Words and Poetry at Newstead Abbey

We've been to Newstead Abbey many times now, in the spring, summer, autumn and winter, each time it shows us something new, this time it was inside of the house, an important part of the Abbey that we have never seen before.

With either the sun shining or adventures to be had outside, the house has just never been on our radar. So when they had a day of fun, poetry and music with tours around the house, it sounded like a fantastic way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. With access to the house and gardens for just £10 per car this sort of event is the perfect opportunity to explore more of this wonderful piece of history.

We were taken on a tour by, Becky Cullen, the Abbey's poet in residence, she read out poems inspired by the house, written by staff and members of the public. We were also allowed to explore the house ourselves, which was a fantastic experience.

Although a lot of the original furniture had been sold off many years ago, it has been replaced by similar pieces from other collections, it gives you an idea of how it would of looked back in the day. There are many rooms to look at with many memories, deeply ingrained in the wood carvings and stone that sprawl about the house.

The impressive staircase as you walk in is truly a piece of art in itself and the wood that covers that great hall must have seen so much in its time.

It would be rude to visit Newstead Abbey and not find out about it's famous previous owner, and so, we visited the bedroom of Lord Byron, or the 6th Lord Byron as he was officially named, this housed a replica of his bed with it's domed roof and a pistol by his bedside, which he kept their due to unrest in Nottinghamshire at that time. Although these rooms are slightly different to how it would have been during his time here, it has been restored to be as original as possible.

The library housed his boxing gloves and a toothpick in the form of a tiny sword, as well as many of his other possessions, you can only begin to imagine what those things would say if they could talk. Walking through the library you are taken on a journey through Lord Byron's life, loves and friends you then move on through the house and learn about the families that lived in the house as the years went by, before it was handed over to the council for all to see.

The gardens looked wonderful, full of colour and for once there was water in the pond behind the Abbey, which meant you could see the house reflected in it. With the sun shining, we headed through the rose garden, had a quick go on the park then decided to head back to the car as the storm clouds were brewing, well, it was an English summer's day!

We headed home after a wonderful afternoon out, with a beautiful insight into the house and the people who would have lived there. To see those objects and understand what could of possibly inspired Lord Byron to pen the words he did was exciting, to see the gardens from the windows and to see why the occupants designed them the way they did added another dimension to one of our favourite places to visit.

"She walks in beauty, like the night 

Of cloudless climes and starry skies; 

And all that’s best of dark and bright 

Meet in her aspect and her eyes; 

Thus mellowed to that tender light 

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.....

- Lord Byron (George Gorden)

NB: We were given complimentary tickets to the event, all words and opinions are my own.

Marquee Love Letters from One Stop Craft Shop

I was recently approached by the One Stop Craft Shop, to see if I would be interested in reviewing some of their new range of Marquee Love letters.

As we have just moved house, our new home is a blank canvas in most rooms. In the kitchen however, we are almost there, we have chosen colours and some new furniture and it is really starting to come together.

Firstly, I had to choose a word to have displayed in lights, EAT seemed very appropriate for the kitchen! So, with my word chosen I was sent some letters and coloured papers to get me started, craft is something I love doing but sometimes it's very difficult to find the time, so this was the perfect excuse and opportunity for me to get crafty.

The letters themselves are made from cardboard, they come with the lights and bulbs which slot onto the front, as well as a template to make it easy to cut the paper.

First of all you need to draw around the template and carefully cut it out, I found you need to cut exactly on the line otherwise it doesn't quite fit in into the letter.

Once you have cut out the shape you need to fit it into the letter and then using a pencil I poked the holes into the front to place the lights and bulbs onto the front.

With the paper being slightly thick, it meant the bulbs didn't slot into holes as easily as they could, I certainly had sore fingers at the end of it all. Be careful not too push too hard onto the cardboard and if need be, put a little pressure on the other side to stop it from putting any strain on the cardboard.

Once I had completed the first letter, the following ones were a breeze.

I absolutely love the finished look though, its fabulous and so effective,  they look perfect on top of my kitchen unit in both the day and at night.

I can't wait for evenings in the garden, to be able to put these on and see them through the window, they are really bright so perfect for an alternative to lamps. They are battery operated by two AAA batteries, so don't need to be need a plug either.

These fabulous letters mean that you can swap and change the colour scheme as much as you like, to suit your rooms, whether it be for children's rooms, kitchen or lounge or even parties and weddings. You can even get additional bulbs in blue and pink, the options are endless and if you hop on over to One Stop Craft Shop there is plenty more inspiration from their huge range of stock.

Plus if you feel like a change you can always swap the letters round....

So, what word would you create? Family, Love, Home???

The paper used in this project were, Mini Dots Gold Foiled Paper and Confetti Gold Foiled Paper.

NB: I was sent the letters and papers to create this post, all words and opinions are my own.

Dyslexia at 30

On Saturday I went to the opticians, nothing unusual, I just felt my eyes were getting worse and I was getting headaches at work when using the computer.

We sat and talked, I explained how difficult I found it to read a book because the words seem to split up and move. But it had always been that way, ever since I first went to the opticians when I was about 12.

We then talked about how reading son his books felt easier, possibly because the words are often on dark backgrounds and over the pictures.

He then told me it sounded like I have a form of dyslexia. I can read and write, however I have always just found reading books somewhat of a chore!

So at 30, after almost 18 years of finding it difficult to read, I finally have a reason and can hopefully find solutions to my reading difficulty.

If anyone has any experience of this I would love to hear from you.