Chatsworth - Christmas market and Illuminated garden trail

As a sort of early Christmas treat to ourselves, we decided to re-join the Chatsworth 'Friends' scheme, and our first visit was timed to catch the Christmas Market and visit the Illuminated Trail round the garden.

We were fortunate to have missed all the snow and ice, and stumbled on a wonderfully sunny day. The food and drink stalls were, as always, the main attraction for me - trying samples as diverse as White Peak gin and Casa Mia amaretti biscuits - and, of course, we came away with more treats for ourselves than presents for family or friends.

As the sun set, the day turned colder so we headed inside to the cafe in the old stable block for tea and cake before our visit to the gardens. With an illuminated 'tree' in the central courtyard and decorations around the ceilings, I doubt any previous occupants would have recognised their former stables.

On then into the gardens as the sun sank completely and twinkling lights appeared. No matter how well you know a place (and we've been frequent visitors to Chatsworth for years) it takes an a different appearance after dark, especially when illuminated. It was like following a path through an enchanted woodland.

 

There were small flickering lights which swayed and danced, huge static ones to light the tallest trees, searchlights moving across the maze area, all in all an enchanted wonderland.

And as a grand finale, a light-show transformed the front of the house.

November snow

My mother's birthday was in mid-November, and our family tradition expected snow either on the day or very soon after. This year certainly didn't disappoint. 

Late on the 18th, snow started to fall - despite not actually being forecast to do so. By bedtime we'd had quite an appreciable amount fall but I expected it to change to sleet and rain, as forecast.

In the morning though my corner of the world was white over.The trees and lawn were covered in snow, the birdbath smothered, the red poppy bird feeders full.

For a couple of days I stayed home, relatively warm and snug, but once  the pavements and pathways looked clear and safe (even for a person inclined to fall and/or twist ankles) and the sun was shining brightly I headed out. My plan had just been to head over to the playing fields but the day was so lovely I was tempted to add on a walk round our local wood.

There was even a robin looking seasonal.

 

Back home though the winter jasmine continued to flower brightly.

Dunham Massey - autumn and getting ready for Christmas

A recent overnight visit to my daughter in Manchester gave me the opportunity to call in at Dunham Massey on my (not very direct) way home. I've been here in spring and summer but this was my first visit in autumn.

 For November, it was a glorious day, warm enough for sitting in the sun and only a cardigan needed to keep off any chill.

The flowers were mainly over, and some of the trees were starting to look a little bare, but as I expected there were still things to see - berries, the startling white trunks of silver birch, leaves of yellow or bright red, and a few flowers still hanging on.

What I hadn't expected to see was preparations for the Christmas lights events underway. I suppose they have to be put up by someone at some time, but I'd sort of imagined they went up by magic (or Santa's elves) overnight. It certainly gave some idea of the extent of planned illuminations - paths lined with candy canes and gingerbreadmen, a glade filled with snowdrops, nutcracker toy soldiers, archways of stars, and a pair of gigantic deer leading the way to a fairground. I'd love to be able to organise a trip back north to see them. Maybe next year ...