This weekend called for the first National Trust visit of the year to a grand old house in Warwickshire, surrounded by a moat and dotted with hidden priest holes.
For once I actually had a full weekend – a rarity when working part-time in retail – so I decided to plan a little day out to make the most of the time. On the Saturday Ben and I headed to National Trust’s Baddesley Clinton, which included a lovely walk through the countryside and a trip to a delightful little country pub. Then, on Sunday, we went for lunch at one of Ben’s favourite cafes, Baxter Baristas inside the Transport Museum in Coventry for a scrumptious sandwich.
WHAT’S INSPIRED ME THIS WEEK
As a fashion designer, and general creative type, I am constantly seeking inspiration wherever I am, and these posts are a way to document what has ignited something within me this past week. Whether its artwork I’ve seen online, photography that moved me, or a collection of colour in nature that kick-started a creative idea in my head, I’ll be sharing four ideas that have brought me joy in the past seven days.
R. READING
I’ve just finished (literally this morning!) last year’s Booker Prize winner: Orbital by Samantha Harvey.
I picked it up on my trip to London last week, and haven’t been able to put it down since.
I honestly don’t think I’ve read a more poetic novel in a very long time; the descriptions of our beautiful planet moved me so much, and I think it would be hard to finish this book without developing a new found appreciation for our wonderful Earth.
E. EDUCATING
I first got my National Trust membership a couple of years ago, but I’ve really made use of it in the last year or so. Ben and I love going out and exploring a new National Trust location, and this week’s pick was nearby Baddesley Clinton.
I love meandering around the houses and learning about the history of these old locations, and this weekend’s pick was full of super interesting stories.
The house, which belonged to a Catholic family, was dotted with hidden priest holes, used to hide priests during the Elizabethan era. When the priest hunters would arrive the priests would flip their mattresses, run to the bathroom and climb down the toilet shaft to a hidden little room – it absolutely amazed me!
P. PLAYING
Ben and I have been watching a Japanese show on Netflix called Terrace House for a while now, and it really heated up this week, which was quite unexpected.
As far as reality shows go this is usually quite drama-free but the episodes we watched this week had us audibly gasping!
It’s been really lovely to watch something that’s a bit different to the typical British reality shows and try out something new-to-me.
O. OBSESSING OVER
For Christmas I got a crochet set, filled with different sized hooks and various crochet supplies, and I finally started using it this week.
I used to knit but I’ve never crocheted, so first I had to learn the basics, but once I’d cracked that I was off! I’ve started working on a kindle sleeve and a striped, Djerf Avenue-inspired headband.
I am so excited to see what I’ll go on to create now that I’ve started this new hobby.
R. RECOMMENDING
It will come as no surprise that this week’s recommendation is getting yourself a National Trust membership.
If you’re under 25 you can get an annual membership for just £3.80 a month, or £7.60 for a regular adult membership.
Although lots of the locations are more remote there are still plenty of beautiful places accessible by public transport – such as Baddesley Clinton that we visited this week!
T. TREATING MYSELF TO
As I’ve just mentioned I have started crocheting, so I decided to treat myself to some new wool. I got a rainbow of wool from Søstrene Grene, all of which is Oeko-Tex certified (which is fabulous news!).
Buying wool in exciting new colours has inspired me to work on new projects and create, which is always a wonderful mindset to find myself in.
Love Chloe x
