WORTH THE WAIT...I HOPE SO

Hi there
Well today has been very different and very exciting. Meeting up with some blogger friends for coffee has been a real treat. However all that is to come tomorrow once I've sorted the piccies out....so you'll have to be patient...

In the meantime here is the promised tour of Rufford Abbey and Country Park..
Last weekend we went on one of our jaunts fearing that the awful weather would spoil our day a little as most of the day was to be spent outdoors...But yet again the sun shone and made everything that bit more special.

Rufford Park, Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest are all very close and I would imagine many many years ago were all joined together. Rufford started out as an Abbey until Henry V111 reign and then eventually became a private house. This was put up for Auction in the 1930s and was eventually bought by Nottinghamshire County Council. In 1956 a large portion of the buildings were demolished as unsafe and then what could be was partially restored and finally opened up to the public.

The courtyard where you will find the restaurant....

Some of the restoration work, as you can see there is little of the original house left....

In the cellar there is an exhibition showing how this would have been used as the refectory for the monastery and lots of information about the life and antics....and I do mean antics of the monks!!

You can see why they were targeted for closure even though the declaration above implies that it was unjust...

The vaulted ceiling is amazing

But I dont fancy one of those apples......

The fireplace down here is from the private house though and installed years later..

This picture was taken about 1909 and shows the house in its prime.....

The stunning walks take you around lakes...

Through a wide grassy ride...

All this and nature too!.....

This fella is obviously used to the camera..

And these were my star performers of the day....dad lounging about with the kids while mum provides all the food.......we've not progressed there much have we.

BUT THE BEST BIT OF ALL......

£3 to park and otherwise FREE!!!

Thanks for lending me your ears again..or should that be eyes.. will be back with the tale of the bloggers meet tomorrow.

TTFN

Jenny xx

STOP PRESS............PETERBOROUGH BLOG MEET!

If any of you lovely bloggers are within spitting distance of Peterborough on Friday 23rd July about 11.00 am, perhaps you would like to meet up for coffee, (and hopefully a cake), we do need to keep our strength up!

 I have been thinking of doing this for some time and now is as good as any. If you are interested please leave me a comment on this post and I will get back to you with the details.

I do hope a few of you can make it.

( image by doceopterix on Photobucket)

It would be so lovely to put faces to the wonderful blogs that we read, and chat about the great things you do! We're not standing on ceremony here, no panic about what to wear, you as comfortable as you like so that you can relax and enjoy it!

(image from photobucket)

I'll be wearing the pink ones!!

So come on girls sign up...I'd really like to meet you.

TTFN

Jenny xx

PS Will be back at the weekend (Saturday) to post about the Pay it Forward kindness giveaway, so if you've tried to sign up with someone else and just missed out here's another opportunity to join in.