I'm not sure why I feel particularly sentimental about Autumn this year, but I do. The colours seem so vibrant and I am a little in awe of the changing season. Today being a crisp (cold) but dry day seemed perfect to tramp about through the leaves and have an Autumnal adventure.
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| Yellows |
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| Reds |
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| Oranges |
So we headed off to the Argory to see what adventures could be had.
As we gravel crunched through the courtyard, Beatrice was a little overwhelmed by everything around her...there were witches and pirates striding across the courtyard, elegant looking ladies with large spiders on their hats and an elderly red riding hood who took our money in the car park. She was reluctant to listen to the spooky story, have her face painted, do some colouring in or make a spider. So we walked to the front of the Argory to see if we could tour the house. Something happened on the way to inspire a little confidence.
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| Perhaps it was chilling with her very handsome Daddy or... |
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| ....tossing handfulls of crisp and crunchy leaves. |
But whatever it was, as we returned to the courtyard (to buy our tickets for the house tour) she was happy to venture into one of the old stables to make a pink pipe cleaner spider and have her face painted....as a witch...her choice. So it was with a rather unusual little girl that we returned to the front door of the house.
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| The house has never been lit by electricity, but has a beautiful collection of gas lamps. |
The tour lasted 50 minutes and the guide (a very friendly elderly costumed lady) was unconvinced that Bea would be able to endure it. "You can sneak out if you need to, don't worry" she asided to me in a dramatic stage whisper. "Thanks, we'll see how we get on" I replied.
The house was filled with lovely and very interesting pieces of furniture, like a table inlaid with butterflies in the drawing room, a giant doll's house (OK it was a miniature of an Egyptian temple) in the hall, a rug made out of "real dead bear" in the billiards room and...Oh yes...this tea set in the dining room.
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| The table set for afternoon tea...perfect |
Then we went upstairs...The landing had three cases filled with stuffed birds. Then we headed along the dim, spooky corridor into a gentleman's bedroom, with a tin hip bath, a hatstand for top hats and a bit of a soldier's uniform. After that it was into the lady's princess' room. Along with her glass cabinet of potions, medicines and lotions which I found interesting, there was a mannequin dressed in a full length green velvet gown, a wardrobe filled with delicate shoes and hats, button boots and a four poster bed.
There was so much to look at it was not remotely difficult maintaining Beatrice's attention. I admit "remember don't touch" was hissed on occasion but she enjoyed the tour, much to the amazement of the guide. "I thought she was much too young to be interested in history!" she confessed as we left. I just smiled thinking "she is at the perfect age to be interested in everything". She doesn't know that it is "history", she hasn't developed the art of academic labelling yet, she just knows it was a beautiful house, with spooky long corridors, filled with stories of long ago people. What's not to like about stories?
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| The Rose Garden |
What else was there to do? Bea had amassed sufficient courage after touring the house to visit the...
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| The witch's washing line |
In her little kitchen there were shelves of potions and a table with five covered boxes. Bea was challenged to put her hand under the cloth to feel what was in the box and guess if what she was feeling was...
- Newt Eggs
- Witches Warts
- Boiled Worms
- Pickled Eyes
- Witches Fingernail
The witch who greeted us was very friendly, but Bea remained suspicious of her...despite her own witchy eyebrows!
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| The face paint and spooky spider! |
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| Scaring Daddy with the witchy face! |
We stopped in Lady Ada's tearoom for refreshments. One of us had a toffee apple, one of us had a slice of Victoria sandwich (with jam and coconut on the top....that's one to keep in mind) and one of us had a scone, apple tart and cream......hmmmm....I wonder which was which?!
Then feeling revitalised it was off to find the "Goblin's Gravestones". The first one was beside a rather ugly governess....
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| Bea looks quite maudlin over the demise of Scraggy Baggy Rat! |
Once we had paid our respects to the goblins we had to return to the gift shop to hand in a list of their names. Walking through the courtyard we discovered that the spooky stories were about to start. By now the brave goblin hunter was eager to go into the story room and wait for the witch to arrive.... and arrive she did, warts, pet crow et al!
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| The tale of the Hairy Toe! |
Our final adventure for the day was to go into the pumpkin carving chamber and draw a spooky face on an orange gourd and watch as it was carved for us. While we were watching supergirl carve our pumpkin a pirate entered the room. He struck up a conversation with four little sea dogs at the next table. Their mummy asked him, "are you a good or a bad pirate?" When he replied "Bad!" a little hand reached up and sought the reassurance of mine, and as Capt. Jack left, a little body slunk behind my legs. I love the faith that Bea has in me. Mummy against the pirate....her money's on Mummy!
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| I told you it was super girl! |
There was just time on our way to the car for a spot of colouring in....
...and a rustle in the leaves....
...and that concludes an autumnal adventure.
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