We had slices of several varieties to sample the different flavors and textures.  We drank cider fresh from the press.  The King of the Pippins variety, shown above, was the base of the juicing operation.

The walled orchard and kitchen garden also hosted a story teller who told a variation on the story about how the apple got it’s star.  We enjoyed checking out all the scarecrows amongst the vegetables.

The gourds and pumpkins were particularly colorful.  These gourds were trellised over the pathway.

There were some incredible flowers still blooming.  Apparently, the walls were built around the garden to protect the plants from wind by providing a sheltered micro-climate.  I’d always assumed that they were deer protection, but maybe that’s just my New England background?  At any rate, it was very warm and sunny while we visited and the flowers seemed to be thriving.

The kids were inspired by the light and color and took quite a few pictures of the blooms.

We had a picnic lunch, ran into some friends, and played some silly games.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

We had a nice walk through the estate, hiding in the ferns,

and finally ending up back at the incredible tree that is so suited for climbing.

Sage had a great time exploring this amazing old tree!

They were so cute! The lambs and their mothers are brought to these small pens for the first 24 hours so ensure that they are getting enough milk. They are also given some medical care before being moved to a big tent where they are monitored for several more days before going out into the field again.

Sage wants to get a pet lamb.

The ewes looked like they’d not like anything to get too close to their babies.

This lamb was climbing on top of it’s mummy. It reminded me of some kids I know.

Here they’ve been moved inside the big marquee tent.

River decided to stay with Molly, who was home doing long overdue administrivia, to decorate the house for her birthday. I imagine you’ll probably see some festive pictures before the weekend is over.

We spent quite a while balancing on the fallen chestnut logs here. I’ve always wondered what the forests would have looked like before the chestnut blight eliminated them from the eastern deciduous forests. Apparently, the American Chestnut was even bigger than the European Chestnut. The stand of trees at Calke are amazing; but I can imagine a whole forest of trees must have been even more majestic.

A bit further along, we found this old oak tree with branches that almost touch the ground. It is perfect for scrambling up!

There is a spot where the main trunk splits into several large branches which is perfect for sitting. We ate our snack comfortably ensconced amongst the branches.

River is quite a climber. She asked me to film her as she ascended one side of the tree, crossed through the middle, and descended on another branch on the other side.

Sage managed to get around pretty well too.

I love the light and the changing leaf colors under this beech tree.

This tree is known as the “Old Man of Calke” and is thought to be between 1000 and 1200 years old. There is a hollow space in the middle of the trunk, just big enough for a couple of kids.

River told me she wants to come here everyday!

The house is pretty incredible. It fell into decline around the beginning of the 19th century and has been preserved basically as the National Trust received it. So the wallpaper is peeling in many places and it’s in need of a lot of love, though they’ve decided to maintain it as an example of an estate in decay.

There is an amazing collection of stuffed animals (not the kind the kids carry around everywhere), rocks and minerals, shells, fossils, and other natural history curiosities. I’m inspired to try making some cases for our own rock collection. I’ve been meaning to try to find a box with lots of little drawers in it, but maybe it would be easier and nicer to make display cases?

The house has an interesting setup: the kitchen is in the basement and a little elevator brings food to the butler’s pantry where they have a fireplace that heats water that to a warming oven where the food is kept until it is ready to be served. There were rows of bells with little labels so the servants could tell which room was ringing for service. And the dollhouse in the school room did not have a kitchen in it since the children of the house would not be expected to set foot in the kitchen. What a different world; We essentially live in our kitchen. I wouldn’t mind having a library like that though; something about walls with books up to the ceiling really does it for me. I don’t know if I would want to sleep with animal heads looking down at me at night, though.

The grounds around Calke Abbey are amazing! The kids and I had previously walked around on some of the trails here with another home ed family. Walking across the gently rolling hills, you are likely to encounter sheep, deer, and blackberries. Many of the roads and trails are lined with beautiful, big, old trees which gives it a stately feel. We scrumped some conkers¹ here before.