I recently visited Erddig, a National Trust property in North Wales. It is a lovely old house in beautiful grounds, it has a rich history and is a place I have visited several times in the past with my family.
On this occasion it was a bank holiday and the place was heaving, there was no space in the car park and there were so many people it really was not the quiet day out I had envisaged. It was a harsh reminder of why I normally stay home on bank holidays.
I didn't bother going into the house itself, the thought of having to squeeze through masses of people was too much so I stayed outdoors and tried to enjoy the gardens. I got some nice shots of some flowers and I managed to find a quiet corner to sit and reflect and as the afternoon wore on many of the families had left and a more calming atmosphere descended before it was time to head home once again.
On the way out a National Trust volunteer reminded me that there was a smithy and wood workshop just off the courtyard and so I popped in for a quick look.
For me this was, perhaps curiously< the highlight of the visit. I love this sort of place, I love the smells, the old tools and machinery and I love the memories that come flooding back of visits to my grandparents. Both my grandfathers had shed/workshops with lots of old tools which they looked after carefully. On Saturday afternoons we would spend time talking and tidying and sometimes making things or mending things.
It also makes me think about how much things have changed and how we have become such a throwaway society compared to the past when we would routinely restore and mend things That makes me sad so i am going to stop here and go back to remembering my Saturday afternoons with my grandads.
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