Project 365 (1st -7th June)

I am still on my half term break but Craig has gone back into work, so hopefully I can catch up with some crafting and reading.

Sunday 1st June

Spent the day relaxing at home and even Penny wanted a cuddle.

Monday 2nd June

I saw this kit in the Lego store a few months back but I decided against buying it then. I am so glad I did because just after Easter I saw it half price in Asda so of course I bought it with the intention of building it this half term break. Today has been the first time I felt like putting it together.

Tuesday 3rd June

I try to go to different places when I take Penny for a walk and today we went somewhere new. I had driven past it a couple of times on the way to another walk but I had no idea how big this park was until today. It is somewhere I will definitely be taking her back to.

Wednesday 4th June

Decided to do some baking today. Banana bread is about the only sweet item that Craig would eat and I had some bananas that needed to be used up. I also made some bread as I prefer homemade bread with soup.

Thursday 5th June

I don't normally enjoy going shopping but today as different as I was book shopping and had wanted to go into Sostrene Green since I was in Dublin last year. This was my 'haul'. 

Friday 6th June

I was extremely lucky to see this sight. A mother swan taking her little cygnet for a ride, protecting it from all the people who were admiring the pair.

Saturday 7th June

Spent a few hours catching up on my journalling before I go back to work and have less time.

British Ironworks Centre

 We had an early start for a Saturday morning to drive to just outside Oswestry in Shropshire to visit the British Ironworks Centre. I had found out about it from Tiktok and knew it would be somewhere the whole family would be interested in visiting.

Craig booked the tickets online which was the reason for the early start, as if you got there before 9.30am it was only £4 per person instead of £14 which is obviously a substantial saving, especially when there is 5 of you.

The centre is split into two sections, the sculpture trail and the actual centre. Dogs are allowed on site but you cannot take a picnic with you. There is a cafe serving food and drinks on the site as well as an ice cream parlour. There are a number of signs saying that the centre relies on sales in the cafe hence the reason for no picnics. We were not aware of this and had brought food with us. We ate that later after we had left the centre. There is also a charge for parking.

As we drove in we were greeted by some very impressive sculptures so you can get a taste of what to expect.

There are various sections of the sculpture trail and we decided to head to the front and do the Extinction trail first. All the animal sculptures had boards underneath describing the animal similar to ones you would find in a zoo. 

Near the entrance to the centre itself there were some familiar characters who were easily identifiable

There were also lots of original designs that artists had created and the messages were displayed underneath the sculpture. Some were purely for joy but some also had a more serious message to put out.

The Manchester Bee created from guns and knives to promote anti-violence in the city.

The Knife Angel is obviously made from knives and was created to highlight the effects of knife crimes on communities.

This sculpture was created in 2015 due to the large number of British males leaving the country to fight in foreign wars without truly being aware of the implications of their actions on themselves, their futures, their families and their communities.

After we had completed the trail we went into the Ironworks centre itself. Dogs are not allowed inside the building but there was plenty of outside space and seating for us all. It was at this point we all needed refreshments so drinks and crisps were purchased from the cafe and we relaxed for a short time before heading off to the section Matthew and Emma's partner Sam, were the most interested in- The Heroes and Villains section.

All in all, we spent about 3 hours doing the trail and in the centre itself and we did not rush round despite the dogs dragging us around and not wanting to stop and admire the sculptures. 

I would say it is good value even at £14 but even better if you can get there early for £4. I cannot say what the food is like as we didn't eat anything there but there is certainly plenty to see and Oswestry is only a couple of miles away if you want to make a day of it.

We all enjoyed the day, I just wish the weather had been better for the photos.

Other Places I have visited this year so far.

 Now that I have the school holidays off I am determined to see more of the country and the attractions that interest me which may not appeal to the rest of the family.

As a family we have been members of the National Trust for many years and now the children are adults my membership has changed to just Craig and I. We do try to visit a few properties each year. Over Easter I finally got to visit Quarry Bank Mill in Styal near Manchester airport. It is not one large property it is a mill, an apprentice house, the owners house and gardens and the village. The tours of the apprentice house and village have to be booked on a timed tour as they are guided. I booked for the apprentice house and learnt a lot about the life the children would have had. In some ways they were very well looked after compared to the workhouse or other mills. I have to admit, anything to do with industry does not appeal to me, I prefer seeing how people lived rather than worked so I didn’t really spend time in the mill. The owners house was a bit disappointing as you only saw a few rooms downstairs. The gardens were lovely and the location would have been a lot more desirable a place to work than the centre of the towns.

The other National Trust property visited was Tatton Park. A word of warning here though. Although the property is managed by the National Trust, it is owned by Cheshire Council who are currently charging £9.50 per car just to park.

I have been to Tatton Park a number of times before for events but never to really go into the house or gardens. This time I did. The house is impressive and it is one of the few places that gives you an insight into the life of the servants and you get to see the kitchens.

As Penny was not with us we went into the gardens which I haven’t been into since I was a child. I can imagine that in the height of summer when everything is in full bloom they are stunning but it was a little early for the flowers to be blooming. The Japanese garden was eye catching and felt very peaceful.

There was a Shaun the Sheep trail for the children with various designs dotted around the park. This was my favourite design.

As it was just Craig and I we went into the ‘Gardener’s Cottage’ for a drink and a slice of cake. The picture here does not really do justice to how pretty it really is. Unfortunately, the weather was not favourable enough to sit outside,

As mentioned earlier, I like learning how people lived in the past. Living museums are fantastic places to get insights into so I visited Blists Hill Victorian Town near Telford in Shropshire.

I loved seeing all the shops and what they sold. It certainly makes you realise how lucky we are nowadays to be able to have so much choice compared to then. I am also grateful for all the things we have nowadays that make our lives more convenient and easier. There are aspects that I wish we still had, such as the sense of community and having local shops to buy fresh things from on a seasonal basis and less choice.

I enjoyed looking at the homes they had and speaking to the people who were there and giving you information as to the types of people who lived there and the types of lives they had.

It is somewhere I will definitely be going back to later this year to see how it looks in a different season and hopefully better weather. Maybe I could persuade Craig or Emma to come along as well. I know Matthew will not be interested.

Finally, on a glorious Sunday of the May bank holiday, Craig and I went to Eden Camp which is a World War Two museum created in an actual Prisoner of War camp. It is near Malton in Yorkshire. I have been before accompanying a school trip and we have passed it every time we went to Whitby. The museum exhibits are housed in actual prisoner of war huts arranged by events or to give you an overview of what life was like for ordinary people, soldiers or prisoners of war.

Again I was only interested in the huts that showed what everyday life was like and although I went through most of the huts, I definitely spent less time in the huts that covered the battles. There was also a lot of information on the boards and it meant that there were hold-ups getting into some of the huts due to people wanting to read the information. Taking pictures in most of the huts was not going to be easy as they were quite dark inside so I did not bother.

Although the visit had interesting elements, I am not planning on going back any time in the near future. Probably only if I have to accompany a school trip which is unlikely as it is a little to far for the school I am working in to go.