Half term fun

We did a couple of workshops at the Science Zone in Bournemouth with the grandchildren over half term and the subjects were fun and informative.  The Professors were excellent with the children.  They learnt about why things glow in the dark and also why things fizz and bubble when a special science material called dry ice involved.  One experiment included making their own fluorescent slime (Yuck!) and all while wearing white coats to look like real scientists.  There were also dinosaurs, sensory pads and lights to play with too.

Another adventure was doing a Murder, Mystery Treasure Trail Hunt around Burley Village of Witches.  Double, double, toil and trouble.  The village of Burley in the New Forest is in shock at the loss of Mistress Swish, Head of Broomstick Flying at Ravensfoot School for Witches.  But Mistress Swish predicted her passing and left sneaky Clues around the village to help bring the guilty party to justice.  The Trail was fun to do although we did get stuck on a couple of clues.  Some clever and cunning questions!

We just had to stop for a Burley Licious Ice Cream - February!!!!  Soooo hot.

Yes the UK at present is breaking winter temperature records.  Parts of Britain are hotter than holiday destinations such as Ibiza.  Temperatures of over 20 C have been reported, breaking a record that had stood since 1998.  The usual average for this time of year is between 7C and 9C (48F).  It is likely to be one of the warmest Februaries since records began in 1878.

Patio doors open in Milford!!!!!!

The treadmill has started Phil has already cut the grass.

Snowdrops at Welford Park

Welford Park nr. Newbury (RG20 8HU) is in a beautiful area of the country and the gounds are open during February for a magnificent display of snow drops dating back many hundreds of years.  The garden and house is a family estate and they only open in February for the snowdrops and during this time raise many thousands of pounds for local charities.  And, of course, it is the home of the Great British Bakeoff.

Before our visit we stopped for lunch at the Queens Arms nearby.  A wiggly country road led us to the heart of racing country - just five minutes off the M4.  The food was tasty and there were groups of jolly lunchers and barbour-wearing owners of gun dogs.  But you don't have to be mad about horses to enjoy a lovely lunch here.

We were fortunate to visit Welford Park on a very fine February day.  There can be few finer sights in winter than the snowdrops of Welford Park, especially those in the beech woods.  But there is more to enjoy at this delightful park than the snowdrops: there is a fine planting of cornus with its glowing red bark, and a large area of aconites, which were also in full bloom.  The river Lambourn, a lovely chalk stream,  flows through the park alongside the beech woods.

If you are a horticulturalist you'll want to know that the snowdrops at Welford are primarily Galanthus Nivalis.  They carpet the ground in a 5 acre beech wood.  Dotted amongst the beech trees are rare species like Lady Elphinstone and Lord Monstictus.

Snowdrops are traditionally considered a symbol of purity and cleansing.  They were often planted by medieval monks, which might explain why many of the major monastic sites in Britain are blessed with magnificent displays of snowdrops.   The Welford snowdrops were probably planted by the monks of Abingdon and used to decorate their church for Candlemas.  The monks also used snowdrops to create a medicinal salve, used to combat headache.

Pre 1536 on the land of Welford Park, stood a monastery which was in the care of the monks of Abingdon until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536.  This was the order of King Henry VIII, who then kept it as his own deer hunting lodge.  Then he granted it to one of his courtiers, Sir Thomas Parry in 1546.  James Puxley and his family now live here.

So what's all the fuss about?  Well take a look at these photographs:-

Millions and millions of flowers carpet the wild beech woods.

The river divides the grounds into two halves: a wild, wooded area on one side and a more formal layout close to the house on the other.  The wild bit is where most of the snowdrops are, great carpets of them pushing through the dead leaves of a beech wood.

From the west side of the house you can walk out into the more formal part of the landscape, past a superb stand of tall lime trees, with mops of mistletoe silhouetted in their top branches.  Rugs of yellow aconites swamp out the grass beneath the trees.  From the end of this walk you get the best view of the house and the church behind, with its odd, round tower.

A wonderful day out.

Snowmaggdon

While the thought of snowball fights and snowmen brings joy to children around the country, snow isn't so much fun for commuters who are at the mercy of the icy conditions.  In the UK, just a light dusting is often enough to close schools, bring trains to a standstill and cause traffic jams galore.

And on Friday, 1st February the M3 was brought 'to a standstill' by snow and jack-knifed lorries.

Alun was travelling home from Gatwick to Bournemouth and as he neared our home he took the executive decision to call us and ask if he could stay the night.  So glad he did because if he had continued he probably would have been one of the drivers on the M3 who faced a night of travel misery after the snow caused chaos.  The carriageways between Winchester services and Hook were closed in both directions with lorries jack-knifing and police working until the early hours of the morning to clear stuck cars.

It was so lovely to see him, although Emmie was upset Daddy wasn't coming home and that we had snow and she didn't.  We lit the fire, poured him a beer, cooked a curry and then watched the Rugby. Wales won.  What more could Phil want?  And with the patio light on we could watch as  big beefy snowflakes came tumbling down like large white butterflies.

The next morning he was able to continue his journey but not before meeting Alistair who was on a flying visit to his parents.

Not as bad as Chicago though shivering in a deadly cold snap know as a polar vortex.  With wind chills dipping to about -30.  The polar Vortex is a circulation of cold air in the Arctic Circle about 7 to 10 miles above ground in the stratosphere.  The vortex's strong circulation usually keeps it up above the North Pole, but when it weakens little pieces of energy break off and split, and send artic air south.

 But modern winters are nothing in comparison to those of the so-called "little ice-age" which lasted from 1350 until 1850.  These arctic winters resulted in the River Thames becoming frozen solid for months on end.  The worst UK winter on record was dubbed the "Great Frost" ,way back in 1683-84.  The Thames was covered in 11 inches of thick ice resulting in the famous Frost Fair - a festival held on the frozen river involving ice-skating, gambling and bear-baiting.  The winter of 1739-40 is one of the worst on record with a severe frost, which saw temperatures plummet to -9C, starting on Christmas Day and lasting until February 17th.  AND NO CENTRAL HEATING!!!!!!!

So we mustn't grumble.  Keep warm and stay safe.