Dorset in the Sunshine!

We've had a fabulous weekend away in Dorset during 3 lovely sunny days sandwiched between dull, wet weather.  How lucky are we!  We stayed at the welcoming La Fosse in Cranborne where we enjoyed tasty local produce and 2 comfortable nights accommodation.

La Fosse (on the right)

On a cold, bracing, but beautifully sunny morning we set off after breakfast to do the local walk around Cranborne Estate.   Whereas the focus on our local walk in April was flowers, this walk was heaving with Autumn produce.

I was sorry not to have a container to pick the blackberries.

Apparently you can eat these hawthorn berries but I don't know if they have to be cooked first. They're supposed to be good for the heart.

Ripe, juicy elderberries that I wish I knew what to do with (we're not really into making wine).

These handsome beasts looked very contented.  OH commented that they must be quite docile as these days horns would normally be removed to prevent them hurting eachother.

This fella was looking very smug lording it over his herd!

Sloes were hanging in abundance (another fruit I don't know what to do with - we're not into sloe gin).  Don't know why OH tasted one because he knows how bitter they are!! (This photo is the wrong way up but I don't know which way it goes)

Taking a breather on a log.  A couple of minutes later a flock of partridges flew up out of the crop in the field behind me.  We saw lots of game birds and birds of prey but I'm not quick enough with the camera to catch them.

There is, in fact, a bird of prey in the distance in this photo hovering somewhere in front of the wood on the hill. (Don't try to find it!! I only know it's there because I could see it moving when I took the pic - I can't see it now!!)

Part of the walk took us through ancient woodland............

.............emerging onto a country lane. Not far to go now.

In the afternoon we visited the quaint, historic towns of Fordingbridge and Lyndhurst where we visited tea rooms..............

..........looked around a church on a hill..........

...........and admired the old, red-brick buildings, characteristic of the area. 

A little old-fashioned shop window caught my eye with it's display of an old hand-wheel operated sewing machine along with vintage sewing and knitting patterns and accessories.  It was The Old Apothecary in Lyndhurst and I'm pleased to find that they have a website because it was so busy I didn't stay as long as I would have liked.

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Next Saturday is our October Quilting Club meeting and we're having an Open Day.  We're going to be serving tea and cakes and inviting the public to come and see demonstrations in progress as well as finished items.  I hope it's a success and we get lots of interest from the local community (not our local community - it's in a town about half an hour away).  Btw, I don't think I've mentioned that I agreed to be co-opted as secretary of the group for a year - I don't think it will be too onerous a task especially as the rest of the committee have agreed to arrange meetings around me, because I work full-time and live further away from them.

Bye for now

Teresa x