A Day in Liverpool (lots of pictures)

Was even better than I expected.  Why, you ask?  Because that little minx Jo had not told me that another friend was coming and so it was a complete and wonderful surprise to turn round and see the lovely Lorraine stood behind me.  Here are the three of us in Jo's "Mad House".

But wait ... there was another surprise

Jo's daughter, Claire, decided to Skype and so I got to chat with her and her lovely little girl.  It was great to see the improvement in the little one, and see how her hair is coming back, and so nice to chat to Claire who has been a face in a photograph up to now.  Maybe, one day, we will meet in person.

After a lovely lunch Lorraine went off to collect her son from school (with his three big bags) and Jo and I set off with the guys for Croxteth Hall.  What a treat that was as we wandered around the rooms:

Am hoping you can click on this picture and read the Rules

and this one shows what life was like for the Servants - not bad eh?

I found this rather interesting - sometimes a valet would have to translate for the master.  Boy oh boy, I wouldn't have liked his job - I like my sleep!

What I haven't told you is that some of the rooms have an activation beam which, when you walk in through the doorway, the characters appear to be having a conversation.  When I went in this room, for the second time to get this photograph, on my own (I found the guy on the right to be a bit spooky - his eyes never left me) I felt a bit spooked, honestly, and it was quite dark.  I had forgotten all about the voices so just as I was about to press the button on my camera he spoke.  Think the camera leaped about six inches in the air.  I certainly got the goosebumps.

This, and the one below, were two of my favourite rooms.  I loved the children chatting and in the one below there was a very interesting conversation going on between the two ladies.  What were they talking about?  You will have to go yourself and then you can find out.

All too soon it was time to leave the Hall as we wanted to see the Walled Garden and the Farm.  This is the magnificent hallway on the upper floor.

It really is a lovely park in itself and I am just sorry we did not get chance to see much more of it, but that gives us an excuse to go back again.  We have to visit the farmyard as well so plenty of reasons to go back.

Sorry Jo (and Dave) we are coming back!

And I'll be back later with some photos of the garden - for some reason Blogger was playing silly and wouldn't let me upload any more.