Wednesday 17 August 2022

Strong Women...

may we
  • know them
  • be them
  • raise them
That's a quote from the great Ada Lovelace- she was daughter of the Poet Lord Byron [a man declared "mad, bad and dangerous to know"] and a brilliant mathematician. Her mother separated from the poet- who was showing signs of insanity - and brought Ada up in Leicestershire. She encouraged her daughter to be strong, and independent, and to study maths and science. I admire strong women - especially those who have fought against the odds to achieve good things.
Yesterday we took the family to the Gressenhall Museum for the day [I'd won free tickets as my prize for the Scarecrow competition] It was brilliant.
As we arrived, Liz was keen to ride the shire horse at the edge of the car park, and then Rosie wanted to do it too. We had brought her to the Workhouse in October, and she remembered the activities we had done [the old fashioned shop, the schoolroom, the crafts - and the statues of the children]
Bob took Jess in the buggy, Jon and Liz went for a look round inside the Workhouse and Rosie took me into the classroom and gave me a lesson in phonics!

Who is on the picture behind you? I asked "Queen Victoria" came the instant reply. 
We walked across to the Learning Centre.The craft activities were all about pictures and portraits [because of the Georgie Menzies portraits] and stitching. Rosie made a self portrait collage, and a picture of a cheetah [by punching holes in a cardboard plate with a plastic needle] The woman sorting out the crafts asked if I would like to stitch something, I was given a piece of hessian, a plastic needle, and some wool. I knew this would not be a carefully planned embroidery like the Postcard Project. What to stitch?
I looked down at my "Votes For Women" teeshirt, and at my determined grand-daughter piercing the card, and opted for Ada's quote.

Then we met up with the family for lunch. "Take a picture Grandad!" she begged, running to the child-sized figure by the entrance. Instantly she held her hand, and thrust her right arm defiantly upwards. Walking hand-in-hand with Bob to the café Rosie called over her shoulder "Bye Sister!" 
Earlier, Liz had tried on the uniform of a Workhouse girl- Rosie wanted to follow suit. So that's what we did after lunch. I am so proud of the strong young women in my family [I'm missing Steph terribly at the moment] Jess is definitely developing a strong personality too, Rosie is a great Big Sister. How fortunate we were to have such a lovely day together.

Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse is not the cheapest day out - but we were there from 10.15 till 3.15, and did the Museum, Adventure Playground and the Farm - it is very good value for money [and the café serves good food, and there are tables inside and out for those who take their own picnics]

13 comments:

  1. One of those places I've been meaning to visit for years

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  2. I think you would enjoy it (apart from the the books on the shelves in the old cottage - many of which are post war!) Let me know if you plan a visit - it's only 3miles away, we could meet up!

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  3. Lovley photos of Rosie, what an interesting character she is. It' so important that children know their history , and places like this are perfect.

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    1. We must pass on these stories to the next generation

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  4. What a super day out and so lovely to see all the activities. We bought season tickets for Beamish just as the pandemic struck. The 1950s village is now up and running and we hope to visit sometime soonish. Catriona

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    1. I'd love to go to Beamish and see that village

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  5. Your granddaughter is adorable and I love all that red hair! I like that quote too. :-)

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    1. Thanks Terri - I hope you and your family are well too

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  6. That looks like an awesome place to visit, and regardless of the price, it looks like Rosie got her money's worth.

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  7. What a great museum, etc. I see what you mean that it is not the cheapest day out. I checked the prices out of interest and found that the discounts for wrinklies were not generous compared to some places we have been in Europe which offer discounts for seniors. I love the photo of Rosie with her bronze "sister"! Neat that you got to do some embroidery and put a quote for strong women. I've known some very special ones.

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  8. Sounds like a lovely day out! Yay for strong women!

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