Scarecrows

What a beautiful couple of days we had last weekend! Wasn't it great to finally see some sunshine after endless days of grey? With the forecast promising fine weather, I was absolutely determined to get outside for some fresh air so, on Sunday, we headed off to one of our favourite places, Tatton Park. And we chose a good day to go as it coincided with their annual Scarecrow Festival. Unlike this guy though, we did change out of our pyjamas first!

The theme for the festival was recycling and all the scarecrows in the kitchen garden were made out of a different material. They also had a fun fact and a word to look for in the wordsearch sheet you were given at the entrance. This is Seedy who is embracing the season's high-shine fashion trend. The birds sitting on the wall behind him certainly seemed to approve.

Miss Potter favoured mismatched prints in lovely ice cream shades.

A different Miss Potter came to mind in another part of the garden. Tatton are having a year of Beatrix Potter events and we spotted Mr McGregor trying to scare away Peter and his friends. He's behind you!

Further round, Jeremy Fisher was trying his luck in the pond.

There were other scarecrows to be found in the rest of the gardens. We loved this energetic woman who looked like she was throwing some shapes on the dance floor! Her partner's style, however, could better be described as dad dancing. (Don't they look spookily like real people in costume?)

And who knew that scarecrows were so sporty?

We also found time to admire the gardens themselves and the little details around each corner. The heart shaped metal is part of a boot scraper. The others are all from stone benches.

In the Tower Garden, a fairytale came to mind. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, shimmy down the drain pipe! I don't know if they ever open up the tower to visitors but there's apparently a water supply and fireplace in there.

In the Orangery and Fernery, we appreciated the exotic plants and the warmth. The plant at bottom right is an elephant foot yam though we thought it looked more like a tortoise. 

And to finish, if you ever wondered what I look like...

A pretty good representation, I thought! The hair is definitely along the right lines!

There were other scarecrow events happening around the rest of the park, including children's activities at the farm and it's on until Sunday 24th if you fancy a visit.

We just enjoyed being out in the fresh air and sunshine though the festival was an added bonus. Let's hope this weekend brings more of the same!