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Tuesday 13 September 2016

A surprise win and Sudeley Castle part 1

Jo had a blog anniversary giveaway a couple of weeks ago, and guess who the winner was?

ME! Yayyyyy

It was such a lovely surprise, here's what Jo sent


All my favourite goodies in one box :-)
I love the colour of the yarn, more teal than the blue that is showing up in the photo and it is so so soft!  I'm going to have to go in search of another shawl pattern for this one.

Jo also sent a lovely card, and I have to tell you Jo that you have the neatest writing :-)
And thank you again for the goodies.

This week I have another 5 days off work and I wanted to make the most of the nice weather we are still having so today I took myself off to Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds. 

I set off at 10.30 after the work and school traffic had all cleared and just an hour later I was in pretty Winchcombe.  I stopped there and sat in the car and ate my breakfast then had a little walk around, there are a few shops but not enough to keep you occupied for more than an hour or so, still, there were some pretty little roads and cottages.



Sudeley Castle is less than a mile out of the village, it is such an interesting place absolutely chock full of history, I could easily have spent another few hours there.

It is the home of Lord and Lady Ashcombe and is the only privately owned castle to have a queen buried in it's grounds, Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's last wife lived and died there and her tomb is still in St Mary's church in the castle grounds.  Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I all visited there. 

The first thing you walk through before reaching the the castle is The Tithe Barn







Then looking over a small pond you see the castle

That pond held my attention for a while because as I walked round I could see some fish coming to the surface.




I've no idea what sort of fish they are but they are strange!

My next stop was Richard III's Banqueting Hall, no in ruins but so interesting.









From here I went into the Knot Garden, created as a reminder of one of her visits, the hedges are clipped into a design which was on one of Elizabeth I dresses.



Through the other end is Elizabeth I in her privy chamber, (wonder who thought this one up)


I had a little walk around the grounds then before I went inside.


Yew trees seem to be a favourite in many of these historic places, I wonder if how we see them now is how they imagined they would be when they were planted.




You were allowed to walk in these ones, well, no one stopped me anyway!


.......To be continued

Until then
-X-

10 comments:

Jo said...

Glad you like the goodies, I look forward to seeing what you make with the yarn. What an interesting place with so much history linked to it, perfect for a day out. It looks like you've picked a great week for some time of work with the beautiful weather we're having. Enjoy the rest of the week.

Mary - Lecoeurceltique said...

What a lovely surprise to win Jo's giveaway. It looks as if you had a good day in Winchcombe and at Sudeley Castle.

Mylittlepieceofengland said...

Lovely gifts. I love a bit of history, especially the Plantagenet and Tudor era. What a fascinating place to visit, thanks for sharing xx

Vickie said...

Oh my! This has been most fascinating!!

Barb said...

What an amazing place to visit. I loved the pictures. Thanks for sharing. And to think that in the US we think 200 years is old!!

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely goodies from Jo.

What a lovely place to visit, it was great to see your photo's and read a little about it.

All the best Jan

Miriam said...

Vero nice and dreaming post! And the tea tin...I love it!
Thank you for sharing!
Miriam

Penny said...

That is a lovely color of yarn - can't wait to see what pattern you pick for it. And your pictures are amazing! I find the history interesting, too. Those fish are quite colorful and yes, a little strange. : )

Desiree Ehleiter said...

What a wonderful place to visit! Great pictures! I loved how the 'inside' of the ruined buildings were turned into such lovely gardens!

Julie said...

Great gifts from Jo's giveaway.
Love your adventure, looks like something I would like to visit.