I set off from Darlington yesterday morning, with the intention of stopping off to see Anthony Gormley's sculpture, The Angel of the North, which I had intended visiting on my way down to Darlington, but I missed the turn off.  Well, you won't be surprised to hear that heading north to Edinburgh I missed the turn off again!  So I have yet to have a closer look at this impressive sculpture which I managed to snap a few years ago on a rather rainy day.

[caption id="attachment_4174" align="aligncenter" width="605" caption="Angel of the North"][/caption]

As a consolation I stopped, instead, at The Alnwick Garden.   I had timed my visit well, as the 300 Taihaku cherry blossom trees planted a few years ago were in full bloom and looking spectacular.  None of my photographs did them justice, but there were two other things that particularly caught my eye while I had a short break from the A1M in this restful garden.  The first was the spectacular Tree House.

[caption id="attachment_4175" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The Tree House, Alnwick Garden"][/caption]

A friend's daughter has already declared this her choice of wedding venue!

The second thing which caught my eye was the beech hedging which is just starting to turn green.  You can see the hedge in front of the Tree House in the picture above.  One of the things I loved about living in the Scottish Borders was all the beech hedging.  This plant clings on to its leaves throughout the winter, but they dry out completely, and this results in a rather comforting rustle from the hedges throughout the winter months.  Then, as spring returns, the green leaves being to break through, creating a lovely contrast of fresh, young growth against the old leaves which have so bravely clung on through the winter months.

[caption id="attachment_4176" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Beech - Old and New"][/caption]

I am now safely back home after a very tiring few days, but I had a wonderful time in Darlington.   The next Ripples Crafts Gig is this Friday, when I'll be at the Made in Assynt Artisan Fair in Lochinver.   I have to just hope that not too many folk are looking for Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere laceweight - the good folk of Darlington have completely decimated my stock of that particular base!