Barn Orchard Visit

What a beautiful day!!

We were invited for the most sumptuous lunch at Jan snd Fox's place. ( My dear friend Margie's sister) 

They have a few acres in a sweet little village outside Salisbury. It really is breathtakingly beautiful. At the bottom of the garden is a tiny stream where the lish green grass and wildflowers tumble right to its banks.

Fox has a mower with trailer and took the delighted kids on a ride round the grounds. 

The amount of flowers tucked away in hidden corners kept the smile on my face as I rushed round like a kid in acandy store with my camera.

Fox is very proud of his chickens - Lilly loved feeding them and collecting the eggs! He also has a few hives of bees, which were very active when we went for a wander.  He showed the kids some of the frames and how he harvests it.

I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to the green softness of England.. I know what a shock it will be when I get back to aus..

Fox and the kids.. Not sure who is the biggest kid!!

Dear little bridge overthe stream.

The table set for lunch.. Such a delightful time.

Bee hives in full swing.

Old Sarum Kites

What an incredibly stunning day, perfect for wandering ruins and flying home made kites.

I know I have mentioned this before, but I love English Heritage and National Trust for their investment in youth programs.

While looking at cracked broken castle walls may hold some attraction, making stuff, following a treasure map and being active is SOOO much better. Qudos to these places for providing interesting activities for the peeps! Old Sarum has been a fortress and place of power for 5000 years.from Romans to Vikings, its most important tenant, however, was King William ( of the Normanby fame.. The conquerer) who in 1085 ordered a census of all his lands. Its main purpose was to assess the wealth of England to aid the system of taxation.( no change over the centuries!)

 The Domesday Book was mainly written in Latin and was a legally binding document. It must have been an incredibly arduous task to collate it all. After their heads were stuffed with information, the kids went to make some kites. What a huge amount of fun they got out of thin plastic bags! I had alot of fun photographing their flight efforts too.

St Thomas's Church Salisbury

Overshadowed sadly by the famous Salisbury Cathedral, is this gorgeous medieval church - St Thomas's. Though 'small' in comparison to the enormous Cathedral, St Thomas's parish is extensive and the church itself is large - in fact when we went on Easter morning , it easily held 300 people.

Its particularly beautiful and noted for its rare medieval paintings and wooden vaulted ceilings. The Doom Painting above the main arch is a  feature which is the main drawcard for  visitors.

 It is believed to be the largest such painting in England and was painted in 1475 as a thank-offering for a safely returned pilgrim. The painting was white-washed over in 1593 ( the reformation period) and was re-discovered in 1819 but not restored until over a hundred years later.. However, we do have to be thankful to the reformation for whitewashing it - because its kept it so beautifully.

I loved the detail - particularly the bishop, queen and king ,all chined to each other and being dragged into the jaws of hell.  Says alot for the thoughts of corruption in the upper classes at the time ( not much it seems has changed!)