Birmingham
After our enjoyable week in London, we took the train to Birmingham to visit family - Uncle Don, Aunt Jean, Valerie, Paul, Chris, Pauline, Ella and Toby. The last time we saw Uncle Don, Aunt Jean, and David's cousins Val and Chris was five years ago when we visited London and made a stop in Birmingham. This time around we got to briefly meet Val's husband Paul (Paul is a pilot and was scheduled to fly that afternoon to the Middle East, so he had to leave shortly after we arrived), Pauline (Chris' partner), and Val and Paul's children Ella and Toby.
We arrived at Birmingham before noon and Uncle Don picked us up from the train station. He then drove us to Val and Paul's home, before we headed to a golf and country club nearby for lunch. We were treated to a delicious meal at the country club's restaurant and we all enjoyed it very much (David jokingly said we should go there every week for Sunday lunch, but then again they were serving amongst other things, his favourite Yorkshire puddings!).
After lunch we returned to Val and Paul's home for tea. It was just before tea when Aunt Jean surprised David with a birthday cake that she had baked, to celebrate his birthday which was the previous week. It was such a thoughtful gesture and we all enjoyed the decadent chocolate cake. We had a wonderful afternoon with the family and it was really good to see everyone again and meet the other members of the family that we hadn't met before. After our short visit with the Giles and Winters' families, we took the train to Derby to visit David's other aunt and uncle.
Derby
We arrived in Derby in the late afternoon and were picked up from the train station by Uncle Anthony. He then drove us to his home where Aunt Carol was waiting for us. It was good to see both of them again, as the last time we saw them was when they attended our wedding in Vancouver in 2005. We stayed over-night with them and the next day they took us to see one of Derbyshire's great houses, called Kedleston Hall.
Kedleston Hall is a classical Palladian mansion that was built in the 1760's and designed by Robert Adam. It was erected by the first Baron Scarsdale and has been occupied by the Curzon family for hundreds of years. Today, the property is under the care of the British National Trust (a conservation charity), although the Curzon family still occupies one of the wings.
Not only does Kedleston Hall feature a beautiful mansion, but also wonderfully landscaped grounds with a haha, allowing an uninterrupted view of the grounds with the grazing area beyond. This was our first introduction to a haha, which is essentially a deep trench that is a physical barrier to keep livestock out, while offering an unobstructed view from the other side. After our visit to Kedleston Hall, we went back to Uncle Anthony and Aunt Carol's home for a quick lunch before Uncle Anthony drove us to the airport for our flight to Belfast. It was good to see and spend some time with both of them.
Kedleston Hall is a classical Palladian mansion that was built in the 1760's and designed by Robert Adam. It was erected by the first Baron Scarsdale and has been occupied by the Curzon family for hundreds of years. Today, the property is under the care of the British National Trust (a conservation charity), although the Curzon family still occupies one of the wings.
Not only does Kedleston Hall feature a beautiful mansion, but also wonderfully landscaped grounds with a haha, allowing an uninterrupted view of the grounds with the grazing area beyond. This was our first introduction to a haha, which is essentially a deep trench that is a physical barrier to keep livestock out, while offering an unobstructed view from the other side. After our visit to Kedleston Hall, we went back to Uncle Anthony and Aunt Carol's home for a quick lunch before Uncle Anthony drove us to the airport for our flight to Belfast. It was good to see and spend some time with both of them.
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