Thursday 14 March 2019

Lunch Date

As I've mentioned before, Mick's got quite a bit of holiday to take from work before the end of the month, so he took another day off on Monday and we had a lovely walk with Archie at Roundhay Park, one of the biggest city parks in Europe. It was a bright day but very blustery and the wind was bitter. There were a few people out walking their dogs but apart from them, the park was empty, in fact, I've never seen it so quiet.


We had our wedding reception at The Mansion in Roundhay Park back in 1990 and looking down from there you can see the small lake.


The wind was blowing the water which was being spurted out of the fountain and it was creating a rainbow to the side. I think you can just see it in this photo.


Quite a few big bands and artists have played at Roundhay Park, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, U2, Robbie Williams, and I went to see Michael Jackson there in 1988. Later this year Eleanor is going to see Ed Sheeran there, it will be the third time she's seen him in concert.


Archie had a good time, as usual. He played with a few dogs. His coat is so thick at the moment, he's ready for a good cut but it's got quite cold again just lately, I'm trying to hold off for a while.


The trees are still bare but I think it's only a matter of time until they spring into growth. The daffodils planted around this tree looked so pretty. I was surprised to see them still standing though in the gusty wind.


There's lots of interest in this park even during the winter months.


We headed down to the larger of the two lakes, this is Waterloo Lake . It's area covers 33 acres and it's 60 foot deep. It's a former quarry which was sunk and filled by soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars, hence its name.


There's always swans, ducks and geese on the lake but there were a couple of cormorants there too on Monday.


The Lakeside Cafe sits on the edge of the lake. During the day it offers breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and by night it can be hired out for private functions. It's in a great spot with beautiful scenery.


We didn't patronise the cafe, instead we headed up the road to The White House, an Edwardian pub/restaurant. This used to be the home of entrepreneur James Holroyd Junior who owned the Burmantofts Pottery Company. We had our lunch here, and very nice it was too. Archie was a good boy, sitting really nicely underneath the table whilst we ate, in fact, the staff even commented on him being as 'quiet as a mouse'. It's very dog friendly so we often stop off here after a walk in Roundhay Park, they even have a bowl of gravy bones on the bar for dogs.


It's lovely having Mick at home during the week and going off and doing something we usually only do on a weekend. He's off the whole week next week so I'm hoping the weather improves and the wind drops so that we can have some more days out, though he's now been able to carry the remaining holiday over into April so he'll be having another week off just before Easter when Daniel and Jasmine are coming to stay and Eleanor will be home from university, I'm really looking forward to that.

44 comments:

  1. I love going out mid week, everywhere is so quiet, which is restful. I too am wishing for good weather next week.

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    1. You get a totally different feel visiting somewhere midweek rather than the weekend. Storm Gareth is still with us and looking at the forecast, the wind is going to carry on into the weekend.

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  2. Beautiful photos. We love parks and gardens as we too love to get out for walks, however Ginger struggles now with walking any distance. Also the weather here has been awful with Storm Gareth quickly following Storm Freya. High winds and torrential rain have been the norm for the best part of a week! 'Going out' has meant to the Co-op and back. We're hoping for a break in the weather where we might get out, even if it's just in the car. Best, Jane x

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    1. Archie still runs around like a puppy but it's once we get home that the exercise tells on him, he hobbles around like an old man so we have to be careful how far we walk him. The weather is still terrible here, it's blowing a gale and it doesn't look as though it's going to let up any time soon. We're lucky to have lots of parks and gardens near where we live, we're spoilt for choice.

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  3. The park looks lovely, and well maintained too, which is great because it's an area that so many councils try to save money on.

    Well done for catching the rainbow. Any cafe with a bowl of gravy bones gets my vote 🐾 🙂

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    1. The parks here are all very well kept, we're really lucky. You can see more of Roundhay Park in my post of the same name back in 2011, it also shows some of the show gardens that Leeds City Council built at Chelsea:- http://jo-throughthekeyhole.blogspot.com/2011/05/roundhay-park.html

      And this post, which was written on my old blog, shows the formal gardens in the height of summer:- http://jo-thegoodlife.blogspot.com/2015/07/roundhay-park-gardens-in-july.html

      Archie enjoys going to this pub/restaurant as he knows he always gets a treat.

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  4. Like you, I also enjoy any days off my hubby can take in the week - it's so much more quieter. In fact I'm always encouraging him to put a day's leave in - he'll soon have none left!!
    Roundhay looks really well cared for. My son & daughter in law saw Robbie Williams there many years ago - we got chosen as taxi service - we're about an hour away. You've got some lovely places in your neck of the woods - I've noticed this since my son moved your way last year. He lives on a main road but if you go out of the back door, it leads onto fields straight down onto the canal tow path. It's a really nice walk.

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    1. I love Mick to take a day off during the week, I know we can do the same things on a weekend but it always seems more special somehow on a weekday. We're lucky here, we've got so many lovely places to visit. We live in a small town on the outskirts of Leeds, we're over eight miles from the city centre but we have the best of both worlds really, a large town a short train ride away, a small town within walking distance and the countryside on our doorstep too.

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  5. Jo- What a wonderful walkabout in that park. I felt like I was right there with you. How nice that you can take your dog with you for lunch. There is nowhere here where you could take an animal to a restaurant.
    Have a great day- xo Diana

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    1. Most restaurants won't allow dogs but there's a few dotted around that do if you look hard enough. It's nice to take him for a good walk and then call in for something to eat and drink on the way home without having to drop him off at home first.

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  6. Is't it nice to be able to get out when the weekend crowds are not there? It is one of the things we enjoy about being retired.

    Roundhay Park looks like a beautiful place to visit.

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    1. I couldn't believe how quiet Roundhay Park was on Monday, we're used to the bustling crowds when we usually go. Being able to do these things midweek is definitely a perk of being retired.

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  7. What a beautiful outing!!!

    And you have lovely things to look forward too, as well. It is always nice, to be able to anticipate nice things. :-)

    ✨ 😊 ✨

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    1. It is. I'm hoping the weather is better next week so that we can have some days out and I'm really looking forward to the family being all together at Easter.

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  8. You took us on a wonderful stroll around the park. It looks so well kept and I can imagine the beauty when it all bursts into bloom. How wonderful to have everyone home for Easter, a wonderful celebration.

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    1. There's so many areas to Roundhay park so there's something there for everyone and it's always so well kept. I'm really looking forward to having everyone home for Easter, Daniel hasn't been home since last Easter so it will be lovely having him here for a week.

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  9. The park looks lovely now so I imagine it must be beautiful in the summer months.
    It's great to visit usually busy places when they are quiet. It feels rather indulgent. And even more special returning to the venue of your wedding reception. X

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    1. The park really bursts into bloom during summer, especially the formal gardens, they're very well tended. I always remember our wedding reception when we visit the park, we had such a beautiful backdrop for our photos.

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  10. What a lovely park, it sounds like you had a wonderful day, Im afraid the cold weather puts me off going out for walks especially the cold bitter winds we’ve been having lately but Spring is just around the corner I love to see all the lovely Daffodils at this time of the year. Xx

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    1. I could quite easily hunker down and hibernate in the cold weather but it isn't an option when you've got a dog. It's still blowing a gale here today and even Archie turns his nose up at going out in that.

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  11. What a lovely day you had. I really enjoyed seeing your photographs and reading the additional information you've given.

    It's not too long until Easter, and it will be so nice for you to have Daniel and Jasmine staying, and also Eleanor will be home too. You must be looking forward to it so much, I know I would be.

    Enjoy the rest of your week.

    All the best Jan

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    1. I'm really looking forward to Easter. It's been a year since the whole family were home together so it will be lovely for us all to be together. I'm pleased that Mick's got some time off work too so that he's not having to get up and go to work while everyone's here.

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  12. We’ve been thinking of taking Tivvy to Roundhay Park again soon so the info that there is a dog friendly eatery nearby is good to know thanks

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    1. We really like The White House but it can get very busy so choose your times carefully. We especially like it during the winter months when they have a real fire going and it's so cosy.

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  13. Such a lovely place to walk with a dog-friendly cafe too, I can see Archie was having a fun time. It's nice to walk around in peace with not too many folk about, I do agree. I've never seen so may swans together, one of my favourite pastimes is watching the birds on a lake. Nice to look forward to spending more time with family, I do hope this awful weather improves.

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    1. Dogs aren't allowed inside the Lakeside Cafe at Roundhay Park but there's a lovely veranda where you can sit with them when the weather's fine. We never bother, we usually eat at The White House where we did on Monday as you can take your dog inside there. There's always lots of swans on the lake at Roundhay Park, and other birds too. The weather is still terrible here today, I'm hoping it improves ready for next week when Mick's at home.

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  14. What a lovely park, perfect for a good day out with Archie.

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    1. Archie enjoys it wherever we take him but there's usually lots of dog walkers at Roundhay Park and he loves playing with the other dogs.

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  15. How lovely seeing Roundhay Park in March, as it was the first place my sister-in-law took us after we got over our jetlag, on my first visit to the UK in 1991. Archie certainly looks fluffy at the moment, but enjoying every minute of his day out. Hope the weather is good for next week & you can have some more nice outings & again when the kids are home. Thanks for the lovely photos & take care.

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    1. I'm not surprised that Roundhay Park was the first place you visited in Leeds, I think it's somewhere most of the residents of Leeds have visited at one time or another even if they're not frequent visitors. Archie's certainly ready for a haircut but I'm trying to hold on a bit until the weather warms up. We're looking forward to having some more days out next week but there's some jobs in the house we want to get done too, I hope this weather improves.

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  16. Lovely post and pictures. Given the weather I'm not surprised that it was so quiet. Thankfully it looks like next week will be better. xx

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    1. The wind wasn't as bad on Monday than it's been the rest of the week. I'm glad it was Monday that Mick had off work as I doubt we'd have ventured far any other day. It's still blowing a gale here and is forecast for the weekend too.

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  17. Those impromptu days off in the middle of the week always feel so great - like a mini-holiday! It's unfortunate about the weather but it still looks like you made good use of the day. What a lovely park!

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    1. I didn't want the day to just pass by doing jobs in the house, it's nice to do something a bit different when Mick's got time off work. Even a walk in the park feels special somehow when it's midweek.

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  18. Lovely to spend some time together and mark it with an outing, the park looks very peaceful, some great photos xcx

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    1. We often go away when Mick has time off work but it's nice just to be at home together sometimes and do things closer to home.

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  19. Lovely photos and it looks like you've had some nice weather. I took this past week off work (again, using up my holidays) and it's been really wet and windy all week. Not a week to be out and about unfortunately!

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    1. I think Monday was our best day last week, we've had gale force winds since then and rain too. What a shame you didn't have better weather for your week off. I'm hoping that things improve this coming week for Mick's week off.

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  20. Your day just looked so lovely. A beautiful place to visit, thank you for taking us along.

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    1. We had a lovely day, something a bit different than my usual Mondays.

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  21. Looks like a lovely place to enjoy a stroll. Lots of lovely swans. Midweek adventures are so much more relaxing than busy weekend ones.

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    1. They definitely are. We always have a walk down to the lake when we visit Roundhay Park as there's always so many water birds about.

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  22. How lovely having such a grand park all to yourselves. The rainbow in the fountain is lovely. Gorgeous swans!xxx

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    1. You could get lost in Roundhay Park, it's so big, and seems even bigger when there's few people about.

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