Chatsworth House & a Birthday Tea

---

Chatsworth - a slice of how the "other half" live - or at least how they did in Victorian times. This historic home is reputedly one of the best of those open to visit in England, and after viewing the many treasures inside and walking the grounds, it's not hard to see why. Little Cocky and Alexander enjoyed the hedge maze and animal farmyard the best, while the rest of us soaked up the fine art in the sumptuous house, and the beautiful gardens and grounds. You simply cannot grow gardens the same under Australian conditions. Compared to the gardens at home, everything in England appears to have an aura of softness about it, lush, verdant greenery that simply isn't repeated in Australia in the same way. It's a completely different type of garden atmosphere in comparison to any we've ever experienced, even in comparison to the Australian rainforests.
While none of us would have said that we shared the Victorian era tastes in so far as interior decoration and design was concerned, we were held in awe at the attention to detail, craftsmanship and above all, sheer sumptuousness of it all. After all, Chatsworth was (and still is) a private home, yet has all the trappings of a richly furnished and decorated palace.
We celebrated Mark's birthday back at Mick & Jean's with a party tea. Nan-nan May was there too to join the fun. We were also celebrating Big Mick's birthday, Nan-nan May's and a belated celebration for Alexander's birthday for those of us who missed it. After dinner, we made each other laugh with the Singstar - even Big Mick and Poppy got in on the act! If not for needing to settle Possy-poss off to bed, we could have gone on all night.
LITTLE COCKY’S COMMENTS: I thought that Chatsworth house had too much fancy stuff inside, but mum & dad liked it. The gardens had a maze which was fun, and lots of exciting places to play and explore. There was a farm yard with animals and an adventure playground, which I liked the best.

---

Photos

Centre of the maze.
Now, how to get out???