Ladies who walk with their lunch

Some days it is special to just find a nice place to eat & relax, & other times, you want to get out & about & after a really manic week, I felt the need for some wide open space, some inspiration, company & food naturally so what better than to combine them all ....

My dear friends & I set off for a National Trust property that we are all rather fond of & the best thing ... it is only a few minutes away.

Yesterday we were fortunate to still enjoy the snowdrops - vast swathes of the most beautiful white clusters of flowers, gently growing amongst the fallen leaves of Autumn while the Spring crocuses & daffodils were appearing too .....

I was joined by Liane of cheap thrills and Food with Friends , my friend Kathy & Liz who is a Tipsy Tart and we had our morning coffee on a bench overlooking a field & house.

Morning drinks were coffee or hot chocolate with my home made crunchies (a South African type biscuit) and a chocolate & prune cake made by the Tipsy Tart (recipe on her link). It gave us time to just chat & catch up while warming up ...

The park is very popular with dog walkers & we came across some beautiful ones; Spring is certainly in the air we were greeted with birdsong & lots of squirrels leaping about in the trees.

The park recently opened a new section so that adds to the walk through another forest of trees & managed woodland. I love how the trees are used at Attingham Park - some are carved, others left to gently return to nature, some used for fences & logs & new areas are planted all the time. There is something about wide open spaces like this that just lifts the spirits ...

After nearly 3 hours of walking about, we needed some lunch - Kathy & Liz had taken care of that - flasks of piping hot lentil soup, served with healthy crispbreads on a bench in the forest ... the best lunch!

The estate is just so lovely - set in beautiful park grounds with deer & other wildlife & even though I visit often, I just love it in all seasons, especially the view of the house as you return from the forest walk ....

A most enjoyable day ... do you do picnic lunches?
Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend
Dee ~♥~