It was a bit grey and humid, but it stayed dry for our visit. We had a look at a couple of artists first, who specialised in glasswork, and then went into the main stable yard to look at the exhibition. We were given forms to write down our favourite piece of artwork, and it was lovely to wander about and admire some of the work, but scoff at other pieces!
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| This twisted piece of what looks like a coat hanger was priced at £300... |
There were some beautiful paintings, sculptures, jewellery, pottery and textiles, but some very odd ones indeed. For some unknown reason, there were also lots of paintings of lions, tigers, orca whales and other creatures not native to the UK. Whether the artists had been on safari and wildlife-watching trips, we'll never know. A few of the large oils were priced at thousands of pounds, and we saw lots of red dots on the little information signs, meaning they were sold.
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| Spot the tiger... |
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| The stable yard |
Some prints of the original artwork were available, but nothing caught our eye. Last year, I saw a gorgeous art deco cocktail cabinet, but there wasn't a similar one on display this year (which was maybe a good thing!).
Once we had looked at everything, we had a cup of tea and a sausage roll in the charming café situated in the old stalls, which were used to stable the estate horses. The sausage rolls were delicious and were full of well-seasoned pork encased in flaky pastry. They certainly weren't the sorry excuse you sometimes get for a sausage roll where the meat has gone missing!
When we'd finished, Sophie said she'd like to go for a drink at the pub in the village, but I suggested The Tollemache Arms at Harrington for a change. I wanted to see if Warner's was still advertising Gin Tastings and Distillery tours in the village (they were!).
When we arrived, the pub was quiet and we ordered two halves of Guinness and took our seats in a cosy little nook next to the bar. It was lovely to sit and relax, have a natter, and people-watch. The pub filled up and soon it was busy with people eating and drinking. One group went out and told the staff they were going for a Distillery tour and would return. What a lovely way to spend the day!
The time was getting on and I was collecting my Mum at 2.30pm, so we reluctantly left (I could have sat there all day!) and drove home. Keith was just about to go and see Sileby play, and I said to Sophie that she needn't come with me, but to have a couple of hours to herself, which she readily accepted and which I think she needed after her hectic week!
I drove to the care home and put on Radio 3 in Olive. It was beautiful, relaxing music and set the tone for the afternoon, which was a lot better than I had expected. Mum was able to get about with her walker, and she zoomed off in Tesco, with me in her wake! She bought some things she needed, and I bought cards for Keith's birthday on Wednesday, and a bottle of Chambord and pineapple juice for a French Martini later.
I took her back to the care home and sat with my parents for a while before leaving to go home. The music on the way was even more relaxing, so I was chilled out and serene when I arrived home, something that doesn't normally happen!
Sophie had enjoyed her two hours of solitude, and we sat in the kitchen with the newspaper and relaxed before she made us cocktails, and we played Scrabble. Keith came home after a disappointing game, and we ordered a Chinese takeaway for dinner, with enough planned to have again tomorrow for lunch.
After eating, we watched a little bit of BBC2 featuring Johnny Mathis, and then I caught the end of a programme about the Camino Way on BBC iPlayer. I keep getting references to this famous pilgrimage at the moment, after having read two books about it, and starting a third. We saw what I now know as pilgrims in Aumont-Aubrac on our way back from Spain, as some people start in Le Puy-en-Velay rather than St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Georgie, at work, also does part of the walk every year and said he'd walked 30km in one day! Phew!
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