It only works if you do what you're told....

After much deliberation in the P.P. household, we have finally purchased a sat-nav. Truth be told, this is really for my benefit as I'm doing a big solo driving trip soon, and I have a tendency to sail past important exits on motorways. Mr B. believes he has an innate sense of direction and usually finds his way without even a glance at a map. That said, we have had some spectacular 'lost' epics in our time, often with a caravan on the back!

Anyway, the sat-nav was plugged in at the weekend, and we set off for Glossop to buy a new awning for our caravan. Mr. B. was driving. All was well until we got close to Stockport, and the lovely lady who was talking to us told us ever so politely to stay on the motorway. Mr. B. didn't agree with this because he said he knew the way anyway,
he chose to ignore her and went off the motorway....

and then ..... it turns out
he didn't know where he was at all!

Much hilarity ensued!

We ended up following the calm voice until she took us right back to the motorway just like she'd said in the first place, with Mr B. still protesting that this wasn't the way we should be going.

Why do men think they know everything?
A sat-nav will only work if you're prepared to do as you're told!
Mr B. can't follow instructions, can't be told anything, and hates going the boring way! I could have predicted exactly what would happen!

In the end, we got to Glossop, bought the awning, and then we did follow the sat-nav's instructions to get us to Lyme Hall not too far away.....

... where we spent a very pleasant afternoon.
As usual, photography was not allowed inside the building so I can't show you how beautiful this house was, with it's Tudor panelling and fireplaces, and stained glass windows.

But I can tell you that Lyme Hall was used as the location for all the outside scenes from the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.... you know ..... that one with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy!

Would like a little reminder? 

There now, wasn't the house magnificent?

Currently ....

A snapshot of my life in April:

Reading

A good friend passes me paperbacks after she's read them. She always says "This one's OK if you want to take your brain out and just read!" I've read an awful lot of brainless rubbish recently. 

Any recommendations for something better?

Eating

I'm enjoying baking a lot just now. Our favourite cake at present is a raspberry sponge cake. This is a twist on a Mary Berry recipe. She uses strawberries in the middle, but I didn't have any, so I used up some frozen raspberries lurking in the depths of the freezer. Delicious!

Drinking

I haven't drank tea or coffee for years and years now, so I drink a lot of fruit teas.

This Blueberry and Apple tea is a new discovery.

Wearing

I'm still in winter clothes..... I haven't ventured outdoors without boots, socks, and a warm coat yet.

We haven't had a single warm day so far this year where I live!

Listening to

This haunting song keeps popping up on my i-pod these days. 

I've come to it very late, as it's from 'Once', a film that was out about five years ago, 

 The stage musical has just opened in London, so it's been around a bit recently.

Making me happy

Strangely, knitting is making me happy. I never thought I'd ever say that, as I usually find the process too slow and I give up easily. But right now, I'm keeping up with my Knit &Stitch patchwork blanket project and the knitted squares are beginning pile up now.

Watching

I'm a sucker for a heartwarming costume drama on Sunday nights..... think Larkrise or Downton Abbey. The new BBC drama 'The Village' is a costume drama, but oh my goodness it's not heartwarming, more heartbreaking! It's beautifully filmed though.

Thinking about

We're at the stage in the year when plans need to made for our summer holidays 

in the caravan.

Should we stay in our comfort zone with France, or should we be bold and try Switzerland? 

Maybe we can combine the two ....

I've had the maps and the guide books out all week.

Fed up with

Well. that's easy. I'm still fed up with the weather!

Don't be fooled by the blue skies, it's still flippin' freezing!

What have you been up to currently?

Flowers on Friday

Apple Blossom

Taking advantage

So, did you take advantage of the free weekend at many National Trust properties?
We did!
We went to Quarry Bank Mill at Styal. We've passed the brown signs pointing to Styal every time we go to Manchester Airport, but had never investigated further.

 The Mill shows the journey of cotton manufacture from hand spinning in cottages .....

to full mechanisation during Britain's Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century and beyond. We discovered that this place didn't fully close until 1959. That's not so long ago.

As always, it's a story of entrepreneurs taking advantage!
They got rich while their workers suffered miserable lives. And let's not forget  Britain's glorious involvement in the slave trade!

 I'll never complain about my working day again!

They say that the workers at Quarry Bank lived and worked in very good conditions, as they were housed in cottages in a pleasant valley away from the choking smoke of the industrial cities nearby.

 I don't know if I'd agree, as the noise from just one of these machines was deafening.

And much of the work was done by young children. Many were orphans, but many more were sent out to work by their own families. These parents were appalled by the introduction of some form of compulsory schooling as it meant less pennies in the wage packet.

Imagine working a full day at the cotton mill, and then three hours of school in the evening! No wonder they had so many accidents. They probably couldn't their eyes open, poor little mites.

 There's also the full story of the importance of of water in the cotton story, but I must admit I was suffering from serious information overload by the time we got to the huge water wheels, and steam engines.

Reading back through this, I think I've made all sound a very miserable experience, but it wasn't at all.

It really was fascinating, we learned lots of new things and it certainly made us think! We enjoyed the weaving demonstrations .....  and a very fine meal in the restaurant! The only downside was that we couldn't get a ticket for the Apprentice House tour .... too many people taking advantage of the free day got there before us! Beyond the mill buildings there's also lots of good walks in the river valley and gardens, but we didn't linger today, as rain was threatening.

 So, many thanks National Trust! We had a lovely day for the price of a lunch!

(I was actually so inspired, I joined up and became a member today. Be warned! There will be more than a few National Trust posts coming up in the next year, as I need to get my money's worth!)

Flowers on Friday

A bit of wishful thinking. 

The flower stall at a French village market last summer.

The Simple Things

Lately I've been drawn to this magazine.

I keep saying no more magazines ..... 

but this one always looks so pretty, and I was going away, so I gave in - again!

 If you're not familiar with it, I'd say it's just a little bit different.

There's no fashion, no celebs, and no glamorous homes.

 It sort of shows the fantasy life I live in my head,

just simple things .... 

it's all easy going, no rush, pleasant surroundings

freshly made bread,

perfect evenings with friends,

all shabby chic,

and chickens in the garden. 

I'd love chickens in my garden!

Now, I know I'm never really going to live their perfect simple life.

The chickens would be eaten by the local foxes for a start ....

but it's nice to dream.

One thing I really like is the list of Simple Things on the back cover.

The Simple Things that cheer us up or make us smile.

That's something I can do for sure.

I can make a list of the Simple Things that I enjoy too.

So for April my simple things are :

a completed crossword

lemon curd

a jug full of tulips

a home baked apple pie

a rainbow

a finished square for my knitted throw

phone calls from my children who live far from home

and especially this month ...

a walk without having to wear my gloves!

What are your simple things right now?

Flowers on Friday

Couldn't resist this jug recently .... another one for my collection!

A host of golden daffodils ....

William Wordsworth famously wandered lonely as a cloud around these parts, and chanced upon some daffodils.... an event not forgotten by all manner of hotels and shops in the vicinity of the Lake District. At this time of year you just can't avoid it ....

... but we wanted to find another host of daffodils with a Wordsworth connection.

In 1847 Wordsworth's only surviving daughter died from tuberculosis at the age of 43. 

Her devastated father planted thousands of daffodils in her memory, in the field he owned 

in front of his home in Rydal.

Dora's Field is tucked away behind the church of St Mary.

Today the site is maintained by the National Trust, and is still filled with daffodils.

We first found Dora's Field one summer, and promised ourselves to return in daffodil time.

As we strolled along the little paths, the sun came out fleetingly, and, as if by magic, 

for a moment everything was bathed in a golden glow.

Stone paths meander up the hillside, to even more daffodils.

We think we were probably a week too early to see the flowers in all their glory. The recent cold snap has held them back, but there were lots of little clumps of yellow braving the elements.

As always, you're never too far from a sheep, watching warily, especially if you have a dog.

Dora was buried nearby, in Grasmere.

You can find the Wordsworth family graves in the grounds of St Oswald's church 

in the heart of the village.

And, yes, there are daffodils there too!