Yes, Mrs. Woody's birthday today and as a gentleman (!*?!?*) I won't say how old she is but just that she does not look it unlike me! Anyway an afternoon out after a lazy Sunday morning and we went to Belton House. As the weather was cold but very sunny the place had a fair few visitors but with a site as big as Belton once you get away from the car park there is space to spread out.
It is a place we have been to before but I cannot recall the Orangery being open during previous visits so with its doors open I was in!
I have no idea why I am fascinated by these places as I have no idea of the plants growing in them but it i is that mix of man made building with enormous plants inside I guess. There were certainly some large specimens.
The glass roof is just perfect! Imagine modelling that!
The only plant that I know the name of in the Orangery is the Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeeana) which Mrs. W told me about. It does look from a distance remarkably like a shrimp!
Just next to the Orangery is the church.
A typical old English church with some interesting things inside including this carved inscription from the 1600s. What I found fascinating was the wording and spelling. The letter s is like an f without the horizonal line across midway. Public was spelt publick and capital letters are used on words mid way through sentences. A truly remarkable insight into the development of the English language.
Whilst going to Belton House we stopped off at a shopping park to buy a button battery. They did not have the required size but I could not believe the sudden influx of Christmas stuff including this rather natty flying Santa! I can see that on the roof of WMD HQ! Or maybe not!
Having cooked Mrs. W's birthday meal I think I may see if the Man Cave is accessible!
