Newhailes

After a slow start today we decided to head down to Musselburgh and to Newhailes House for some lunch. After taking a ridiculous time to get across Edinburgh, we arrived around 1pm. Lunch in the Stables courtyard was a very tasty baked potato with coronation chicken, always one of my favourite fillings .
After lunch we headed into the house and grounds. No apologies for another collage, there were just so many things to see.
The house itself is 17th century and owned by the National Trust, its full of treasures and tours are available. Something we've always meant to do. There is also a great adventure play area called Weehailes for younger children 3-12 years. There is a charge for it but it's much more reasonable than most, £3 for children and £1 for adults. It's very visible and you don't need to be in the actual play area to supervise. Very hot on a summers day but fortunately there's an ice cream stand as well as a snack bar there! Our girls loved it when we were last there.
The collage shows the house, a 17th century palladian mansion owned by the Dalrymple family. From left to right, the four smaller pictures are: wood anemones;
Drooping Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans); a bluebell, hybrid I fear, and lastly, the summer tea house!
This latter is at the far north corner of the estate. I can just see the ladies having a sedate walk with their parasols, picking their way daintily through the woodland admiring the water features and the shell grotto on the way. Meanwhile the house maids are scurrying along the top road to get tea and sandwiches ready in time for them arriving at the tea house no doubt with spirit stoves to light to keep the tea warm too.
I hadn't seen the Star of Bethlehem before, it was a new one to me, and very pretty. The woods were full of clumps of anemones pure and bright in the sunshine.
Today was much warmer than the last few days thank goodness.
We headed home in time for a quick visit from Ali and Josie, it's Amy and Stuart's first wedding anniversary on Sunday, that year has gone so very quickly.
Colin and I watched the quizzes this evening, I felt the better team won UC. An average age of 22, remarkable.
Heavy rain this evening, appreciated by the garden no doubt.