Couple of weekends ago parents-of_furie came with family_furie to our local stately home, Shugborough. this is the ancestral home of the Earls of Lichfield, and Lord Lichfield gave the place to the National Trust some years ago. It's run by Staffordshire County Council now on behalf of National Trust.
Personally, I hate stately homes. It goes against everything which is working class in me. When they were built, the Lords lived in such exceptional opulence while people of the lower classes died in squalor - often slaving in factories to keep the rich men rich.
I just dislike the immense wealth and waste of it all.
So we didn't go to the main house, we went to the restored farm house on the estate, which also has a park
The farm was run to supply the needs of the estate, so it was a proper working place. It was restored in the 70's and has a working water mill, scullery, kitchen, milking shed, etc.
They also sell sweets, ice cream and cups of tea
The place is actually so anachronistic that it makes my head hurt. The kids enjoy it though
Their rabbits look dead:
But they aren't. It was flopsying about later on.
Somebody is about to find out just how much a cow can piss:
Hint - it's a LOT!
As always, I shall have a quick competition to see how culturally aware you are. This time, it's what you know about early 20th century manual ploughs and farming implements! Ready. Match the pictures to the descriptions - easy peasy!
I now feel like easting cheese and pickle while listening to Led Zepplin
Goats are evil, yet compelling creatures... Much like the minor_furies
Veal is on the menu - very fresh!
Mmmmmmm! Reminds me, I have a pork joint in the fridge for tea tonight - Asda doing it at better than half price - bargain! these pigs fight and are very loud. I think they're yelling "him first".
Playground time. As always, the place is impossible for your kids to suffer the character building injuries which should be every child's right! How can you possibly hurt yourself on this roundabout?
No chances to fall off from a height, nothing to really get a limb trapped in. Just dull and painless.
Another quick quiz:
The squirrel came for a picnic, but we're all too tight to give him any food:
The lop-eared lagomorphs of Lucifer inhabit this pen!
That's no ordinary wee bunny-rabbit!
I promise that is the last time I'll EVER quote from that film!
Troll bridge:
MMF runs across being big billy goat gruff while I'm the troll underneath trying to catch and eat him. I feel a little misrepresented to be honest...
father-of_furie is about to experience the kind of pain only known to men who play "through the legs" with children who are too tall to play it.
Does anyone know which is the "see" bit and which is the "saw" bit (besides the obvious the see bit is the bit working )
Miserable bloody donkey:
Why the long face? I called him Dave!
Land train FTW! Hurrah!
The drivers here are really miserable. They're officious and jobsworths. Still, you have to go on a train ride - it's the law!
Offical-photograph-of_furie
I think MMF has taken a photo of me sitting opposite him on every train ride we've ever been on!
Me in 30 years time!
MMF laughed until I said "you in 60 years time"
And to round off, the most menacing cow photo ever!
We go Shugborough in season pretty much every weekend we're not at a theme park. We have annual passes and it's good to get the kids out into the fresh air. This was opening day (and once again, more successful than Thorpe's ) and it's kind of nice (if a little dull) to get back. MMF gets more and more from it each year, Minor_Furie less (we let him stay at home now to be honest most of the time).
Anyway, I hope that all now feel much more cultured? I hope you've all learned something about agriculture in the early part of the 20th century? I hope that you've maybe even learned a couple of new words (for Taylor, any of the words longer than "cow" I should imagine ).
With any luck, you made it to the end without falling asleep!
Personally, I hate stately homes. It goes against everything which is working class in me. When they were built, the Lords lived in such exceptional opulence while people of the lower classes died in squalor - often slaving in factories to keep the rich men rich.
I just dislike the immense wealth and waste of it all.
So we didn't go to the main house, we went to the restored farm house on the estate, which also has a park
The farm was run to supply the needs of the estate, so it was a proper working place. It was restored in the 70's and has a working water mill, scullery, kitchen, milking shed, etc.
They also sell sweets, ice cream and cups of tea
The place is actually so anachronistic that it makes my head hurt. The kids enjoy it though
Their rabbits look dead:
But they aren't. It was flopsying about later on.
Somebody is about to find out just how much a cow can piss:
Hint - it's a LOT!
As always, I shall have a quick competition to see how culturally aware you are. This time, it's what you know about early 20th century manual ploughs and farming implements! Ready. Match the pictures to the descriptions - easy peasy!
I now feel like easting cheese and pickle while listening to Led Zepplin
Goats are evil, yet compelling creatures... Much like the minor_furies
Veal is on the menu - very fresh!
Mmmmmmm! Reminds me, I have a pork joint in the fridge for tea tonight - Asda doing it at better than half price - bargain! these pigs fight and are very loud. I think they're yelling "him first".
Playground time. As always, the place is impossible for your kids to suffer the character building injuries which should be every child's right! How can you possibly hurt yourself on this roundabout?
No chances to fall off from a height, nothing to really get a limb trapped in. Just dull and painless.
Another quick quiz:
The squirrel came for a picnic, but we're all too tight to give him any food:
The lop-eared lagomorphs of Lucifer inhabit this pen!
That's no ordinary wee bunny-rabbit!
I promise that is the last time I'll EVER quote from that film!
Troll bridge:
MMF runs across being big billy goat gruff while I'm the troll underneath trying to catch and eat him. I feel a little misrepresented to be honest...
father-of_furie is about to experience the kind of pain only known to men who play "through the legs" with children who are too tall to play it.
Does anyone know which is the "see" bit and which is the "saw" bit (besides the obvious the see bit is the bit working
)
Miserable bloody donkey:
Why the long face?
I called him Dave! Land train FTW! Hurrah!
The drivers here are really miserable. They're officious and jobsworths. Still, you have to go on a train ride - it's the law!
Offical-photograph-of_furie
I think MMF has taken a photo of me sitting opposite him on every train ride we've ever been on!
Me in 30 years time!
MMF laughed until I said "you in 60 years time"
And to round off, the most menacing cow photo ever!
We go Shugborough in season pretty much every weekend we're not at a theme park. We have annual passes and it's good to get the kids out into the fresh air. This was opening day (and once again, more successful than Thorpe's
) and it's kind of nice (if a little dull) to get back. MMF gets more and more from it each year, Minor_Furie less (we let him stay at home now to be honest most of the time).Anyway, I hope that all now feel much more cultured? I hope you've all learned something about agriculture in the early part of the 20th century? I hope that you've maybe even learned a couple of new words (for Taylor, any of the words longer than "cow" I should imagine
).With any luck, you made it to the end without falling asleep!
