CONTRASTS!

Just a short post to fill in some gaps, that I've been wayward on over the last year.  It is nearly 12 months ago that we visited family in UK & although we had the best time, I didn't have reliable internet access, so posts were few & far between.
We belong to the National Trust of Australia, and are able to use our membership cards in the UK too, so this is a day out in Northumberland and one here in Melbourne.

CRAGSIDE.
A beautiful, very large home with a wonderful history.  The day we visited was extremely busy, due to 2 other NT properties being closed for the filming of Transformers 6 (I think).  We explored the house, but not the garden as it was closed for some work, but we did wander down to the first privately owned hydro-electric power plant.

The back of the house from the path down the hillside as we walked from a far-off car park.

The most amazing sculpted chimney breast.

Oh no!  Yes, it is an old patchwork quilt on the bed.

A beautiful old wheel that is part of the hydro-electric plant.

I've not got many good photos from this day out, due to it being very overcast and also the amount of people around.

PORTABLE IRON HOUSES IN MELBOURNE.

Hubby and I spent a lovely day out a few months back visiting these houses, which are in stark contrast to the above.

Front of one house.

A second house at the rear, which has been moved from another location and has an audio/visual set up to explain  the story of these homes.

One of the rooms which has not been touched in a "long while".

Attic bedroom, which is accessed by the steepest stairway I've ever been up.  You have to come down backwards.  Notice that the bed has a "patchwork quilt".  Seems to be a theme there!

One of the downstairs rooms that has some restoration work done, shows how the packing cases, these homes were shipped in,  were then used for the internal walls. 

 I'm not a mine of information about either of these properties, but I'm sure that you can see them both on line.

Whilst we were in Northumberland, we decided to visit Soutar Lighthouse, another NT property & the receptionist at the motel suggested we also go to St. Margarets Lighthouse, which we would find interesting.
OK, off we set and this is what we saw.

Ummm!!  Where is it?

 Well, we parked the car and looked around the complex, which I loved.  The lightkeepers cottage was well kept and we shared the experience with a small party of schoolchildren.

And what, not again, but I just can't help myself when it comes to quilts on beds.
Another old one & hexagons too. 

Here it is just appearing out of the mist.

On to St. Margaret's Lighthouse later in the day.

Here it is!!!!

The fog had again rolled in, making our lighthouses journey a bit of a disappointment, but we still had a fun day out.  There is actually a causeway out to this one, but the tide was in and it had just started to sprinkle as well, so we headed for home.

Hope you've enjoyed some late postings of days out in both UK & Oz.  I know that I'd like to occasionally catch up on our trip from last year, but next week is both Scavenger Hunt on 28th & Finishing Stitches on 31st.  We also are  a tad on the busy side next week, with a Car Club coffee/cake run & committee meeting on Wednesday and then on Thursday, I'm off to the Quilt and Craft Show in Melbourne, and have a physio appointment on Friday.  Over the weekend we might even  visit a NT property that isn't open very often.  Como House are having an Open Weekend, so will try and take advantage of that.

I've waffled on enough and hope everyone has a good week ahead.
Take care.
Susan.