ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY 36TH OF 2017

Good Morning - Tis Friday time for 

So first up was the staff day last Friday, a full day sat discussing and talking about ways forward, its always lovely to find the entire staff team speaking from the same perspective so that's my first positive of the week. 

My second is Chatsworth Country Fayre and time with said 16 year old and hubby!  We had a brilliant day together and a got a few photos. 

One of my favourites from the day, the laughter was brilliant!

We had blue skies and its become customary for me to capture either the Helter Skelter or the Carousel or the Ferris Wheel, this year, I captured two in one and you can see those beautiful blue skies!

We saw the sky divers jump albeit that we were wandering around the stalls. 

One of our absolute favourites and part of our Chatsworth Country Fayre ritual is to watch the mounted games, absolutely mad to watch but its brilliant to see how much the ponies enjoy it - they really are excited and eager to play!  If you've never seen mounted games - the ponies and riders are in teams (usually county teams - so we always cheer on Yorkshire), they race up and down for different games, some involve vaulting onto the ponies, collecting obstacles and placing them somewhere else, jumping off the ponies whilst another rider holds your pony whilst you go through a vehicle tyre - like I said crazy but great fun to watch! 

We also got to see this handsome fellow, aptly named Sirius - isn't he beautiful!

We enjoyed a picnic at lunchtime

And after lunch the two of them enjoyed a go at the clay pigeon shooting!

The day was brilliant, unfortunately no Red Arrows this year but we enjoyed it nonethless coming away at teatime and making our way home.  We had been blessed with lovely weather.

For me the show always signals the end of Summer and the start of Autumn, the day always feels a bit crisper probably because we are into September.  

I had seen my Mum at the end of last week and unbeknownst to me, she had lurgy, yes you guessed it, I have succumbed to a pretty atrocious virus.  I was starting to feel rough on Sunday, Monday it had turned into a proper cold by the afternoon and Tuesday I could hardly lift my head off the pillow.  The sinus pain has been pretty horrendous and I'm dosing myself up as we speak, so why oh why has it made the rocking post you might ask - well basically because for a change I listened when everyone told me to stop (I am naughty and usually keep going until I keel over), however, this one has been pretty awful so I just stopped and I'm trying to let it run its course (although I'd like it to hurry up please).  This has resulted in not being in work for the rest of the week because I really have been too poorly, so I'm grateful that both work places have been so understanding.  Laid in bed typing this as we speak.  I've drunk gallons of tea to try and help and used a face steamer, flu capsules etc.  So fingers and toes crossed I start to feel a little more human very soon as I'm not one to spend days lying in bed. 

Next up said 16 year old and his first day at college, which went very well.  He found his room in time for the start of day.  He enrolled on the course without a problem (except for his national insurance number, but I had that on hand).   He did an activity, met a few new people, caught up with an old friend for lunch, did the maths and english test that they have to do and got home just before 5 and he seems to have enjoyed it.  There are 15 on his course in total, and he is one of only 2 lads in the class!  

His second day consists of a field trip to the Hepworth Gallery at Wakefield and to Yorkshire Sculpture Park (because we obviously don't take him there often enough LOL). 

So its been a strange week, when I've been well we did things and had fun and went I haven't been well I've not done much, but life for those around me has continued on regardless. 

I hope you've had an awesome week.  If you fancy joining in pop a post together, pop back and link up and we shall come and visit. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 35TH OF 2017

Good Morning lovely people, tis Friday so what's been 

for the last seven days?

Well after the fabulous 'walk' on Kate's post last week and a comment that someone left about Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), I realised that for those that haven't managed to visit it you probably don't get the scale of it, so I thought I would join in and take you through our trip last weekend back up there, this time with said 16 year old in tow!

So here we are setting off from the main car park and visitors centre, you head straight into a field that is often full of sheep. 

Looking back you can see the visitors' centre

There are maps dotted around the park like this one, you can see clearly the 'you are here' sticker.  This walk wasn't the full circular walk up to the Longside gallery but just along by the lake.

The map tells you that the time to walk the full Longside gallery route is about 1 hour 15 minutes, but with sculptures along the way it always takes us longer if we do the full walk! 

Heading down the sheep field, you can see some of the Henry Moore sculptures that are in permanent residence. 

Slightly closer shot as we walked. 

You can see further sculptures further over in the field. 

We continued down and headed left towards the estates original Chapel, which is now an art space.  Unfortunately it was closed due to a changeover in the exhibitions (think top of the Magic Faraway Tree and between lands and you'll understand where I'm coming from). 

However, I love the Iron Tree positioned outside by Ai Weiwei, so we went for a look.  This is the write up if you want to know a bit more. 

This is the chapel

and this is the tree - I love the colour! 

It's like having permanent Autumn colour no matter what!

We then continued down the field to the cascade bridge, through the gate and over this bridge which takes you over the original river

The waterfall the otherside always sounds amazing! 

Here is Mischief 1 and 2!

Looking back over the park - you can see the sheep and in the distance the original Bretton Hall 

We didn't go over the main Cascade bridge but decided to stay this side of the lake, we came across the David Nash piece entitled Black Mound from 2013, to say it's burnt wood it is looking pretty epic!

We continued along the path by the side of the lake, catching glimpses of the surrounding countryside. 

We found a brand new sculpture (for us anyway) by Jorgen Haugen Sorensen named Supplement til titiens Afskaffelse made from black granite.  It didn't seem particular ground breaking from a distance.

But up close the joints and the way it had been put together were fantastic and for my hubby who trained as an engineer, could see the feat of engineering and the craftsmanship, let alone the art!

You can just about make out the Jaume Plensa head on the opposite back about a third of the way in from the left hand side, next to the large tree. 

The strong sunlight plunged a lot of the surrounding landscape into silhouette through the lens. 

We went past another sculpture which are upturned Organ Pipes, but I find the story and the quotes a little depressing, so maybe not one for my rocking post.  At the far end of the lake, where the other bridge is there is a piece by James Capper, it always reminds me of said 16 year old's lego miners vehicles from when he was about 8, hubby said it reminds him of the grinding wheels they used on the channel tunnel.

Looking back down the lake from where we've come you can see Heron Island and how well the bullrushes have been doing this summer.  

We headed down the other side of the lake to show said 16 year old the Jaume Plensa head up close.  From the back it looks like a full head, but it is an illusion as it is incredibly flat, it is said that his inspiration was the relief work you find of people's heads on coins.

The tree it is sat next to is huge

With low hanging branches - Mischief 1 went to play further!

Back over the lake you can see the Hall, it was a private residency until recently, but work in the park indicate that it is being turned into a hotel, whilst half of me thinks this is brilliant (opportunity to stay in the park at night and to see inside the hall), the other half thinks its sad that the family home is no longer being used for its intended purpose.

These two surveying the land!

Before we headed back through the wood to the bridge, I loved these trees, a strong sense of Center Parcs when we walked between them!

This statue is now positioned near the second bridge, it is about 10 feet tall, so highly deceptive in the picture!

A family of swans with 4 sygnets were in the top lake when we returned.

We went back up into the park after we'd crossed the Deer Head Bridge.  The Anthony Gormley piece, quite happy up on its tree trunk

Zak Ove's Black and Blue: The Invisible Men and the Mask of Blackness stand in rows in the space formerly used by some of the huge Kaws pieces. 

Heading back up the path you can see the house just behind hubby.

And then the Magnificent Desolation near the house

With the Zodiac Heads by Ai Weiwei, opposite (I shared more detailed photos of these last week)

We wandered up towards the Camellia House (part of the original estate buildings)

Through the central car park

We walked up the fairly steep path, there were lots of people with picnics enjoying the summer sunshine

We could see the Miro sculptures at the top

Roger Hiorns - Seizure - the copper sulphate blue crystal flat was closed due to the excessive weather that we'd had a few days earlier.  

Tony Cragg's exhibition is about to finish 

Then we headed down towards the Underground gallery 

the Bothy Gallery is off up the path to the left

In front of the underground gallery

And up the steps to the visitors centre that we started at!

Hopefully that will give you a bit of perspective to the park, you could go every day for a week and go a different route and see different things for quite a while if I'm honest. 

And that was only about a 3 mile walk in total! 

So other smiles this week, a rather tired looking 16 year old with his exam present (I remember receiving money for my GCSE's, but we thought a new electric acoustic would be appreciated more)!

We also enjoyed a night out watching the ice hockey (well at £5 a ticket for this friendly match it seemed a shame not to). The only downside was the melting ice issue that prevented the third period starting on time, however, additional ice and a fire extinguisher, soon got it underway and a 5-4 win to the Steelers was a fab end to the night!

I've had a few days off work and I've thoroughly enjoyed not doing a lot it has to be said, I've scrapbooked (quite a bit).

I've managed to finish watching A Handmaid's Tale, a brilliant series a difficult watch at times but incredibly well acted.  So how do I feel about there being a series 2 - when you consider there was never a book 2 - I'm not sure, I'll let you know once I've seen it!

We enjoyed a dominos pizza one of the nights when the evening caught up with us and we weren't prepared with tea. 

We watched Unlocked on DVD, me and said 16 year old chose it, it turned out to be a good watch with a fair few twists and turns along the way.

A fabulous catch up with my cousin, putting the world to rights - always a pleasure! 

Buying a couple more frames for the garden and replacing some canes in the front garden. 

The violas are coming along a treat and said 16 year old was more than happy to drag the hose pipe out and water the garden both front and back for me the other night!

Modern Gardens magazine (I love this magazine). 

Time with said 16 year old, we haven't done much, but just downing tools and having a good chat has been awesome.  I think life as a 16 year old is much harder than ever it was when I was his age.  The trials and tribulations with social media really are an added pressure that I think most of them can do without! 

And that my lovely people is the epic write up for this week, give yourself a round of applause and a pat on the back if you are still here!  I hope you aren't too parched!  

If you fancy joining in pop a post together, pop back and link up so we can come and visit. 

Until next week