Tuesday 11 November 2014

Autumn In The Park

After a deluge of rain on Friday and Saturday, it was good to be able to get out and about on Sunday. It was a beautiful, mild morning, so we decided to take Archie to Temple Newsam for his morning walk.

Many people had the same idea as us, there were lots of people there, and it didn't help that half the car park which we usually use was closed off as it was being used by outside broadcast lorries. There wasn't any filming happening whilst we were there, but it meant that we had to use a different car park. It gave us a chance to see an area of Temple Newsam we usually miss. We started off walking up the tree lined path.


Football matches were taking place. I thank my lucky stars that Daniel's game was cricket rather than football, altogether more civilised playing in summer. I'd have hated standing on the touchline in wintery weather.


Temple Newsam has a totally different feel to it now that most of the leaves have fallen from the trees. It's usually so green but the browns of winter are now showing through.


By now we had walked to the area we're more familiar with. The lawn in front of the house was totally empty, you wouldn't think there were so many people there enjoying a Sunday morning stroll.


Some trees were making an attempt to hang on to some of their leaves. One gust of wind and I think this one will be devoid of its summer foliage.


There's some beautiful autumn colours to be found, but I feel that autumn is giving way to winter now and most of the vibrant shades are becoming more muted.


There seems to be berries wherever you look. A sign of a harsh winter perhaps.


The lake is as pretty as a picture no matter what season it is. The mix of trees around the lake creates interest with their different colours, textures and shapes.


A quick walk through the woods and we were back to the car park. Needless to say, Archie had managed to find every puddle, and there were many of them after all the rain of the previous two days. He was content to sleep the rest of the day away.

We, on the other hand, arrived home to find that Eleanor had somehow managed to drop her phone down the toilet. What she was doing with it in the bathroom is anyone's guess. It was no surprise that the phone was ruined so we made a quick dash to Tesco so she could buy a new one. Heaven forbid that she should wait until Christmas for a replacement. How on Earth would she survive for six weeks without a phone? Could she have an early Christmas present was her plea, but it fell on deaf ears. If she's silly enough to take a phone in the bathroom then she has to suffer the consequences. Her bank balance is now a little lighter.

30 comments:

  1. That's something I miss about a four-season country... autumn walks. Thanks for sharing your lovely day with us. And I'm sorry about Eleanor's phone. It's tragic but a little funny at the same time :-)

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    1. I like crisp, sunny autumn days but I'm not so keen on the dull, soggy ones. I agree, it is a little funny when I think about it now, it wasn't at the time though.

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  2. I love Autumn - I tend to just use the beach for our morning walks but the colours around the village are awesome.

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    1. I would love to live near enough to the beach to exercise Archie there, he'd love it too. The colours here are starting to fade now, it won't be long until we're in the throes of winter and autumn will be long gone.

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  3. Nice post and lovely photos. I don't blame you for not wanting to stand on a touchline in wintry weather.
    Eleanor's mishap made me laugh, and well done for not giving in to the suggestion of an early present. Flighty xx

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    1. I can't say I'm that enthralled at watching a game of cricket either, but at least you get to do that in summer. We had planned to buy Eleanor a new phone for Christmas but she isn't getting a present six weeks in advance and if she wanted a replacement straight away, she had to buy it herself. It might make her a bit more careful now she's had to spend her own money.

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  4. This looks like the perfect place for a stroll. I love seeing all the old trees. And good for you, I'd have handled Eleanor's dilemma the same way. :)

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    1. We love Temple Newsam, it's a place we visit often. I'd have happily bought Eleanor a new phone for Christmas, we'd planned to anyway, but I don't like giving early presents, there's no surprise for the big day then. I'm hoping that she might be more careful with this one now she's had to buy it herself.

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  5. A bit silly to take a phone to the bathroom. Mind you, where I work I sometimes have to do on call and carry a phone 24 hours a day for a whole week. So I took the work phone into the toilets at work and - you guessed it - dropped it down the toilet! Ooops. I blame it on silly rules that said I had to have the phone with me at all times.

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    1. Apparently, the phone was in her pocket and it slid out. I hope you didn't get in to any bother for dropping it in the toilet, afterall, it's because of their rules that you had it in there with you in the first place.

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  6. Our England is a beautiful place, I love your photo's. As for the phone both my daughters would be the same.

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    1. It certainly is, we're very lucky. I don't think our younger generation has any patience, they want everything and they want it now. It makes sense once in a while to make them think and appreciate everything they have.

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  7. Crisp Autumn days are the best aren't they? Even if it's a wee bit chilly the sunshine lifts the spirits.

    Jean
    x

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    1. I have to confess to being a summer girl myself, but I do love crisp autumn days, it's the dull, soggy ones I'm not so keen on.

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  8. It's certainly taking on a different look to when we were there. I love the colours of all the seasons, but I do hope the winter isn't too harsh for you.
    Shame about the phone, but then all sorts of accidents happen, don't they. Take care.

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    1. It looks totally different to when you were here with the trees bare and the colours of summer now gone. We had a mild winter last year so I can't see us having two in a row, I'm bracing myself for whatever winter throws at us. Dropping the phone in the toilet was an accident, as you say, so I try not to be too harsh when accidents happen.

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  9. Apparently the most common "injury" to mobile phones is being dropped into the toilet! The lake looks beautiful in your pictures, it sounds like a lovely day for a walk. xx

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    1. I suppose that's because people can't bear to be parted from their phones these days. I wouldn't dream of taking a phone in to the bathroom with me. Sunday was a beautiful day and Temple Newsam is just lovely to visit for a stroll at any time of year.

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  10. I can empathise with Eleanor after dropping my Kindle in the bath - they really don't like a water at all! Temple Newsam looks gorgeous - a perfect day to visit.

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    1. Oh no! I don't suppose Kindle's get on with water at all. I'm hoping to find one in my Christmas stocking so I must make a note not to read in the bath. We love Temple Newsam, I grew up just over the road from it so it's been a place I've visited many, many times throughout my life.

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  11. Looks like you had a lovely day for your walk, Jo. I remember Debbie washing sheets once and we wondered what the banging was coming from the washing machine. Yep, her phone had been inside the sheets when she put them in the machine! She also had to pay for a new one herself.

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    1. It was a beautiful day for a walk. I try to make the most of the nice days now that winter is on the way, there'll be to many days stuck indoors soon. It sounds like Eleanor's only one in a long list who have had accidents with phones and the like.

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  12. Getting out between the showers is so satisfying, this time of year we need to get out as much as we can and make the most of the dry!
    What a scene to be greeted with once you got home though, glad it was sorted ok.
    Lisa x

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    1. We definitely do. Archie's only had a short walk this morning as it's raining again so I'm hoping it brightens up this afternoon for him to have a good run otherwise I'll be getting soaked. Eleanor's happy with her new phone so all's well that ends well.

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  13. Sunday was a lovely day, wasn't it? That looks a good place for a walk, super photos too. Quite right re the phone - it's ages til Christmas!

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    1. Sunday was beautiful after the previous two days when it rained non stop. Temple Newsam is a regular haunt of ours as it's close by and there's no admission or parking fee, we're so lucky to have such a lovely place on our doorstep. I might have been a bit more accommodating if Christmas was a couple of weeks away, but she'd have forgotten she'd had her present if I'd let her have it now.

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  14. Everything is still so green there. What a wonderful place for a walk and I can imagine Archie loved it.
    It was 16C here today, beautiful too but by this time tomorrow -3C . Get ready its blowing your way! Ha!
    Susan x

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    1. There is still quite a bit of green around, but it's a more insipid green to the beautiful hues of summer. Archie loves Temple Newsam, he's able to run free, though we put him back on his lead near the lake otherwise he'd be straight in. I'd heard about your weather blowing our way, I don't like the cold so you're very welcome to keep it.

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  15. I am reliably informed that putting into rice to dry out works. My friend managed to drop hers in her mint tea last weekend but it is working again now following a spell in the rice. And of course she would take her phone to the bathroom prince charming may be waiting to contact her for a very important date....

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    1. I know about the rice trick, and I had a very nice email too telling me about it, but by the time we got home, Eleanor had opened up the phone, tried to dry it out, put it back together and turned it on, frying the battery. She's now been told what she should have done in case it happens again, though I hope she's learnt from experience not to take her phone anywhere near water again. If Prince Charming can't wait for her to go to the loo, he's not worth the bother.

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