Early April found Margaret and I making our way to Felbrigg Hall. This is a seventeenth century Jacobean house that is now owned by the National Trust. There is a substantial farm attached that is in private hands.
It was not just the Lambs that caught Margaret's attention inside the farm sheds
Cattle and a Chickens hatchery were also on display and she snapped off some wonderful photographs.
Cattle and a Chickens hatchery were also on display and she snapped off some wonderful photographs.
I remained in the yard and I photographed a lot of the farm animals that were roaming around in a field outside. Some pigs were wallowing around in a very muddy pen named Alby and Ginge, with their names on a notice board tacked to the gate.
There were also some ducks and chickens pecking around the field with numerous wild birds swooping on anything edible.
I turned a corner and spotted some collared doves and jackdaws feeding from a split bag of feed, part of a stack in a barn.
I turned a corner and spotted some collared doves and jackdaws feeding from a split bag of feed, part of a stack in a barn.
We then visited the hall and had a pot of tea in the restaurant. The hall interior is magnificent, with many works of art and artefacts. There was a dining table and chairs, the table laid for the family of ten people was magnificent, with silver cutlery and even an imitation meat dish.
Next we visited the walled garden, with the high brick walls covered by fruit trees, trained to climb and produce succulent fruit. Sadly April is not the season for fruit, but my imagination could provide an excellent vivid picture. There were a few Spring flowers around the well kept public allotments, the star was an early magnolia tree in full bloom.
We entered a brick built dove cot built on the walls, there were a few doves high in the rafters. I think some of the flock were feeding on the spilled seed from the split bag that we saw earlier in the barn next to the lambing pens.
We photographed several chickens freely roaming around pecking and enjoying the freedom of the gardens and the adjoining allotments. There were several nesting boxes and chicken coops in a field next to the gardens.
We photographed several chickens freely roaming around pecking and enjoying the freedom of the gardens and the adjoining allotments. There were several nesting boxes and chicken coops in a field next to the gardens.
Margaret and I then entered a couple of brick built glazed hothouses with many cacti and tender tropical plants growing in pots. I would have loved to have seen these in high Summer as I suspect there are some special orchids growing in here.
Exhausted and excited after a wonderful day out. We left Felbrigg hall and headed home.