Russet leaves for a russet lady!
My first surprise of the day. Lisa swept towards me- “Mum, I’m here!” The flowing locks were a dazzling tangerine orange. “It was just time for a change. I was tired of the red!” And it suited her. She looked radiant and happy- a look I love to see.
The venue? Chatsworth House in the beautiful Peak District. Every year this glorious home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire is themed for Christmas. This year it’s “Narnia”and totally irresistible. My daughter has been a lifelong fan of the book by C.S. Lewis and the numerous films, so I planned a Christmas treat, for both of us. It’s quite a distance from home and I’ve never been inside the house before. For Lisa it was about an hour’s drive from Nottingham. Me- I hopped on the coach! After the hugs and kisses it was off to see the spectacular grounds.
Sumptuous afternoon tea next, then the best bit! Come with me to “Narnia”.
There were dressing-up clothes for children in some areas, and of course, Lisa couldn’t resist! A Christmas Trail, finding cuddly Aslans and clues along the way, was also meant to keep the children happy. Guess who else enjoyed it?
Are you ready to be scared yet? It’s time for the witch!
I was joking- she’s much too pretty to be scarey!
Note the small Aslan, keeping her company. Another clue for the Christmas Trail. But now for the really sad part!
He’s still breathing! It’s going to be ok.
Time for a celebratory feast!
All’s well that ends well!
I hope you enjoyed my little trip to Narnia. It was the best Christmas present I could ever have asked for. And now, I really must get on with my Christmas preparations. I haven’t even bought the tree yet! But I’ve made a list.
Chatsworth House is the most delightful setting and I will be posting more about the house and gardens. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, “Narnia” will be available till 23rd December. The link will give you directions. I can absolutely recommend it.
restlessjo 
Thank you for this link, Jo – what a lovely place you had found! I am sure you had a wonderful time together, and your daughter enjoyed Narnia to the fullest! 🙂
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She did! Especially the wardrobe and the dressing up area. 🙂 I liked the reindeer best. Happy New Year to you, Ese! Thanks for your company 🙂
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I bet she did! I would have, too – would have felt like back in the childhood where everything had suddenly become real. 🙂
Your company has always been a pleasure, Jo! Happy New Year!
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Wow, thanks for linking back to here, such a lovely post Jo. I’d love to have seen it all decked out at Narnia! I go to our local NT Killerton, but while the grounds are large the house is a much smaller one. They still do a lovely job thought, this year the theme was Nutcracker.
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I can imagine that being really beautiful, Gilly 🙂 It was Alice at Chatsworth this year and I would have loved to go, just to see Lisa, but Narnia was something special. A bit like the lady 🙂
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