Shaw's Corner, Hertfordshire

Yesterday was a beautiful day and we went out for a drive in the country, visiting a few pretty villages and stopping at Shaw's Corner, (National Trust) the house where George Bernard Shaw lived until his death.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish playwrite and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. He was one of the most famous men of his time as well as writing plays he was an author, critic and political activist with a great commitment to social reform. Nearly all his writings address prevailing social problems but have a vein of comedy. One piece of work, Pygmalion was made into a film for which he won an Oscar. He was also awarded a Noble Prize for Literature in 1925

The Gate

 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

"Open for me the gates of the righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter."

 Psalm 118:19-20

You may have noticed on my blog that I often mention a place called Ashridge, this is a park area that belongs to the National Trust. When I was young I grew up in a town not far from Ashridge, each of my birthday parties was spent  at Ashridge, my parents would pack up a picnic and we would fill the car with my brother and friends. (This was before the time of rear seatbelts and child seats!) When I was 16  my parents moved to Cornwall.  Two years ago my husband and I moved back to the area for him to take up the post of pastor at a local church. We now live the other side of Ashridge. We love to go there for walks, take our family and for the moment, Preston. Where we walk is a lovely gate, there is something special about gates, children love to climb them, it is lovely to visit them through the seasons and the spiritual aspect is great. I have added some photos of the gate that I have taken over the time we have been here.

Waddesdon Manor

Today is our day off so we went to Waddesdon Manor, this is a National Trust property which was was built between 1874 and 1889 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world. if you would like to read some of the history of this property you can see it here
http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/plan_your_visit/history.htm

It is certainly a beautiful place, I have been there once before at Christmas when the main rooms are all decorated in different styles for season, with beautifully dressed trees and table settings.

Walking around the rooms today we did feel a little uncomfortable after having just returned from South Africa and seeing such poverty there and comparing it with the luxurious self-indulgence of this place. It is quite hard to get the balance and be able to enjoy the amazing design of this property and its beautiful gardens.

Day Out

Tomorrow is my birthday and since my 50th birthday I have tried to extend the celebrations a little longer than the usual day...... so today we went out to Clivedon, a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire. The weather was a little dull and so the photo's dont do it justice, but we had a great time. The view from the house across the Thames and surrounding countryside was amazing. We took a picnic and enjoyed a long walk through the beautiful gardens. The first two photo's are for my grandaughters...Primrose and Magnolia (Maggie).