Belton House

Next we went to Belton. A short walk round the sunken garden with its fountain and a little further.

 

The roses are getting nicely established now and the surroundings of the fountain look lovely.

It was warm in the sunshine so we sat a while before heading back to th cafe for tea and scones.

Kedleston Short Walk

Going on holiday marked a turning point for me - I was determined to no longer use my walking stick. And we went to Kedleston to prove I could.

We didn't go far - just up the Short Walk to the Hermitage, looking at the signs of autumn.

It was tiring and I was glad to turn round!

And we rounded the visit off with a scone :)

 

Hardwick Hall

On our way home from Ashover we took a detour to Hardwick Hall, a 'prodigy' house built by Bess of Hardwick We didn't intend to go inside but just walked round the gardens.

Past clumps of cyclamen, and the ruins of the old hall, with glimpses of the new, to the entrance.

The gardens form a square round the house, filled with lots of seasonal flowers..

The park outside the gardens was too tiring to contemplate - perhaps one day ...

 

Holiday at last!

At long last my husband agreed to us going away on holiday. Not for long - a weekend - and not alone = all the family came too. 

This was our long-delayed 'Mayfest' weekend which should have taken place at Bank Holiday but got postponed due to my stroke.

We picked a converted barn in Ashover with a downstairs bedroom,  old fireplaces and velvet sofas.

The garden backed onto fields and open countryside, but we mainly stayed inside, playing board games, apart from dinner on Saturday evening.

It was idyllic. Especially after such a bad summer.