Harewood House

Thwaite Mills Watermill Museum

We went to check it out last weekend, but when we got there, it stank. Literally. It smelled like there was a sewage treatment facility nearby. Given that it's in an industrial area a couple of miles south of Leeds, that might be it...We took a quick picture and went to Roundhay Park instead.

We had a picnic & watched people playing cricket

Richard feeding some scones to the geese

Duckling & mom in Waterloo Lake

Roundhay was definitely a better plan...No sewage smells there!

Last night we went to the Victoria for dinner after work

Today, we went out to Harewood House and actually went inside the house for the first time. It's a bit pricey (14 pounds), but worth it. The house is gorgeous (no photos inside, unfortunately), and the admission price includes the bird garden which was amazing. It's practically like a zoo, with endangered species and really elaborate enclosures...

Stanley Crane

Helmeted Guineafowl

Snowy Owl

Waldrapp Ibis

They're critically endangered--only about 500 in the wild (Morocco), and about 1000 in captivity worldwide.

Stork

Mallards

Chilean Flamingoes

Richard & me by the lake

A house for all seasons...

(Back in November)

On the terrace

View from the terrace

It looks so different in the summer!

Oakwell Hall

Venue hunting...

We're looking into booking Oakwell Hall for our reception venue...

It was built in 1583, and it's now a museum, restored to the way it would've looked in the 1690's. Charlotte Bronte based the heroine's home in "Shirley" on it, and it was also used for interior shots in a 2009 ITV version of "Wuthering Heights", so it's got some great Bronte connections!

Here's the 19th century barn where receptions are held:

Wedding Fair

This weekend, we went to our first wedding fair. It was relatively small, with about 40 stalls, but we got some good info & contacts.

Fashion show

Wedding cars--there was only one company there, and we weren't too impressed. This car is a Daimler, and they've added a Jaguar hood ornament to it--as a fan of Jags, I'm not cool with that!

Chocolate fountains

Overview of the whole place.

We did chat to a very nice couple who does wedding photography, looked into suit hire, and learned about the options & prices for wedding bands. Overall, it was a success :)