I'm still off sick, recuperating, it's been 9 days since my surgery but I feel great.   I've not been far from the homestead so today we had a spin out.  We went to Hardwick Hall, about 30 minutes away.  We've been around the estate in the past but went into the house and gardens this time.  

The house was commissioned by Bess of Hardwick, a farmer's daughter who was raised in a house on the estate.  She married four times, each time to increasingly rich men, and became a very influential member of Elizabeth I's court.  She must have had some skills.