Well today I was "Wishing I was lucky" regarding the weather, but it certainly wasn't the case.
Around 1pm we decided to head back to the cottage and lock ourselves away for the rest of the day. So pyjamas on, underfloor heating cranked up, an afternoon of watching rugby and relaxing. Tomorrow's forecast is much better so chocks away and all that....
We travelled up to Spring Farm Cottage near Helmsley yesterday with a selection of routes and places to visit in mind; would we go to Ampleforth Abbey, could it be York, or maybe even Wetherby. But, in the end we just headed into Helmsley for lunch as we needed to pass an hour or so before we could get into the cottage.
We didn't walk far from the car-park as it was throwing it down, but, we did manage to find a lovely little cafe not far from the castle; it was the Cocoa Tree and even though the menu was limited, the food we had was very nice. I was soooooo tempted to have one of their renown ice-cream sundae's but in the end I took Donna's advice and restrained myself. She was right in what she said in that we'd probably be eating more than normal this week - including lots of 'goodies', so better not to overdo it on day one.
So to our first full day. We both arose fairly early, obviously Donna the Lark was the first to rise but I dragged myself out of bed around 7am, and looking out of the window it was a glorious dawn. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, loads of pastel colours in the sky and we could see for miles across across the fields. I popped out for 5 minutes to give the horses a handful of fresh grass each as a morning treat, and it was so cold and crosp; a stunning start to the day. We did however know that it wasn't going to last!
Because we knew what to expect on the weather front, we decided not to go too far and just headed the few miles to Duncombe Park where they were holding an Arts & Craft fair this weekend. It's a country house that we've always wanted to visit when in the area, but, as it's a private home they don't open it to the public, just the gardens. However, as the fair was being held within parts of the house it was a way of getting a peak around some of the rooms and we weren't disappointed. No photography allowed though which is frustrating, but you can understand it when people don't want you taking photos of expensive antiques with evidence of exactly where they are in the house.
We spent a good hour in the house, lots of stalls and some great gifts on show. We spent a few hard earned pounds (well Donna's are hard earned) on a few 'bits and bobs', I purchased a small leather pocket wallet, Donna bought some Christmas gifts and cards, and we also bought a box of seven different waxed cheeses. So all in all well worth the trip.
After exiting the house we changed into our walking boots, 'togged up' and headed out into the estate to check out the grounds of the house. A stunning vista with some beautiful colours still in the trees. I did start with my camera in hand but it didn't take long before mother nature persuaded me to pack it back away into my camera bag. The rain was simply incessant.
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