50 things to do before you're 11 and 3/4s at Packwood House

Good afternoon Positively Packwood readers! I do hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend of sunshine and visiting some of the many gorgeous special places that the National Trust has to offer.

I was back at Packwood this week after another week off (for work rather than holiday unfortunately…darn jobs cutting into volunteering time!) It was fabulous to be back and there were a few changes to see; the dining room is now fully open for visitors to wander round and plan their fantasy dinner parties…well that’s what I do!?

I met some fantastic visitors again and had lots of lovely chats about small beds, antique Delft tiling, conservation awareness and the many and varied explanations for why cutlery was placed ‘face down’. We still don’t have a definitive answer, fun to discuss though.

So today’s blog is dedicated to the little people. There were some fantastic kids at Packwood this weekend; I particularly enjoyed the two girls who accompanied me on door duty; complete with their own dragons! They were terribly inquisitive as to how I could possibly be married…but without children!? I’m used to fending these questions off from my family…not so much two very persistent, small strangers!

I am always impressed with a good idea. The 50 things to do before you are 11 and ¾’s is a blooming brilliant idea. Childhood memories captured in a list it is a clever and beautiful thing. I’ve met many children conscientiously carrying their books around Packwood looking out for things to be able to tick off. So I thought I’d give them and their ‘handlers’ a bit of a head start and let you in on what of the ‘50 things’ can be ticked off at Packwood.

First off...weather gods we would like more of this please...possibly without the cloud!?

With the summer holidays so tantalisingly close we’d best get going…

1. Climb a tree – check out the Welly walk & woods and get climbing! You might even find a special something hidden away in the woods…

6. Run around in the rain – Most definitely possible! This is the British Summer remember!

11. Go on a really long bike ride – With Baddesley Clinton within cycling distance perhaps you could complete this one and see 2 amazing properties in one day

12. Make a trail with sticks – Why not make a trail in the woods with sticks, then get your big humans to follow it?

13. Make a Mud Pie – The Welly walk provides PLENTY of mud after a few rainy days

15. Play in the Snow – Perhaps not until next year…

17. Set up a snail race – I’m sure the kitchen gardener’s could point you in the direction of a couple of snails; they’d be glad to give them a job other than eating our lettuce!

24. Go on a walk barefoot – In the Yew garden…what an experience! Don’t forget your shoes when you’re done though!?

25. Make a grass trumpet – With the long grasses from the meadow or round the lake

31. Hunt for bugs – There are plenty of creepy crawlies and mini beasts to be found in all our gardens, leave the digging to the gardeners though please, you can always offer to help.

32. Find some frogspawn – In the lake

44. Go bird watching – Lots of birds call Packwood home. See swifts flying over the house and our resident robin

Ready for your barefoot walk

And why isn't hosting your very own Teddy Bears Picnic one of the 50 Things?! 

Of course there's lots to do at Packwood that are far too specific for the 50 things...

You can also...

• Hunt for Dalmatian dogs hidden throughout the house
• Lie on a carved 4 poster bed in a field
• Host a Teddy Bears Picnic
• Find a hidden beehive (or 3)

So what are you waiting for? We'll see you there!

Here some links to more info on The fantastic '50 Things' campaign...

National Trust 50 Things Vid

50 Things 

Full List 50 Things

And don't forget to tell us on Twitter when you complete your adventures! 

@NTPackwood

@VolunteerJessie

@NationalTrust

#50things

How do you spend yours?

What is well spent or hard earned? What will heal all things?  What can’t you get back once it’s gone? What is wasted, squandered or well managed? What is there never enough of? What is lost and can be made? What can you be in or out of? What cannot be held back? How do you spend yours?

We expect a lot from our time.

We pride ourselves on being ‘good time keepers’ and yet this is the ultimate misnomer. Time marches on regardless of our perceived control of it. It never truly stands still (although it can feel that way at times!).

It’s interesting that we humans use a lot of currency language when related to time. Perhaps it began when we started to place a monetary value on our time by the hour. What is one hour at work worth to you? Of course your time alone is not what you’re paid for, it is your skills, knowledge and expertise; it is what you DO in that hour that determines your value.

So what of your ‘own’ time, the time that is not paid for by your boss or your customers? Your ‘free’ time, I would argue it is the time with the most value. I would argue that it is anything but free. If we were to continue with our familiar linguistic metaphor of currency, this time is the invaluable time. This is the time where you create your ‘money can’t buy’ existence. In this time memories are made. It is what you DO with this time that determines the value of your life.

This is the time we can make choices about; choices that have the greatest impact on our emotional and physical well-being and of those around us. We can choose to ‘spend’ time doing things that enhance and enrich our lives. We can choose to ‘invest’ that time in our relationships and ourselves. We can allow ourselves and our values to determine where and with whom we cash in our ‘time cheques’.

Awareness of my time is something I take seriously.  I, like everyone else have to make enough money to pay my bills, eat, buy vintage cowboy boots and headscarves (you know that sort of thing) but I have found that when balancing my monthly ‘life statement’ if I have spent enough ‘paid time’ to earn enough money whilst being able to also ‘donate’ time to a cause or organisation I love and have ‘time of my own’ for things like reading books, walking in woods, calling friends, listening to music, cuddling dogs and having dinner with my husband then my ‘happiness/time bank balance’ looks pretty healthy.

Time unlike money cannot be banked. Regardless of our stupid terminology it cannot be ‘saved’ we can’t get back last Thursday because we didn’t use it. Time 'saving’ devices don’t in fact ‘buy us time’ they just mean that the time it used to take to do a job is now reduced. How we choose to spend that ‘extra time’ is still up to us. Time does not know it is ‘extra’, it is just time.

Packwood House is a place where I choose to spend time. It is a place where I have invested and donated time. I am not alone; many like me dedicate regular time to this special place. But of course it is not just our time we invest here. It is ourselves. We spend our time helping you get the most out of yours. Our garden teams work tirelessly for you to enjoy your ‘free time’ walking in our tranquil gardens. Our house teams share stories and knowledge to enhance your time spent in the property. Time is ‘managed’ by our leaders to make sure for us there is ‘always time for cake’ and for you always someone on hand to answer a question, help find a hidden dog or just to give you a smile. Our visitor reception teams help you to ‘plan’ your time so you can know you’ve got all the information to ‘get the most value for your time’ and our conservation teams manage the effects of time in preserving these special places for visitors now and in future generations.

Yes Packwood along with many National Trust places is a ‘step back in time’; a chance to indulge your inner historian and reflect on ‘times gone by’. Or to put your own time in the great timeline of humanity and gain perspective. Packwood’s ‘timeless quality’ allows you to ‘lose a few hours’ but again I would argue that rather than experiencing loss what you gain in those ‘lost hours’ is a sense of calm and peace that in todays often frantic world is time well spent. 

What Is

Well hello to you Positively Packwood readers and thanks once again for joining me! I am back after my wonderful holiday (what do you mean you didn’t notice!?) and it was brilliant fun to be back in Packwood House this weekend.

It’s a funny thing volunteering. You don’t have to do it (obviously) and you don’t get paid for it (again, obviously) but I really miss it when I’m not there. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone this property has such a special place in my heart. Pulling up in the car park or that first view of the house as I cross the road never ceases to make me smile. Taking the time to notice the subtle changes to the flowers as the year rolls around week by week.

This place has an energy all of its own. As I make my way through the courtyard and the warm sun heats up the roses giving off an intoxicating scent, entering the cool darkness of the flower room I smell that ‘old building’ smell of aged wood and years of memories. It’s like coming home. Seeing the faces I do every Sunday, all of us with at least one common interest.

I’ll be honest, as with so many altruistic acts there is a certain amount of self gratification involved. Of course I volunteer because of my love of heritage, equally for my love of people and the opportunity to share such a special space with other like minded folk. But I also come here because I love this place. I want to inspire other people to love this place, so long after I’m gone there will be others who will value it and take care of it.

I met another volunteer (from another property) this week as a visitor who asked me ‘Don’t you find it frustrating?’ I got the impression he was struggling, maybe he’d come to Packwood to gain some perspective, it’s that kind of place. I don’t know if my answer was the 'party line', but it was from the heart.  I explained as I see it when you care about a place as deeply as we do it’s hard not to become attached to every decision made. It’s important to remember what we are there to do and why we do it. There are volunteers at Packwood who have been there for 20 or 30 years, they have seen change after change no doubt of their beloved property. Decision makers come and go and (believe it or not) we are in the enviable position of having a simpler role to play.

We are there to engage, to share and to protect. We do not have to monitor budgets, meet targets or navigate new processes. I’m not saying that we should go through this experience without offering positive or useful feedback if we see a way that something could be changed (we are people not droids!) but there is something to be said for enjoying the job that we are there to do and not focussing too heavily on the things we can’t control.

Quite often we may not always have all the information, it’s kind of like government…everyone thinks the decisions they make are wrong/useless/Barry in the pub could do better (delete as appropriate!) but however much we like to think we have freedom in the press, and we all know it all, we don’t. If we let the ‘blue sky thinking’ of others in an office cloud the experience we have, today, in our beautiful properties we are the ones who miss out. If we let frustration tarnish our enjoyment of these spaces, if we are resistant to change then we cannot do the job we are there to do as well as we are capable of doing it.

This isn’t the blog I intended to write; that happens sometimes! I’d intended to tell you all about being in the Great Hall (first time I’d done this room). I was going to tell you about learning about an artist ‘lay’; the mannequin that would be dressed in the same dress of whoever was being painted so the painter could do the detailed dress bits without a sitter getting fidgety! Or I could have told you about how the balcony balustrade for the minstrels gallery was made from the hay rack previously used for feeding cattle in the barn the great hall used to be!? In fact I’m almost positive I would have told you how the oriel window chosen by Baron Ash was inspired by the one he’d seen at Hampton Court Palace.  

But one has to be welcoming of change, so here is what is; as opposed to what I thought would be.

And for those who would have preferred a detailed account of the Great Hall, get yourself to Packwood and see it for yourself, here’s a few pictures to inspire you…

A picture speaks a thousand words...

Hello and greetings my lovely Positively Packwood friends! I shall say it in the most hushed of tones for fear that I will jinx the weather permanently but might it really be time to pack away tights for a few months? Oh joy oh rapture!

Packwood House was looking very much like the best place to be on a sunny day for most of this week. I made an extra visit on Thursday as on a Sunday I'm too busy, well, room guiding and talking to you lovely lot to get outside and take photos.

The saying 'A picture speaks a thousands words' has never been more apt. I bloomin' love this place (not new information!) and can extol it's every virtue to you on a weekly basis with ease but the following really do say everything I could tell you. Together with the happy faces of all the visitors I met on Sunday I can confirm Packwood is THE place to be on a sunny day...Here's to many more!

Next week is the opening of our new 'Packwood Follies' a series of art installations by artist Hilary Jack. I'm really excited to bring you more news of that next weekend along with some 'hopefully' **prays for dry weather** pictures! 

To celebrate the opening, visitors to Packwood on Saturday (24th May 2014) can enjoy all the usual Packwood delights with additional storytelling, poetry and more fun activities throughout the day. The National Trust is also holding a wildlife drawing competition for children so this might be a good opportunity to get out and be involved with that. 

After seeing these pictures I'm sure you'll agree Packwood is too good to miss!