An URG Day Out - Parcevall Hall Gardens

A trip to Parcevall Hall, April 7th, 2002

And this is where The Big Surprise was to be revealed. Unbeknownst to our victim, word had travelled north via the e-bush telegraph (from the vicinity of the Tweedy household in Amersham) that it was Jill's birthday the week before, and she had finally reached the milestone of 4 dozen years on this earth. Jane had baked a cake and secreted it with the complicit staff of the Tea Rooms, and a card had been passed around to be signed by all urglers present. birthday surprise
Jill gets all embarassed while David puckers up for a kiss and Mary and Malcolm look on in amusement.

light the candles
Mrs Taz (the only smoker present) lights the candles.
Jane (stood), Malcolm (seated) Mrs Taz , Jill and David
cormaic (and stick), Roisin, and Michael B holding up wall At the given signal, the cake was brought forth and a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday was sent echoing across the Dales, before we all stuffed our faces with diet-busting slabs of delicious home baked chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream centre, chocolate icing and chocolate fingers as decoration. Jane had heard that Jill was somewhat partial to chocolate!

cutting the cake
Happy Birthday Jill!
from all your many urgler friends.

As you can imagine, no-one could move very far after pigging-out on all that cake and a gallon or two of tea to wash it down, and so we rounded off the day with a leisurely strll through Tarn Ghyll Woods, following the little beck up the gentle incline to the collapsed dam that once contained a small pond, and then back down again on the opposite side, via the South Ploughing, making it back to the Plant Sales area just in time to snatch a few last minute reminders of our day out.
Well, we deserve it! What's the point in travelling all this way if you don't take something back with you? :~)
beck
Roisin, Edward and Mrs Taz

And finally, in the grand tradition of all our Meets and Days Out, we managed to convene a plant swap, arranged ad hoc from the back of Michael Berridge's car. Again, as is our wont, the nattering and chinwagging took 10 times as long as the swapping (which was all a bit one-sidede, to be fair to Michael!) and it took at least half-a-dozen attempts to break up the proceedings, to drag ourselves away, climb into our own vehicles and head off for home after yet another superb URG Day Out!

The Plant Swap
Last in the car park.....again!

Thanks to Jane for the original idea to visit Parcevall Hall, and to the spousal unit, Graham, for some of the photos. Thanks also to Kay &Edward, David & Jill, Mary & Malcolm for other photos - I wish I had the space to use them all. A big merci beaucoup to Michael for his plants and to Grandad Alan for his patience, and finally, a monster-sized thank you to Mrs Taz for getting me and Roisin there and back in one piece. :~)