Monday 4 April 2016
Visit to Hardwick Hall - Part 2
Monday 28 March 2016
Another Change of Topic - Visiting a Local UK Stately Home
Hello Everyone!
First of all, my apologies for missing last week's blog, but time simply flew by, and as there was little more to post about, I decided to let the occasion pass!
This week, however, I'm delighted to tell you that the White and Yellow Plush Baby Rabbits mentioned in our last post who were en route to Florida - got to their intended destination in time for Easter.
MrsDM, the Buyer, who intended the Yellow one for her Sister - to remind them both of their childhood in England, sent this message - which I picked up on Easter Saturday.
"The little bunnies arrived today, just in time for Easter tomorrow. I took my sister her yellow bunny and she just broke into a huge smile and started cuddling it. I adore my little one as well. Thanks so much, they are a so very cute."
The more Cuddlies I make, the more I am convinced that although I make Toys for EVERYONE, most of them seem to end up with folks who like to be reminded of childhood days, rather than those who are actually experiencing them now!! Not a problem, but.........!!
In my title, I allude to the fact that you are going to be told about one of the local visitor attractions - of which there are fortunately quite a few in the local vicinity - Hardwick Hall - a National Trust property which is located 7-9 miles from where I live in Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. There are several ways to approach Hardwick Hall (HH from now on), which is actually over the country border in Derbyshire (which is only a couple of miles away from Kirkby) and that accounts for the mileage variation!!
Built by Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury (which she became as the result of one of her four marriages), parts of the site have been in existence since the 1500's. Bess is mostly described as being "formidable", and when you consider she lived at the same time as Queen Elizabeth I, and was the second richest person in the land at that time, you get some idea of the lady's stature! Her grand daughter, Arbella, was niece of Mary, Queen of Scots (having married Mary's nephew Charles Stuart) and a serious contender to succeed the childless Queen Elizabeth. However, that possibility was scuppered by the fact that Charles Stuart died, and Arbella was imprisoned by Elizabeth in the Tower of London, so the crown passed to Mary's son, James I (VI of Scotland) - and the rest, as the saying goes - is History!!
Bess was intent on making a statement of her status - hence the creation of Hardwick Hall, which is now part of the National Trust - having been acquired for their portfolio in place of death duties from the Estate of the Duke of Devonshire. (Hardwick Hall, became part of the Devonshire's Estate as the result of an earlier Duke of Devonshire's marriage, and is not very far from Chatsworth - where the current Duke of Devonshire still lives.) HH is built on the top of a ridge which over looks the M1 motorway - connecting London and Scotland - and despite the Old Hall (original, but burned before being replaced by the current structure) being in ruins, both structures can still be visited.
A view of the Old Hall, with visitors in the foreground. |
Our visit was on a grey, Spring day with gusty winds, which were enough to nearly blow us away at times, so the buildings and garden don't show themselves well. However, I hope the photographs which follow will give folks an idea of the grandeur of the site, and may be entice overseas readers to visit when they come to the UK. (As most of you are aware, I am sure, there is a lot more to the United Kingdom than just London - although one can spend a lot of time there, and not see EVERYTHING worth seeing in that City too).
The view from the Hall Grounds at the entrance Visitors take to view the Grounds and Hall. |
Stableyard and Estate Buildings - now used for displaying tourist attractions. |
Rear of the Stable - now used as Visitor Restaurant. Too cold for outside lingering when we visited. |
Entrance to Hardwick Hall on its South-facing side. |
Just to prove the family were all there! Grandad was taking the picture! |
Sunday 13 March 2016
Baby Bunnies en route to Florida - in search of some sunshine.
Hello everyone - Cy Bear returning to the Blog for a session again.
Isobel is taking a rest from Hedgehogs for a bit (although I shall probably refer to some of the things she has been working on "behind the scenes" as it were). However, she's been poorly over the past few weeks, and a couple of weeks ago was diagnosed with pleurisy. Last week, "the Muse" as she likes to call her ability to create these posts - both on behalf of herself and me - was a bit low, which is why there was no bulletin from us.
This week, though, she's picked up somewhat, been able to finish some of the Yellow and White Baby Easter Bunnies she'd been sewing as replacements to our bunch of Baby Bunnies (of many colours) and actually parcel up two who have recently found Forever Homes in Jacksonville, Florida.
This week, though, she's picked up somewhat, been able to finish some of the Yellow and White Baby Easter Bunnies she'd been sewing as replacements to our bunch of Baby Bunnies (of many colours) and actually parcel up two who have recently found Forever Homes in Jacksonville, Florida.
So, this is a photograph of the two White Plush Baby Bunnies we had in stock when MsDM contacted Isobel early in February. When shown the photograph, she chose the one on the right, but
then asked if she could have one of the Yellow and White Plush Baby Bunnies too. Apparently, these Baby Bunnies reminded her of the childhood in England, when she had a White Baby Bunny and her sister had a Yellow one.
As all the Yellow Bunnies we had were already on display at "The Artful Buttoner",in Kirkby-in-Ashfield - where we live now, and because Isobel is currently staying up the road with her Grandson and his family, she collected the fabrics to make some more, and this is the result so far:
A second all yellow one is currently being worked on, but as MsDM asked for a Yellow and White Chested Bunny - with either a Yellow or Green ribbon (with or without check or dots) - Isobel chose the Baby Bunny on the right of the above picture (as it looks most similar to the chosen White one) and proceeded to find what suitable ribbon she had in her stash.
Most of the ribbons now in stock are too big - because of some new offerings Isobel is working on - but she was able to find some suitable self-colour yellow ribbon, which she promptly sewed on to the Baby Bunny bound for Florida.
The two travellers are now safely, individually wrapped in chemical free tissue paper, ready for their journey to Jacksonville - scheduled to start on 14th March. They've then both been wrapped together in bubble wrap and slipped into a polythene airmail envelope. All that remains to be done is for the Customs label to be filled in, and the journey paid for - and both Baby Bunnies will be on their way to their Forever Homes.
The Hedgehog story is in limbo at present, until Isobel is back home and able to organise herself once again. In the meantime though, there have been two Petitions to Parliament which could well have a bearing on the future of the UK Hedgehog population. Both have been signed by Isobel - on behalf of herself and us Coldham Cuddlies. One seeks to save a special Wildlife Police Unit from being closed down for lack of funds, and has been successful in persuading the current UK Government to find sufficient funds to allow the Unit to operate until 2020.
The second petition is still on going and aims to get Protection for the UK Hedgehog population in an effort to halt their decline. It has been proposed by Oliver Colville, MP - who is the Member of Parliament behind the move to get the Hedgehog made the Official UK Animal.
The exact wording of the petition is as follows:-
Give the hedgehog better legal protection in order to reverse its decline.
The exact wording of the petition is as follows:-
Give the hedgehog better legal protection in order to reverse its decline.
The petition of the residents of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland declares that the British hedgehog population has declined by up to a third over the last 10 years.The petitioners therefore urge the House of Commons to endorse the practical supporting measures of 'Hedgehog Street' and ensure the hedgehog is given better legal protection including adding it to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act by the Government and in particular the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
So far, the petition has attracted 25,238 signatures. The procedure in the UK for petitions is that all with more than 10,000 signatures have to receive an official response from Government, and 29 days are allowed for that to happen. It has been proposed by Oliver Colville, MP - who is the Member of Parliament behind the move to get the Hedgehog made the Official UK Animal.
The countdown for the Government response is still in progress.
In case you are interested, you can learn more about "Hedgehog Street" and the work being carried out by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society by clicking on this link http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/. The Press Office there were most helpful and encouraging to Isobel when she started the Coldham Cuddlies Hedgehog fund raising efforts, and we'd like to help them too, where we can.
So that's all from me for this week: do hope everyone is well and it's been good to be back "chatting" with you again.
Your Friend: Cy Bear.
PS: If there are some strange "squares" and things on this blog when published, it's because of the technical difficulties experienced in "copying and pasting" the petition text from the Government site to this blog. One day, maybe, Isobel will get the hang of it and be able to present these things without strange things happening in the process!
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