The sunshine was glorious as we set off on our journey to Harrogate. On the way we stopped off at Woodhall services to purchase sandwiches for an in car picnic. Afterwards we passed through some lovely autumnal areas and saw a red kite riding the thermals. We arrived in Harrogate in the early afternoon and checked into the the Yorkshire hotel which was a quirky experience. We had to move the car to a space that wasn’t already allocated.

After unloading the car we walked into town. It was rather chilly compared to home and we soon headed back to the hotel to enjoy the champagne and chocolates that Mr C had secretly arranged.

Whilst sipping the bubbly, I took the opportunity to do some colouring in my ‘World of Flowers’ book. I am taking part in Johanna Basford’s ‘30 Days of Creativity’ to coincide with the publication of her new book. Unfortunately my copy of the book didn’t arrive in time for day one so I had to improvise.

In the bar before dinner, we were told that our card should have been registered on arrival at the hotel. Mr C headed to reception to sort it out and came back with a birthday card from the hotel.  The receptionist that showed us to our car parking space had asked how long we were staying for and was it a special occasion.

For dinner I chose ‘ultimate chicken Kiev’ with German potato salad and dressed leaves. The food was excellent and the staff friendly and attentive. The bar area had a comfortable atmosphere and I enjoyed watching the bar staff mixing cocktails as people came and went.

Our destination for the day of our anniversary was Forde Abbey, a place that we had not visited before. Our journey there was quirky – there were many sudden junctions and eroded markings and, for some reason, the SatNav has changed the way it navigates saying bear left/right when the junction is a left/right turn and when it states turn left/right it should say bear left/right. I upgraded to the latest map a couple of days before we travelled, before this the bear/turn directions seemed more accurate.

The gardens are wonderful and the architecture of the house and former Abbey interesting. A lovely herd of Ruby Red Devon cows were in a field just outside the boundary fence. The spectacular Centenary Fountain is the tallest powered fountain in England. We enjoyed lunch in the walled garden, sitting outside the undercroft. I chose cherry cake; it just had to be done. The staff were so happy to have recently opened and enjoying the visitors’ return.

On our way back to the hotel we detoured to Cerne Abbas to see the newly chalked giant on the hillside. We then visited the village to find the Holy Well and the Preaching Cross that are located within the burial grounds. The Holy Well was lovely and peaceful, although another couple followed us into the space so we left them to it. I had hoped to return after they had gone but that was not to be because, as we retraced our steps past the Holy Well on our way to find the Preaching Cross, the couple were still there and, to my dismay, clambering over the well. We visited the garden of St. Mary’s church but sadly did not have chance to visit the church as time was getting on.

When we arrived back at our hotel room we found that the pre-ordered champagne and box of chocolates had not arrived. Mr C had to chase it up and when our order arrived it wasn’t exactly presented in an elegant way. The box of chocolates turned out to be four chocolates served on a bed of small pebbles. Not exactly what we had in mind.

We dined in the hotel, choosing the tasting menu option. The speed of delivery was much better than our previous occasion when we were rushed through the meal before we had chance to savour the wine that accompanied the dishes. However the final dessert course failed to be delivered until the wine waiter came back to check if we had enjoyed our experience and noticed our untouched wine glass, spare cutlery and the absence of a dessert plate.

The weather was hot and sunny so instead of our planned visit to Dorchester, and after stopping to photograph the Cerne Abbas Giant, we headed to Lulworth Cove. We climbed to see the view of the cove and the Stair Hole rock formation from above.

After elevenses, we drove to Durdle Door where we walked down to see the view of the rock formations. We regretted not taking a picnic with us which would have been enjoyable on the beach if we had carried on down the steps to the cove. The wind was quite wild, blowing the chalk everywhere, and at one stage setting me off sneezing.

Following the bracing walk we set off in the direction of Dorchester looking for a suitable place for lunch. We stopped Craigs Farm, Osmington which has delightful farm shop with a tea room that serves sandwiches and cakes. I opted for coconut and lime cake which was delicious. At this point we decided that perhaps there was not enough time to get the best out of a visit to Dorchester and flexed the plan again. We thought that a stately home would fit in nicely with our morning’s activities.

We looked to see what was nearby and settled on Athelhampton House and Gardens. It is a delightful property which we both thoroughly enjoyed. The gardens were relaxing after Mr C had needed to take a phone call regarding arrangements for my aunt’s funeral.

Returning to our hotel room, I was surprised to find champagne and chocolates waiting. Mr C had organised them because it was our anniversary. We sat and enjoyed a glass of bubbly and one or two chocolates before it was time for me to wash the chalk dust out of my hair.

We dined in the hotel opting for the Tasting Menu accompanied by a flight of different wines to compliment each of the dishes. The food was delicious and so was the wine. Our only complaint was that we were rushed through the courses. As we had finished one course and were savouring the last of the accompanying wine, a new glass of wine arrived followed by the next course. We did point out that we would like to slow down a little but still the courses kept coming meaning that we did not have enough time to savour the wine and fully appreciate the splendour of the dishes.

The weather was gloriously sunny as we drove through the Shropshire and Herefordshire countryside for our overnight stay at Colwall village. When we crossed over the border into Herfordshire I noticed an abundance of Mistletoe in the trees. I can’t remember the last time I saw mistletoe growing in the UK and I have never seen so much before.

We arrived at the Hotel, Colwall Park just after one o’clock which was perfect timing for our lunch time cream tea which was part of the Valentines package which we had booked. After lunch we checked into our room to unpack our bags. When we made the booking we were advised that only one room was left and that it was a suite. When we opened the door to the room we realised that it was the bridal suite, it was very nicely appointed and had his and hers wardrobes. Handmade chocolates had been placed on the bed and the table a bottle of Champagne was sitting in a bucket of ice, glinting in the sunshine. The latter had been ordered by Mr C. We moved to the Champagne to a cool corner of the room and set off for a nearby craft village where we spent a couple of pleasant hours.

By the time we had returned to the hotel the Champagne had chilled to the perfect temperature and we enjoyed sipping it whilst relaxing with a good book. I also enjoyed a soak in the bath before getting ready to go down to dinner. There was a nice atmosphere in the restaurant and we enjoyed the food off the special Valentine’s menu. There was a slight hiccup when it came to dessert, the waiter got confused and brought us the wrong menu not once but twice which made us smile. After we had finished our meal we sat in the hotel bar until it was time to retire for the evening.

14th February 2016

I invite you to join me over at Vision and Verb where I recall ‘Chocolate Box’ memories.

So many Christmas memories unfold and roll back into one happy memory. Family, friends, fun, laughter, the occasional tear, frost, snow, school concerts, singing at Ironbridge on Christmas Eve; which reminds me we did the same in the local pubs, hospitals and old peoples homes. So many happy faces over the years…

They even remind me of the class bully at junior school and my inadvertent comment which much later led to the sharing of chocolates.

All those years ago I didn’t appreciate how many memories a box of Mackintosh’s Weekend could hold locked up inside…