Thursday photo #298

For the first time in a long time, there’s a half term approaching and we don’t have any plans. My husband has used all his leave so we won’t be going away for the week. We may manage a few days but for the majority of the time, we’ll be staying local. Writing about what’s happening in the West Midlands this half term has made me realise that staying local will be just as fun as going away. I also feel that a few quiet days will be just what we need.

Hidcote Gardens

We’ve had a National Trust membership for several years now, but we’re terribly guilty of returning to the same local places again and again. So, when we arranged to meet some friends and they suggested a National Trust location we hadn’t visited, we thought it was a great idea. Hidcote is about an hour away and I’m sure it is much more popular in the summer than winter.

A former owner of Hidcote Manor, Lawrence Johnston was a plant hunter. He developed ‘rooms’ within the garden to give his plants the best conditions to thrive. I’m told that in the summer, each area is based upon a different colour and it’s really rather beautiful. In winter though, it’s still well worth a visit. We were lucky enough to have glorious weather and there was an art exhibition on inside, as well as pretty gardens to walk around outside. We have said that we’ll be back in a few months when the flowers are out though.

Taking photographs

Since starting my blog, photography is probably the thing I’ve found most difficult. I take lots of photos outdoors for my Instagram, but I’ve never really been a fan of taking indoor photos. As a result, most of the photos I take are outside and the girls have picked up on this. So, whenever we go somewhere with beautiful views or pretty scenery, they ask to use the camera.

Libby has had a couple of cameras over the years, but they haven’t been robust enough for her. So, both girls just take it in turns to borrow my phone or camera. I’ve been thinking for a while now that we should probably buy them a camera each. It came to a head this weekend when we were at Hidcote. Libby asked to borrow my camera and handed it back with this photo on it. I think it’s time to defer to her better judgement when it comes to taking photos.

Thursday photo #298

It’s nice to post a photo of the girls that was taken in the sunshine. Last weekend was lovely, it seems like ages since we’ve had beautiful cold, sunny weather like that.