The ghosts of Nunnington Hall

Hello,

Thank you for your kind comments on my last few blog posts. I am sorry I haven't visited your blogs that much lately. The thing is, I can hardly find the time. I have taken up dancing (Lindy Hop) and together with the choir I sing in and off course family, friends and work, it takes up a lot of my time. I have decided to take a short blog break, as my brother is getting married in the middle of December as well and I am the photographer.  I will be back asap.

This summer the girls and I stayed for a week in a lovely cottage in Nunnington in North Yorkshire. What made our stay there even more special, is that we had a real country house on our doorstep 'Nunnington Hall'. It was built in the 17th century on the banks of the river Rye and once the home of the Ruthland family.

The hall is believed to be haunted, not only by the ghost of lady Nunnington, whose dress is heard dragging up and down the staircase, but by the ghosts of children as well. Others heard a party going on in rooms downstairs, but upon investigation the sounds couldn't be heard. As we wandered from room to room we enjoyed listening to the stories of the house and it's inhabitants. And no.....we did not see any ghosts :-)

The garden is a delight to walk through, with a rose walk, a meadow, a vegetable patch and colourful borders. There is a lovely tearoom and the possibility to play croquet on the lawn, which the girls and I always enjoy doing.

I hope my photo's do the hall and it's garden justice. I captured what caught my eye. If you would like to know and see more. Please have a look at their website.

Almost forgot. The winner of the book Besondere Frauen und ihre Gaerten by Callwey publishers is Janneke from the blog Het bloeiende buitenleven. Congratulations dear Janneke. I am sure you will find lots of inspiration inside. Will you please mail me your address, so that I can send the book your way?  I would like to thank the other ladies for taking part in my giveaway. I hope you will have more luck next time. 

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead! See you soon!

Love,

Madelief x

Serendipity

It was one of those dreary summer days with grey skies and continuous downpour. Days like this are never what you wish for, especially when on holiday.

The girls and I were staying in a cottage in the Peak District. After a morning walking around Bakewell, having seen all the shops, several cafés and being thoroughly cold and wet, we were at a loss what to do next. An afternoon of board games did not really appeal to me, but with no better alternative, it had to do. When heading home by car, we came upon a sign along the road with the words 'Haddon Hall'. I could remember reading something about it and I had seen some photo's, but I did not write it down as a 'must see'. As the girls were keen to check it out and the alternative wasn't one of my favourite. We gave it a go.

How wrong I had been not to put it on my list. The castle is one of the most enchanting places the girls and I visited. It's situated on a hill with a view of the river Wye, and so very romantic. The medieval house has remained virtually unchanged since the reign of Henry the eight and has some of the finest untouched interiors. You can see the long gallery in one of my photo's. The light there is really exceptional.

To me best of all are the 17th century terraced gardens overlooking the river. The exterior walls are adorned with climbing roses and there are colourful borders. Although the rain kept on falling, the place looked magical with a hazy mist hovering over the gardens and the river. To make our day ever more special: my youngest daughter found a four leaf clover. Just what we needed :-)

If you would like to visit Haddon Hall, please  have a look at their website.

Have a lovely week!

Madelief x