Windsor Great Park

Whenever I visit my family we go walking in Windsor Great Park. We generally go around Saville Gardens (not in it as it is expensive and we are cheap and prefer to spend our money on a ridiculously over priced coffee and big cake in the cafe) and then down into the Valley gardens. These gardens are beautiful and cover a huge area.

They are generally pretty quiet except for the odd family picnic or plant enthusiast tourist. Unless you happen to be going for a walk when the Polo is on, then there are lots of over enthusiastic Americans trying to get a glimpse of Prince William and blag their way into the posh enclosure where all the toffs and celebs are drinking champagne. Thankfully this only happens once a year. The rest of the year there is normally some Pony club buggering about on the polo fields not affecting the rest of the park.

I have been going to the park for as long as I can remember. We always used to go for a long trek on Christmas Eve as children. I think it was in the hope my parents would manage to tire us out enough to sleep at least a bit before Father Christmas arrived. My Dad used to be friends with one of the gardeners and I remember stopping off in his cosy cottage near the Queen Mum’s house for a hot chocolate on the way round.

The park has some of the most beautiful rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias I have ever seen. But the park has minimal visitor facilities and no gimmicky attractions. I think for this reason there is currently a drive to encourage more visitors. They are therefore building a new visitors centre.

Every time I go home it is really interesting to see the progress they have made on the build. The building has a beautiful larch frame roof that was slowly jacked into an organic wave that perches on top of clear storey glazing giving the impression that it is floating. On my last visit the roof had been clad in green Oak taken from the park. I have never seen a roof clad in wood like this anywhere in England before. It will be interesting to see how it weathers.

When it is finished the building will have a panoramic view over Saville gardens and will house a café, learning centre and nursery. It is really good to see that the Crown estates have made such an effort with the design of this building when they could have quite easily plopped a shed down on the site. Instead they will have a landmark building which should give a clear identity to the gardens and Windsor Great Park. It already looks settled in the landscape. I took some pictures on my phone which I will post when Phil magically downloads them onto the computer without the use of any wires. Technology nowadays is quite amazing but sadly still just out of my grasp.

I recommend a visit if anyone is down South for the weekend (or lives there obviously!).

Easter

Hello everybody. Hope you all had a good Easter.

Easter has been and gone in an orgy of chocolate, lots of food and booze and no DIY or exercise predictably!

Jo and I had planned to go running at least once but once the hangovers took a hold it didn’t seem such a great idea.

Thursday night was spent catching up with Jo and Lisa in Ha Ha bar. Rob then turned up and it turned into a real drinking session first in the Wig and Pen and then in Boho until the bar staff started sweeping up around us at around 2. Jo then made us a very tasty middle of the night bacon sandwich which I think helped ward off the worst of the hangovers.

For some reason during the evening the conversation turned to fantasy football. Now believe it or not I have a fantasy football team at work and am in the same league as Rob’s work. Now I don’t think I am doing too badly as I am currently around 62nd in our mini league and 3rd in the office (which does mean I am beating 2 blokes in our office who actually know about football). So I tell Rob this and swear blind that I am 70th in the country. He was suitably impressed until I checked my actual position countrywide not just in my mini league. I am an amazing 88645th. Oh dear!

Friday was lost to a lie in and lots of house work….borring. Then on Saturday Phil’s Dad turned up for a visit. We had a nice walk down Rivelin valley and looked at all the ruined mills and knackered allotments. (Glamorous is Sheffield.) I left Phil and his Dad in the pub and went home to make a big curry to feed at least 5 of us as Jo and Rob were about too. Luckily I made extra as Tim turned up to drop a few things in just when I was about to dish up and so he got fed too!

I made lamb Dopiaza, chicken Balti and Aloo Gobi. It was all really nice and I’ll post up the recipes one of these days. When I first started this blog I thought it would mostly become a food blog. I try new recipes every week and love cooking but so far none of it has appeared. I am going to try and take pictures when I am cooking which should encourage me write it up here.

On Sunday Phil made us a nice roast and then we went for a long walk at Yorkshire Sculpture park. The sculpture park is near the M1 junction to Huddersfield. It is really big park with loads of sculptures from different eras (really I here you say!). Most notably a large collection of Henry Moores, a new gallery and visitors centre. It was pretty busy as it was Easter Sunday but not disgustingly so. It is definitely one of my favourite places to go near our house. It is free which definitely scores high on the enjoyment versus cost ratio. Phil’s dad headed back down South that evening and so we just flopped and watched ‘The Village’ which proved to be pretty unscary and a bit rubbish.

Phil had to go to work on Monday which was crap but we both had the day off to go to Harry’s naming ceremony on Tuesday. We drove to Lincolnshire on Tuesday morning and arrived just in time for the ceremony. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I have only ever been to christenings before. In fact the ceremony was really sweet with Charlotte and Neil getting a bit teary along with everyone else. Phil and I were sat next to a small child named Kyle throughout and after his Mum came up to us and said..”oh I do hope you both have had chicken pox!”. I say yes, Phil says no and looks a bit stricken. We are awaiting the arrival of the spots as we speak!

Bugger

I don't think I have quite got the hang of links yet. I'll sort it tomorrow!

So what has been going on recently?

As Phil has so eloquently posted here we spent a very pleasant weekend in Linlithgow with Rachel and Nick. It was really nice to see them as they are missed back here in Sheffield.

Otherwise not a lot is going on. I have started to train outside for the race for life. I was afraid I would hate it but it is far less tedious than running in the gym. There are loads more to look at and I am running with Jo so we can gossip as we go (well when we have enough breath). So far we have run in the rain so I have become one of those people you look at on the way home and think to yourself

‘What a crazy bastard running in the rain. You would never catch me doing that!’

I shall let you lot know how we get on. So far there haven’t been any funny stories or mishaps but as you all know it is just a matter of time. I am quite amazed I haven’t fallen off the back of a treadmill yet.

I have booked a table for my birthday in a couple of weeks at Wasabisabi which I am looking forward to. (To all those who are coming it is 7pm, 28th April.) This Japanese restaurant opened a while ago and has built a very good reputation. I booked early so we would get into the part of the restaurant where they cook the food in front of you. I think it is called the Teppenyaki bar. Hopefully it should be a tasty and fun experience.

It is Easter again and Phil and I are planning to pretty much do bugger all. We have loads of annoying jobs around the house that need finishing and the running training will carry on. Phil’s Dad is threatening a visit so I think we may visit the Kelham Island Industrial museum and have a few real ales in the Fat Cat afterwards (well they will but I will be a philistine and stick to G and T).

On Tuesday we are off to Harry’s naming ceremony in Lincoln where I will invariably get broody again and scare Phil!

So that is it. See you.

It'll probably pour down....

Yay..I'm going to the Leeds festival with Phil and Tim. I managed to get tickets yesterday so I am very pleased with myself.

I am a bit worried about the whole camping and not washing a lot thing. But nevermind, I'll just have to buy a hat I suppose.

Sorry about the lack of posts of late. I have been pretty busy. I do have lots of posts on the back burner though so watch this space.