6th April, 2015...A misty Easter Bank Holiday!

So...whilst the rest of the country basks in 21 degrees Celsius...we get freezing sea mist for the second day running...we couldn't resist coming down to Furness Abbey at 8am today to have a look!

 

 

 

 

Atmospheric yes, but we could all do with a bit of warmth at the moment! Mist or no mist, the intrepid Barrow public have had great fun down at Abbey Mill and the amphitheatre this weekend, rolling eggs and supporting Furness Abbey Fellowship in their fund raising efforts... 

 

 

 

 

 

And we did meet our long-time pal and his clan down here, which was nice...he's family really, even in those dazzling trainers!!

 

 

 

And many thanks to Abbey Mill's Jackie for our little Easter treat!

 

 

 

Some cute calves in the meadow by Bow Bridge...haven't seen any lambs down here yet...

 

 

 

 

.......but lots of blossom and daffodils, so Spring is getting here SLOWLY!

 

 

 

 

Frank's been having a paddle, so it must be warming up!

 

 

Unfortunately, all the egg-rolling has resulted in a bit of a (biodegradable) mess on the sides of the amphitheatre, which the sea gulls are helping to clean up!! There has been some 'offense taking' about it, but I seem to remember that last year, after about a week, there was very little 'egg mess' remaining. Litter from the groups who use Furness Abbey at night time for illicit drinking, under age perhaps, causes much more of an eye-sore than a few smashed up hardboiled eggs...let's not forget that!

 

 

I'm reading a superb book at the moment, which features various Lake District and Cumbrian haunts as incidental backdrops to a conservation story about my favourite creatures! That over simplifies the plot but I don't want to give too much away!!

 

 

Wolves don't take offense so easily, it seems!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd April, 2015...Tudor Time Travel in my favourite month!

We arrived back in Barrow on Wednesday evening to everyone shouting about the horizontal hailstones that stopped the crossing of Jubilee Bridge.....it's been lovely weather in Stratford, don't know what all the fuss was about...and look at the weather at Furness Abbey today!

 

 

Ok....I'll allow that it is still a bit 'arctic' on top of the Lakes hills, but that's it!

 

 

So, this was sunny Upper Heyford, in North Hants...then we did a quick right hand turn and got to Stratford-on-Avon!

 

 

 

 

 

Look at that sky! We'd picked a lovely hotel too...I can recommend it if you are staying down here! And it's within walking distance of all the Shakespeare properties too!

 

 

If you know us, you'll know we have a love of historic buildings and these were perfect.....

 

 

 

 

...Shakespeare's birthplace had some 'live' street theatre, which was superb.....

 

 

...we requested it, they performed it..... this was 'All the world's a stage'...from As you like it!...

 

 

...and Juliet is hanging out of the window here, with 'Romeo, Romeo...wherefore art thou Romeo'!

 

 

A superb Romeo too! I would love to bring a group of kids here...pity it's so far from Barrow!

 

 

 

 

Ancient trees in the graveyard of Holy Trinity church where Shakespeare is buried...it seems he paid the local land owners extra money so that he and his family could be buried inside the church walls. 

 

 

 

 

Frank has to light his customary candle!

 

 

Interesting visit to Dr Nash's house...the husband of Susannah Shakespeare, William's daughter, who nursed him in old age. Shakespeare's own house, New Place is being excavated at the moment, and is not open to the public...I'd love to be involved in that excavation!

 

 

This was his apothecary and consulting room!

 

 

 

Poor old SteveHillmanPhotography... a bit redundant whilst we were shopping! Back to it this Saturday though, with his first Spring wedding!

 

 

 

 

Shakespeare quotes on your own penny....my daughter knows what's what!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29th March, 2015...Busy build-up to Easter!

Well, the Easter holidays have arrived...hardly a moment since Christmas, but here we are. We've certainly had an action-packed few months. The Steve Hillman camera headed out for a walk earlier this week, on that lovely sunny Wednesday!

 

 

 

He found a bit of competition down here though, from GB Bootcamp!

 

 

 

Phew...far too energetic for me....I'd rather walk...here's my colleague though, who thinks nothing of running SIXTEEN miles on a Sunday, and still finds time to get to the hairdressers!

 

 

It was a bit of an emotional finish to our Easter term, as one of our long-term cleaning team was retiring, and during the week we'd also found a replacement for our site manager who is soon to retire too....she's been tied up with our school for most of her life one way or another and is part of the fabric of the building. Here's our retiring cleaner saying her good byes!

 

 

And a lovely finish to the term too with decorated eggs and spring like dressing up!!

 

 

A local celeb came to judge our competition too, which was great!

 

 

The Steve Hillman camera spotted lots of colourful wildlife down here this week.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

....but not the wild deer that had obviously done this, and been spotted earlier in the week!

 

 

Looking great at Abbey Mill Café with their new signs, windows and a roaring wood burner going....a chilly Easter weekend is the perfect time for a bracing walk and tea with hot cross buns....a few of us colleagues are going to do just that next week! We don't need the excuse of a birthday!

 

 

 

 

 

Come down and join us!

 

 

 

We did pop down to the Coast Road today too...in the vain hope that we'd see Poldark.....

 

 

...but no....just the ice cream man and Frankie!!

 

 

So, the Hillman clan are heading further south this week, for some Tudor Time Travel....as long as there's WiFi, says Frankie!!