Shackerstone & Shenton

We often visit this area as it is only just over an hour from where we live.  Usually it is when we spend our holidays sailing up and down the Ashby Canal but yesterday we had a run to Shackerstone to have a trip on the steam train.

We had half an hour to kill before it arrived so we had a toasted teacake in the Victorian tearooms on the station.  I suspect that the tearooms back then were a little less cluttered but it's nice to look at all the bits and bobs.

Then it was off on the train to Shenton.

The train stopped at Market Bosworth at the newly refurbished station and then on to Shenton.  The whole trip only takes about twenty minutes through undisturbed countryside.

The weather wasn't great and we got absolutely soaked walking to the Whitemoors Antiques and Tearooms in Shenton village.

We've moored at the Bosworth Battlefields before but never bothered to go in to Shenton but it is a real gem.

Whitemoors was excellent with lots of different units housing all sorts of antiques and furniture and the food in the tearooms was first class.  The place was very busy and we were lucky to get a table.

There look.  The only bit of blue sky we had all day.
If you want to know more about Whitemoors Antiques please click here.
Just in case you wondered, yes we did just take a quick peak at the boats on the canal.

I couldn't resist a picture of the Do Little Brothers broken down lorry.

Oh well it's back to the grind.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Eastfield Farm

For once Sunday was a beautiful sunny day and as I had promised to take Mum to Eastfield Farm before she was ill, this weekend was the opportunity we had been waiting for.
Eastfield Farm is situated in Tickhill, Doncaster which is about three miles from where I live.  We went there last year for the first time to buy the home grown produce they sell.  You can pick your own strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants and buy peas, carrots, potatoes, beetroot and free range eggs and people go to spend a couple of hours enjoying the outdoors.

They have also converted a little shed/summer house in to the most delightful tearoom.  It is so pretty with bunting and flowery tablecloths. 

You can see from the black board how reasonable the food is.

And the presentation is inspired. 
I chose the carrot cake and it was delicious with a gorgeous creamy cheese topping.

The whole bill came to £7.00.  We could have stayed there all day.  The staff were so nice too. 
Eastfield Farm is only open during the strawberry picking season and then closes until next year.
Hopefully we can fit another visit in before then.

Hello Duckie

I thought you might like to see a couple of finished items.
I loved this pattern which I found in a recent magazine and made them for fun.  I showed them to my Knit and Natter group and they sold immediately.

Above is the card I made for my niece Charlotte who graduated from Keele University last week. I enjoy doing cross stitch but haven't done any for a while. I've since bought some cards with the special cut outs so my future efforts will look a bit neater around the edges. 
My brother bought me a great cross stitch book with cute patterns for greetings cards for every occasion and it has proved very handy. I did a little cupcake one for one of my other nieces yesterday but forgot to photograph it before I posted it. I have another couple of birthdays coming up and can't wait to get started.

Sunday Excursion

Sunday threatened to be a nice day so we got up early and popped to Clumber Park near Retford.

Even folded up, trying to get mine and Steve's full size bike in the car was impossible.  So rather than buy a bike rack we bought another foldable Raleigh Swift. 
This was the first time we've been biking together ever and it was a lot of fun.  I'm not very good yet and a bit of a scaredy cat but I am improving slowly. We found a couple of tracks which weren't so busy which gave me chance to practise.

Once it got busy we headed back home, not before we had bought local honey and a honey recipe book though.  There was an exhibition inside one of the buildings which had an observation hive and lots of information about keeping bees. They even had a selection of honeys to try from very light clear ones up through to dark and then set ones as well.  Watch this space to see all the new recipes I want to try.

As it was such a nice day Steve suggested that we drop the bikes off and pop through to Shardlow which is down the M1 close to the river Trent. I had planned to go to the craft fair at the Race Course but didn't get I'm afraid.
We parked in the Navigation pub car park and walked down the canal.  Steve had heard that they had replaced the old bridge which had been swept away some time ago.  This now connects the two banks of the river Trent enabling you to walk as far as Sawley Marina.  This is where we did our Helmsman Certificate a few years ago.

Seagulls on the River Trent

The walk was about four miles in total and together with the two hours on the bikes you can imagine how we felt by the time we got back to the car.

These swans were enjoying a few scraps.

Of course we can't forget the ducks can we?

It was a great day and we just made it back before it started to rain again!

What a difference a day makes

After a bout of feeling under the weather on Saturday I bounced back in to action on Sunday having bought a supply of shiny gloss paints and good quality paint brushes, and here are the before and after shots.

It took me most of Sunday to finish but I think you'll agree that the effort was well worth it. The first picture doesn't show just how bad things were.  The paint was completely flaked off in places.
I actually wanted a pink door but that was too much for hubby to bare so I compromised and went for the complete opposite. I'm looking out for a nice slate number plaque now just to finish it off.

Nostell Priory and Lots More

It's been quite an eventful few days.
Steve bought me a new bike on Thursday, my Mum was taken into hospital on Saturday and we visited Nostell Priory yesterday.
First my new bike.  A Raleigh Swift Folding retro kind of bike.  It's great.  I had a quick practice at Clumber Park on Friday.  I'm rubbish on a bike and need to get up to speed before we go on holiday in eight weeks time, so that we can have "adventures" as my husband puts it.

With regard to my Mum. she has a very bad chest infection which is being treated with antibiotics through her arm.  She is also iron deficiant which they put down to internal bleeding so they need to sort that out.  Unfortunately she is 88 with Asthma which means that any operations or investigations she has are pretty risky so we will just have to wait and see what happens.
On a lighter note we did manage a couple of hours at Nostell Priory.  Steve and I only get one day in every two weeks together so we wanted to do something special before we went back to work.  I didn't get back from the hospital until 11 o'clock on Saturday evening.

We had a lovely long walk by the waters edge.

Through the woods with the beautiful fox gloves which had self seeded along the paths.

You wouldn't have guessed it was the 1st July.  The weather was cold and grey. More like the beginning of Winter.

There were a few water lillies out on the water though which reminds me that we must go back to Pocklington soon to see the lillies there.

I spent another couple of hours with Mum yesterday afternoon, got home and cut Steve's hair then it was time for bed.  I'm having the day off work today so I can spend a bit more time with Mum before my Knit and Natter group tonight. At this rate I'll be meeting myself coming back!