We love the Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire. Run by the National Trust it has a little bit of everything and we never tire of visiting. It is the location of our favourite woodland walk and our blackberrying/tree climbing/running like the wind spot.
It also has a very beautiful landscape garden which we visit throughout the seasons. We watch the bluebells, daffodils, rhododendrons and hydrangeas all take their turn in the spotlight. We blow dragon breath in Winter with our hands shoved deep in our pockets, coo over the ducklings in Spring, picnic and stroll in Summer, make dens and forage in Autumn. I take thousands of photographs and watch my children grow.
Last weekend when we visited we were in for an extra special treat. The Scraptors had been busy Beyond the Garden Gate and we followed their trail, entranced!
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We loved the band in particular and there were many more surprises from dung beetles to hermits which kept us talking and walking. We also loved that they were all made from scrap, particularly the ones which included found objects as intrinsic parts of the sculpture rather than those which just had scrap stuck on the outside as an extra.
This weekend we are raiding the garage for nuts and bolts, bits of wire and old stuff which no one needs to have a go at building something ourselves. I’m hoping we create a magnificent piece of art for the garden rather than just a heap of old rubbish, I’ll let you know how we get on!
What are you and yours up to this weekend? Have you got a family friendly idea to share? Do you have a sculpture trail near you? Leave a link in the comments and I’ll pop and have a look! (If you are looking for the Linky, it is on hold for now as I have a lot on my plate. Festive Friday will be making its glitzy return at the end of October so watch out for that one!)
The Scraptors are Beyond the Garden Gate at Stourhead until September 30th. It is well worth a visit, it held the interest of all 6 of us from 5 to 44!
It held the appeal of this 59 and three quarters old too! You beat me to posting!! We love Stourhead even in the rain!
Sorry! And so do we!
What lovely photos Christine! Certainly worth a visit I would say.
Thanks Lynda,it was terrific! I have 74 photos of the trail but I thought that might be a bit much as a slideshow!
That looks fabulous!
It is!
The boys are going to see Bang goes the Theory live in Bradford (we got three tickets) I will be putting my feet up!
I am very pleased to hear it!
oh wow, that sounds awesome! And only just around the corner from me
That looks amazing. I love your Friday posts! I am very much looking forward to festive fridays!
You could do some exploring of gravity and air resistance a la Science sparks this weekend!
http://www.science-sparks.com/2011/09/08/gravity-and-air-resistance/
Love it there too – any National Trust site is a great day out for the kids isn’t it? That trail looks amazing.
hey mummy Good luck in new york!!!!! I love you!!!
Thank you darling now stop hacking my account when you are supposed to be doing your homework!
Thanks for your great feedback on our Trail – glad you enjoyed it!
Pleasure! I’ve had a look at your blog photo updates and realised we missed a few so we’ll be back for further hunting!
Great ideas, I have been meaning to make an insect hotel out of old pallets in the garden for too long now. Love the idea of garden sculptures, coat hangers, bells and ribbons to hang in the trees for now, but as mine get older would love to get more ambitious.