for a fair walk, I think, but we doubled back just past the fishing lake on the left and had a shady walk back to the track, watching out for tree creepers and any potential red squirrel -  have yet to see my first Northumbrian red squirrel!

Lovely tea, lovely setting, lovely walk.  The website also gives a good idea of activities (painting, sculpture, photography, beekeeping, mushroom identification) going on there, including the odd civil wedding.  Who wouldn't want to take their vows in this exquisite, natural theatre?

Craster Crab Sandwiches

Last weekend saw the three of us on the search for Craster and the fabled crab sandwiches at THE JOLLY FISHERMAN.  Himself had been told he had to go there by one of his colleagues so, after our usual jaunt to Barter Books in Alnwick, we headed north.  Soon we saw one of those brown signs for Craster.  It took a bit of wiggling about on country roads and a couple of dog-leg junctions but we got there without mishap and got parked up - eventually. 

Don't make the mistake we did and drive right into the tiny village.  If you do you'll end up reversing or doing a 6 point turn in the middle of tiny streets with the locals or the holiday-makers looking on in polite amusement.  Instead, just before the village begins there is a great car-park, which extends up the slope to give parking for lots of cars and coaches, though the lower level does look deceptively small.  It'll cost you 50 pence an hour and we were there for two, because surprisingly enough for such a tiny place, it is absolutely gorgeous. ( There are municipal toilets in the adjoining building - a little on the rustic side!)

A short walk will bring you into this very local-looking fishing village, whose tiny houses and harbour are built from a much harder looking stone than the usual sandstone. In fact the whole place has the air of still being in another century; it's not expansive nor does it look rich and luxurious in any way; it exudes simplicity and hard graft; it reeks peace and quiet and retreat from the modern world - hence its definite success as a holiday destination.  Once your eye is attuned, you'll see that many of those old fishing cottages have been made over into rather nice holiday homes.

We took the boy around the harbour where he and Himself pointed out the wide variety of birdlife: oystercatchers, diving terns and little terns, eider ducks, lots of almost tame sparrows, a cormorant...and I had fun with the plant-life, as usual. Still haven't looked up that white daisy with the very yellow conical centre that was growing in swathes around the harbour stones.

And then we had the crab sandwiches.  Served on wooden boards with crisps and a rich little salad, they were a very sweet way to enjoy seafood in a great, local setting.  Himself and I took our coffees outside and breathed in that languorous sea air to our hearts' content.  The boy poked around the tiny harbour.  On our way out we noticed a host of walkers making their way up the coast to Dunstanburgh Castle, which we have yet to discover.

Across the road from The Jolly Fisherman is Robson and Son's smoked fish shop, where we bought fishcakes for himself and a half kipper portion for me, ( I really could have managed 2 but was wary at the time) which turned out to be sweet, juicy and delicious the following evening at home.  And good value!  They have a little restaurant too- so we'll be back.

I highly recommend this place. A little bit of The Old Kingdom for us, if you can only be bothered to hunt it out. 

Castles, castles... Edlingham and Warkworth

 June

We've been to Edlingham outside Alnwick a few times because the boy has always loved the stories his granddad tells him about the zombies crawling out of their graves around the little 1000 year-old church beside it.

It's down a steep and winding track on the way out towards Cragside and near to the viaduct so it's  really scenic.  We've been there on bright days when it's bonny and on grey days, when it's easy to believe that reivers are hiding just out of sight - all in all very atmospheric.

And - odd thing to admit to perhaps - if you're into moss and lichens, then you'll love it. 

We always trace out where the house would be from the remains of the walls and I always warn the boy NOT  to go inside because I have horrors of the leaning wall of the solar falling on him, though it has stood for at least 600 years.  He has started not to listen. Hum!

Well, last visit was a warning.  The wall did NOT fall on him but, after he did his walking-along-the-broken-wall trick, he casually let himself down on to the pavement, turned over on his ankle and...  yup!  Agony!

Himself took him on his back up the track to the car and he slept on the way home.  Walk-in Centre job that evening!  At least the one in Washington is lovely and modern.

 

Last Sunday (end of June) my daughter from London was up with us with her two little ones. 

This time we did Warkworth Castle.  Now usually I don't go in for great militarised castles but Warkworth  is not of that ilk at all.  It is a fortified house belonging to the great Percy family of Northumberland with lots of interesting little design features which interested me.  We could see visitors listening intently to their headset tour guides so I'm sure we missed out on lots of lovely history here but it was lots of fun watching our two year-old grandson racing around tight castle corners, discovering guard rooms and beer cellars ( actually that was his dad) and generally enjoying the place.

It belongs to English Heritage and is a cheap day out at £5.40 an adult if you're not a member.  You pay £3 for parking but this is refundable in the ticket booth inside the castle so don't miss out on this.

However, the best bit of the visit was the walk down to the hermitage and the short boat ride over the Coquet river. (Mind, this is currently only available on Sundays, as is the upper room in the keep!) It's a steep little walk to begin with and a bit of a challenge to a double buggy's wheels but very soon the path flattens out and the walk under trees beside a peaty brown river makes you ask if there are kingfishers - I don't know- I always ask!

Warkworth's Hermitage is truly a bit of a wonder.  Carved out of solid sandstone, it's amazing to see gothic windows and angled pillars and an altar all, as it were, growing out of the sandstone cliffs.  It was built for a holy man though developed into more of a rural dwelling place. Damp and dank, even in June, it is returning beautifully to the natural world and has something of a fairy feel. A MUST SEE! Bring extra cash (about £3 each) though for the boat ride there and back - a lovely student doing her summer job!

That was a day of pure pleasure.  Lunch at The Hermitage Inn in the village was very satisfying and my vegetarian daughter was not disappointed with her asparagus omelette so we were all pleased.

The baths at Tynemouth- Bank holiday with the boy

Bank Holiday Monday 26^th May 2014

 ( written on my lap whilst watching...)

Well, here we are at Tynemouth A.S.C. or, to you and me The Baths at Tynemouth, found in Preston Village just off the 1058.  Coming from inland it’s just off a roundabout to the right – dead easy to find.  And we’re impressed.   Himself spent some time on the laptop this morning trying to find a baths that was open on a bank holiday and this was it.  We normally go to either  Ponteland, Cramlington or Morpeth baths, all of which have their merits but, it seems, must be privately run, hence being closed today!  What? Why would anyone with a sense of revenue close their pool on a lovely summer’s day, when parents and grandparents must be queuing up to take their kids somewhere. 

Closing time today is 2.15, with all out at 2.30.  Just a little thing to be aware of! Bank holiday thing.

I’m up in the comfortable gallery looking down on them in the kids’ pool, about 3 foot deep, where the boy seems determined to try out the various floats on offer and himself is being accommodating.  He would really rather be walking his stiff leg up and down in the deeper pool, situated just beside the juniors and separated by a smooth walkway and glistening chrome handlebars.  I suppose it’s a more traditional pool than Cramlington, with the swimming rows and all but the boy had already said he’d prefer something like that to the gadgets, the fountains and the hundreds of little kids at Cramlington.  How tastes change overnight!  I’m not going in today as I am incapacitated with a nasty little infection.

I must say, it’s spacious and clean with two guards on watch- we’ll definitely come here again!

And himself says the changing rooms are “nippin’ clean!”  Good to know.

Same day… back to Wallington

Well, I heaved myself up to get back to the car and the boy said he wanted to play on the climbing frame outside so that’s what he did and then he announced he’d like to go to another climbing frame somewhere else so we hummed and ha  ed and decided on the trek to Wallington.  My own secret agenda was PLANTS because I’d been watching Chelsea all week so it wasn’t hard to persuade me - so there we were, back on that lovely Northumbrian road, the A168, going north through Ponteland then up past Belsay.  Northumbrian skies and cow-parsley in the hedgerows – definitely worth a painting one day. 

It is quite a trek but the word is “charming”.  Over a great hump-backed bridge, which you must beep for,  and you’re nearly there.

 The place was heaving with folk but although the boy did not enjoy sharing his favourite tree with eleven others, he did discover several other little nooks and crannies to explore in the hedgerows, which he is promising himself for future visits. I, meanwhile, indulged myself with two astilbes, two hostas, one unusual dicentra and a rare Japanese thing, Peltoboykinia watanabei, which admittedly, is more of a garden snob/ rarity value sort of thing – but if you have lots of trees and shade as I do, then you’ll buy pretty much anything to inject a little colour – or in this case interest, it being a white flower- into your shady areas.

All in all, not a bad little day!

 

The Glass Centre in Sunderland

March - birth season in our family!

Last Saturday was 8th March and another birthday (my daughter’s) was looming.  We HAD to get that glassware!

This time Himself came with me to visit the National Glass Centre on Liberty Way (love that name) in Sunderland.  I was on a mission – it was BUY SOMETHING, BUY ANYTHING time.  I knew the sort of thing she likes because she had admired the swirly, magic nest-sort-of-wall-lamp at her godmother’s house in Scotland but (and here the magic of coincidence comes in) I also knew the artist had trained and worked in Sunderland!  I did have hopes of finding something, anything, please…

He directed me because he knows Sunderland better so we took the A1231 out of Washington heading east, crossed the A19 and carried on with the A1231, past the Stadium of Light then followed the brown landmark signs through town, heading towards the mouth of the Wear. Parking is easy outside it but the entrance is harder to see because you have to head down the path towards the river then enter from the riverside entrance – not difficult though I would have faffed around a little on my own.

          This part of the Wear wears its industrial past prettily and it truly is a scenic view looking upstream towards the city, especially with the river and its reflected light bouncing off the brilliant, modern, glass façade of the building.  I took photos of it all and then we entered.  I must say that the desire to buy something, anything went into overdrive the moment we moved into the shop. They really do have a very wide range of presents ranging in price from a pound to several hundred.  If you like marbles, they have fab hand-made marbles.  If you like cut-glass, they have an exquisite choice of Caithness glass and I was very taken by a perfume bottle with two sculpted slices revealing golden swirls; Himself loved a Caithness owl, whose bubble eyes seemed to follow his… I went back and forth, read the little cards… and couldn’t decide. 

 

My dilemma only deepened when I remembered that there were glass blowing sessions to watch; worse because we discovered a cabinet of display models to admire and BUY! And these were alive with colour. Plus, this lovely man, who had only in come to help his glass-blowing friends, went into ecstasies over the form of one particular vase, whilst I secretly loved a heavy, orange, pink and red bowl that he seemed to dismiss.

          MELTDOWN!

          Well, it took a coffee at their very civilised drinkery, plus another look at everything before I made up my mind.  It was her thirtieth birthday after all.  She could have both the display models I had looked at – they were both made here in Sunderland, which she would remember from a  girlhood visit.  Ha!  The relief of having made my choice ie NOT having to come down to just the one!

          Cost?  Well, my glowing, heavy bowl, with its tracery of fiery pink over a crimson ground cost £35 and the elegant sea-green vase with its wash of graduated teal around its neck, that my enthusiastic friend had hinted was the best thing there, was a mere £38. And we got to meet the artist herself, a young woman who had been displaying her skill with the molten fire in front of happy punters.

          All in all, very satisfying, very visual and could have been a lot more expensive!

Buying pressies for the folks - Newcastle Arts Centre and The Milkhope Centre

22/2/14

End of the half term saw me on the hunt for birthday cards and presents because myriad members of my family have Spring birthdays. Having left himself off to go watch rugby at O’Neill’s, I parked the car ( a £1!) outside The Newcastle Art Centre and had a gluttonous hour to myself. 

First of all I visited David Fry’s pottery shop, where he was holding a class, tucked in the far right hand corner of the cute little courtyard where I have dreams of enjoying a summer cup of tea, then down through the art supplies shop and finally into the proper arty shop.

I have found my heaven – or at least one of my paradises!

Cards by top selling artists like Angie Lewins, Quentin Blake and Mark Hearld found their way into my pile.  Likewise cards from that jewel, The Natural History Museum.  I had a ball. 

Next I found another little silver pewter spoon, crooked like a twig and decorated with an oak leaf for my mum to add to her collection and I visited one of my favourite local pottery ranges, the green and white spotty one, produced at Saltburn.  Mmmm, love it!

They had some nice glass things too but not exactly what I was after but the girl said that the Laing gallery in town might have something so I’m thinking that’s another little afternoon visit…

Couldn’t face the traffic and the road system in town so went home via The Milkhope Centre run by the Blagdon estate because they have a gallery too.  I was on a roll.

The Milkhope Centre is a collection of small business housed in renovated farm buildings made of our local, warm, yellow sandstone and we mostly go there for our meat because they have an award-winning butcher’s shop stocked entirely with local organic produce, meat and veg. However, today was ART day; the sky was a panorama of sudsy white and grey, the sun was out and I was high on my plan to get the family sorted with presents.

I knew the gallery had recently expanded into one of the other units but wasn’t expecting the tall ceilings and sheer amount of pictures, cards, glass and general arty stuff.  It was a feast. Upstairs I found a favourite picture of harvest fields by someone called Walter Holmes.  I’ll look out for him again.

No luck yet finding the objet in glass but I still have The Laing and Sunderland glass place to do… so that’s another day!

Wallington at Dusk, February 2014

Wallington Gardens 17^th February 2014  (National Trust)

Can’t remember how it came about that we only had a couple of hours near closing time (dusk) Monday of the half term holiday but there we were, free to roam the gardens and do the climbing fort at Wallington. 

Now, that fort has got to be a child’s fantasy palace.  Whilst Himself looked on in silent north-eastern dignity, the boy and I shot arrows at each other and poured gallons of hot oil over the ramparts.  At one stage I had The Sword of Omens and he had a cloak of invisibility, which he used to great effect.  Don’t know what the natives thought but we had a whale of a time.  My cats did a good job on his rats when they chased them off the rope bridge. (As Cheetara, I definitely had the power to call up hundreds of cats to my aid!)

Wallington is home not only to four fabulous dragon heads set in extensive gardens and woodland but also to the best climbing tree in Britain – and that’s an official fact care of The national Trust.

The boy has been on it every year since he was five and we have some fab pictures of it in the album and family calendars. Looking (and smelling) like an enormous relative of the common Leylandii, this smooth-limbed cedar wears its canopy like an overcoat, in other words, open at the front and beautifully draped with its neighbour behind.  The children naturally see it as an indoor playground and you often see groups of them bouncing on the lower branches of the adjoining tree or sitting on its own splayed limbs which have been worn smooth by the hugs and little bottoms of generations of kids.  This is a must see if you have children.

That’s all we had time for, apart from buying a few packets of crisps at the cosy café and browsing over the rather exotic collection of primroses for sale but it was enough for one afternoon.  Another day we’ll walk him around the great lily pond or go into the hall itself, which is indeed lovely and absolutely full of STUFF.