On Friday evening we made our way once again onto the A303 - destination, our beloved Devon.
On Saturday morning we had appointments at the hairdressers and from there drove to Ottery St. Mary to visit the Garden Centre and the wonderful Joshua's Harvest Store next door.
The above is from outside the Garden Centre.
We purchased some peanuts, seeds and suet balls for the birds in the garden - it's beginning to feel a lot like Winter and those little birds could do with some help in the months ahead!
I also purchased a ball of wool to make Our Daughter a scarf to keep her warm and wrapped up as she heads off to school during the cold months ahead - I have started the project! Will it be ready soon or will it be finished by the time Summer comes when it will be redundant!
On Sunday we decided to visit Barrington Court which is just over the Devon border in Somerset - near Ilminster. We have been here a few times - it's a National Trust property and it was a cheap day out as we're members! We joined when Our Daughter was born. I think most people join when they start a family or retire - almost a rite of passage.
We wandered around the grounds admiring this and that and a mushroom or two!
We spotted a few resilient flowers still in bloom and it's nearly December!
Surely one of the last of the Summer roses!
We visited the old stable block!
At Barrington Court there are two wonderful orchards - many of the apples were rotting on the ground!
I wondered why they were allowed to just rot away!
Oh dear - someone was off tree climbing again! Obviously the injured ankle from her recent fall at school has improved!
From a distance I thought that this tree had many nests - closer examination revealed it to be a lot of misteltoe! The Other Half joked with Our Daughter that he wanted the bunch at the very top!
I loved the gradual change of colour on these leaves - from a golden yellow to a deep red.
Barrington Court - the restaurant is located behind those doors - what a lovely vista!
Lichen!
We must have seen hundreds - probably thousands of fallen apples.
Someone was off tree climbing again!
In this building there was a craft fair. Many of the items were lovely but had a lovely price tag to match!
I did buy two skeins of hand dyed wool which I will show you on another posting!
I feel more scarf making coming on!
That trousers was clean on - look at the knees! Grrrrr ...
You may wonder what this photo is all about - well, as well as there being a craft fair at Barrington Court - Henry VIII was also there! We got chatting to him as we had seen him at Hever Castle in the Summer!
Dressing up as Henry VIII is his full-time job! He said that he was looking for another wife? The Other Half joked that we didn't have a sufficient dowry to offer him Our Daughter! As we walked past this garden ornament later Our Daughter said "Take a photo mum, it looks as if I've been be-headed by that nasty Henry VIII!" And it did!
I loved the heart shape of the leaves and the sun shining on them!
Our Daughter gathered "Helicopters!"
The plants were all confused - some realizing that we were heading into Winter others seemed to think that it was Springtime and were beginning to grow buds. Will the harshness of Winter kill off these confused plants or will Mother Nature hold out and protect them!
I liked the shape of this!
Our Daughter had a competition to see if she could throw some rotting apples to the other side of the stream or into the stream to be more precise!
All too soon our visit was over. It was hard to believe that the sky was so blue and the sun so hot.
As we got into the car to drive home we had an urge to go to the beach at Branscombe to see the sun going down as we have done before. Despite my best efforts we got there about five minutes too late! It was ten past four and the sun had disappeared for the day!
Nevertheless we had a short walk on the beach - we were the only ones there! I do love that - the swish, swish, swishing sound of the waves lapping the sea shore. You just don't hear it in Summer when the beach is busy!
Until next time,
June.
Hi, thanks for stopping buy. Your daughter does look happy and trousers wash, as I well know believe me !! I think with the apples they might be too bitter to eat or maybe there had been a glut of them and they were left for the birds and insects for over winter food?
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