Cragside

A big day out today to Cragside, the country house of a lawyer turned engineer and the first house to have electric lighting.  He installed a hydraulic lift so his staff could carry coal around the house easier, and was also a pioneer of central heating - which is something that Mr B and I could pay heed to...

The house sits in a large, craggy estate, mostly given over to rhododendrons and wildness.  We drove round to the kids' playground to give them a bit of exercise after the long drive (I'm sure google maps sent us a long way round) and then on to the rhododendron maze.  It's really big and all was going fine until Grandma needed a wee, I remembered I hadn't had any breakfast and was famished, and TallGirl kept forgetting the really quite simple rule of not losing us.  So, I was delighted when (by whistling) we found each other and she had found the way out.  Less delighted when that way out turned out to be entirely on the wrong side of the maze. 

A sense of humour failure followed.

Happily, Grandma is well versed in the ways of country wees, and I summoned up the small amount of sense required to ask CarbBoy to find the way.  We were out within 5 minutes.

After that, lunch at the National Trust tea room was the height of civilisation.  CarbBoy not only ate a ham sandwich (his first ever normal sandwich) but begged to be allowed to go back for another.  Clearly plastic white bread is the key.  The house was fab too - way better than I remember it when I was a kid (but granted I was probably a bit less interested in wallpaper and plumbing then).

CarbBoy's favourite bit (as if the dizzy excitement of liking sandwiches wasn't enough) was the Pump House.  I could understand the sniggering, but not it's depth or persistance.  Until I realised that it did not enter his mind that this was for pumping fresh water up to the house, but rather presumed it was where posh people went to break wind.

An even longer journey home due to me following the directions of our local expert (Mam).  I did ask Dad (sadly not there to direct us) if Otterburn should have been on our way home, and he shook his head sadly.  

A grand day out regardless.  The hours of driving left my sore arm somewhat in need of a glass of red wine, which was swiftly delivered.

Eagle-eyed viewers may spot TG and CB flanking my Mam in this shot.