Monday, 17 April 2017

T Stands for……time away

I'm back - I hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday….we had a great time away with our son and grandchildren last week and then it was back in time to party - my two Grandsons have birthdays two days apart - one is 15 and the other 12. Here is the card I made for the youngest
I used my PA Infusions to make a splash behind the two Elenazinskiart monsters - I decided that the figures looked better  in black and white!
I used a gelli- print with an image transfer of my eldest Grandson's face for his card!
He likes films with special effects but I am not so sure this worked so well!!!
They were suitably embarrassed when the staff sang a birthday song to them!
I forgot to take photos of the Caesar salads hubby and I had but had my camera out for desserts!
 The boys had some chocolatey desserts - both had greetings piped onto their plates
This was mine - a berry sundae - lots of fruit and I took out most of the ice-cream for hubby(don't want a repeat of the last time I had an ice-cream dessert - my sugar levels shot through the roof!!)
You can also see…as I am joining Bluebeard and Elizabeth for T stands for Tuesday…..my empty coffee cup…sorry…just forgot…..!

 Now for a few photos….if you wish to carry on…
We went to Lowther castle again - we went a couple of years ago but since then there have been big changes! No scaffolding this time for a start!
This flower egg in the courtyard was beautiful
The grounds are beautiful and my Granddaughter decided she would take part in the Dragon Egg hunt so we got to see parts we hadn't seen before - as well as that, there is now a play castle for all ages(I do mean all ages!),toilets and a cafe in the woods.



 This is the only one you will see of me - the others are far less dignified!!!
The views around are wonderful

We hadn't seen this rock garden before - I could have spent longer there!!


 I loved seeing these ferns too
After lunch the sun was shining on these trees………a very unusual light …because on the opposite side …..
 ….it was like this!!
 My son and I both thought that if we drew this tree no one would believe that is really this magical looking!

We speeded up after seeing this as there were a few spots of rain in the air.
My son had been measuring the miles we walked - nearly four miles - time for coffee and cake (which I will save for another time)
By the time we came out it was raining quite heavily! 
Our visit cost an average of £7 each and we really thought it was good value for the fun we had!
There were lots of people there but it never felt overcrowded!
Hubby and I plan to go back later in the year!

 We also went to Rydal Mount on another day - I will post photos separately later this week - we were amazed at the changes in just a few weeks!

 Thanks for looking, Chrisx

   
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24 comments:

  1. Linda Kunsman18 April 2017 at 01:06:00 BST

    oh what great cards - and fine looking boys I might add! So hard for me to do masculine or cards for kids...
    thanks for sharing more of your outing- how I would LOVE to see that castle and surroundings!
    Happy T day!

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  2. Bleubeard and Elizabeth18 April 2017 at 01:06:00 BST

    What adorable and unique birthday cards, Chris. I suspect they were both thrilled and I like the "special effects" you created, because transfers are hard if you don't get all the backing off.

    Lowther Castle is beautiful. It looks like it's been restored. That flower egg was incredible. Lots of work went into it, I bet.

    Less dignified. I doubt that, but I'll respect your judgment. I thought it sounded great that you were brave enough to take that walk.

    That tree is out of this world. I had no idea trees would deform like that. Maybe it was an arthritic tree.

    LOVED your berry sundae. I'd have taken the ice cream off your hands. I'm ready to find something sweet after visiting you and Valerie.

    Thanks for sharing your trip to Lowther Castle, your fun experience in the woods, that unique tree, and your sundae and coffee with us for T this Tuesday. At least you remembered the cup, empty or not!

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  3. chrissie18 April 2017 at 03:25:00 BST

    Always something amazing in your posts Chris. Great that you celebrate things as a family and always find special places to enjoy. I love the flower egg.

    A very Happy T day

    Love Chrissie xx

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  4. Valerie-Jael18 April 2017 at 05:49:00 BST

    Wonderful photos, my fave is the floral Easter egg - or was it the dessert? Glad you had a fun time with your grandchildren and enjoyed your meal. You made some gorgeous cards, too. Happy T day and have a good week. hugs, Valerie

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  5. Helen18 April 2017 at 06:04:00 BST

    the photos from the castle are great - love the flower egg - and would love to see more of you on that netting! glad the boys enjoyed their birthday celebrations.

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  6. Brenda Brown18 April 2017 at 07:03:00 BST

    Lovely cards for your grandsons and great photos of a wonderful place to visit. Glad you had a good time xxx

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  7. Meggymay18 April 2017 at 08:34:00 BST

    Super cards for your grandsons Chris. The dessert looked delicious at the end of your meal.
    The photos of your day with the family look great and the floral egg in the grounds of the castle looked amazing.
    Happy T day.
    Yvonne xx

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  8. froebelsternchen18 April 2017 at 08:37:00 BST

    The cards look super and the boys look extra super - charming young men your grandsons!
    Thank you for sharing all the amazing photos - this castle is gorgeous! Fantastic flower egg-- I am thrilled about it.
    Happy T-Day dear Chris!
    oxo Susi

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  9. Redanne18 April 2017 at 09:23:00 BST

    What a lovely post Chris! Lowther Castle looks amazing and how fun to have a play castle, it looks amazing. I just love that quirky tree, it really does look magical!

    Both cards are wonderful, I just love those cute monsters and your image transfer on the second card has a slight mysterious quality - I bet they both loved their cards! Belated Easter wishes to you! Hugs, Anne xx

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  10. My name is Erika.18 April 2017 at 10:45:00 BST

    Wow- this is a great post Chris. Your grandsons look like they had a fun, and of course its good to have a little birthday embarrassment. And that castle, wow! It looks like an amazing place and the gardens are really pretty too. happy T day. Hugs-Erika

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  11. kathyinozarks18 April 2017 at 11:11:00 BST

    Good morning, beautiful cards and how neat for the boys with greetings on their dessert plates.
    the castle does look a wonderful place to visit-I always wanted to visit a castle-the egg is amazing-love that and the views-I always try to imagine the views when places like this were first built.
    I really enjoyed all the photos-thank you
    Happy T Day Kathy

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  12. Let's Art Journal18 April 2017 at 12:06:00 BST

    Wow, what a lovely Easter holiday you had with your family and it looks like everyone had such a great time! Lowther Castle is an amazing place and the giant flower egg in the courtyard is beautiful! The play castle looks such fun and I love the thought of a Dragon Egg hunt to explore the castle and its grounds, I guess I'm just a big kid at heart ... lol! Wishing you a Happy T Day! J :-)

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  13. ~*~Patty S18 April 2017 at 12:51:00 BST

    Cute cards you made for those special birthday fellows...they grow up so fast!
    Thank you for sharing such a lovely outing.
    Your photos are splendid Chris...oh those gardens make my heart go pitter pat along with the lovely rolling hills.
    Another fun time you all had together all so sweet (Yes watch out for your sugar levels dear lady!)
    Happy T Day (I should be packing) oxo

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  14. jinxxxygirl18 April 2017 at 13:11:00 BST

    Chris happy birthday to your grandsons! Looks like they had a fabulous time. Thank you for taking us on a trip to the castle ...love it when you take u with you. Happy T day! Hugs! deb

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  15. sirkkis18 April 2017 at 17:24:00 BST

    Love your monsters 😀 they are so happy looking not scaring !
    Thank you for interesting photos ❤

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  16. Eileen The Artful Crafter18 April 2017 at 18:13:00 BST

    Great cards you made for your grandsons, Chris! It sounds like it was quite a special day. The additions and renovations at Lowther castle look very well done and the views are spectacular. Thanks for all the photos.

    Happy T-Day! Hugs, Eileen

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  17. Mrs.B18 April 2017 at 19:59:00 BST

    Fabulous cards Chris, love the special effects one and I'm sure your Grandson did too.
    Great photos of your visit, and that tree is amazing.
    Avril xx

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  18. Sandy18 April 2017 at 22:24:00 BST

    Talk about play castle - I should say!! I would love to visit that!
    The castle looks so grand nd I would also love to visit the real one.
    The magical, mystical tree is beyond belief - so glad you got a picture!
    Your grandsons are so handsome and the first card made me laugh right out loud! Great post today - Bravo!!!!
    Sandy xx

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  19. johanna19 April 2017 at 08:28:00 BST

    (i thought i had commented here yesterday, but someway it seems it didn´t come through...)

    Chris, do you have an overview over all These Castles;) ? well, indeed i envy you, i would love to see them all!! i always enjoy to see them at least through your lense:) thanks so much!
    happy belated t-day and rest of the week!

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  20. Marjut19 April 2017 at 13:19:00 BST

    What great cards!

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  21. Lisca19 April 2017 at 13:37:00 BST

    What a lovely post today. I so enjoyed the photos of Lowther castle. I googled it and saw newsclips of the largest wooden playground in the UK. What fun you must have had (dignified or not).
    The photos of the garden are gorgeous. That 'weeping' tree, the ferns, the alliums, everything really.
    We will be coming to the UK end of August but we never venture any furhter North than Manchester. LetsArtJournal Jo also tells us about these wonderful places 'up north', so perhaps we should take out some time to travel further up.
    Thanks for sharing,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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  22. CJ Kennedy19 April 2017 at 20:32:00 BST

    Fabulous cards! I especially love the image transfer card. Very cool. Looks like a great time was had by all. What a place! The egg shaped floral topiary is very cool. Such magnificent views from the castle. Breathtaking! That tree looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. You certainly got a lot of bang for your buck...er...pound. Enjoy your week!

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  23. Carol19 April 2017 at 21:26:00 BST

    Love the cards for the grandsons and it looks like everyone enjoyed their meal and desserts. Now for the castles!!!! Those were some amazing photos... almost dreamy. You and your son are right about the tree and it is magical. I would love something like that in my woods but Hubby would cut it down if I wasn't watching closely. You are not the only one late at getting around to folks this week :(

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  24. Words and Pictures19 April 2017 at 22:29:00 BST

    My brother and I are two days apart (I'm the 24th of this month and he's the 26th, and we've just celebrated his son's birthday on the 18th - busy times!!). We're a little bit older though, and less easy to embarrass these days.

    I love the cards (gritting teeth not to yield to Zinskis) and I'm sure your eldest grandson appreciated the special effects. Lowther Castle looks like a wonderful place for a day out - and WOW that floral Easter egg WOW!
    Alison x

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