Well, it's long overdue, but I've finally managed to go through our photos from the trip to England (in April/May!) and find some representative of the experience, without being too boring and repetitive (I hope).
This is the Oddfellows Arms in Northallerton. Northallerton was one of our first stops on this trip. My sister-in-law and her husband (J and S) took us there for a bit of a stroll/window-shop (although, we did buy a few things - mostly gifts) on the Friday after we arrived. J and S know how I like a good Georgian Market Town. We had a look round Barkers Department Store, and popped into Woolies and Boots - otherwise it was mostly window-shopping. Quite a few jewellery stores there, which was nice to look at...we were deciding what we'd spend our lottery winnings on, you see*.
After visiting with J and S and our wonderful niece and nephew (not to mention Bronte, Chocolate Lab extraordinaire) for a couple of days, we went to Keighley to visit with Graham's brother and sister-in-law (G and C). They live in the Pennines and it's unbelievably beautiful, although very treacherous for driving. I've never seen such narrow lanes - many only one car wide - and the steepness of the roads is terrifying (but in a roller-coaster thrilling sort of way...mostly). On the Saturday we arrived, we were treated to an afternoon out at Haworth, which was home to the Bronte sisters. We didn't tour the parsonage on this visit, but reserve the right to on a future visit!
This is a view of the Haworth Cemetery in back of the Haworth Church. I took several shots of this, as I felt it would be perfect as a setting for a nice, moody Hallowe'en painting...or maybe a painting of a vampire, or goth chick, sort of thing.
This is the Haworth Church - what a magnificent piece of architecture...we didn't go in on this day, but it was such an atmospheric place...there were crows in the woods just behind where I stood when I took this photo, and their calls were mournful and moody...it felt more like autumn (All Hallow's Eve, maybe) than spring.
A view from the top of Haworth Main Street.
The Old Apothecary in Haworth. It's just over the lane from the Church. Walking inside takes you back to the turn of the century, and they still sell tonics and tinctures from the old days.
A view from Haworth Main Street.
On Sunday, we went for a drive across the Yorkshire Dales - absolutely beautiful, despite the fact that the weather decided to play up and it rained on us most of the day. We didn't let that stop us...our planned picnic was enjoyed in the car and much laughter ensued when C asked G to pull his seat up so she could fix the tea and coffee in the back and then neglected to tell him he could roll it back again! So there's, G - all 6'4" of him - folded up accordion style with the steering wheel in his chest, having his lunch! Eeeee, we did laugh! Because of the weather, we didn't get many photos, just a couple of photos at Linton Falls. If you look at the photo in the link, and compare it to the one below, you can see the effects of all the rain the area had been getting, including the vast amounts from the previous night and throughout the day (and, yes, that is me on the bridge):
We also stopped in Grassington, where I salivated over a Franz Dragonfly Vase at Bluebell Gallery, and purchased a small bottle of Mead at the off-license over the road.
On Monday, we got the train to Scarborough and took a taxi to our Mam and Dad's house in Whitby. Monday was spent relaxing, strolling along the cliffs and catching up with Mam and Dad. On Tuesday, it was Mam and Dad's anniversary and we took them to the Quarterdeck for fish and chips after a morning visit to Sandsend. Below are a couple of photos from there:
Sandsend Village
Incoming tide at Sandsend
Here's a photo I'd published in my journal previously...A view of Whitby from Sandsend.
After fish and chips, Graham and I went back toward the town centre, and I had to get this photo of the Whitby Fudge shop window...being a devotee of Art Nouveau :D
We even went through the "Dracula Experience"...not bad, but a bit *too* dark...they could have done with better lighting along the pathways...it was a bit treacherous, and they could have had some lighting for the footpaths that would not have distracted from the "experience". We wound up at the Duke of York Pub for a coffee after strolling around downtown.
On Wednesday, we went to Runswick Bay:
A view of the village.
A view of Runswick Bay from the waterfall.
On Thursday, we took a train ride up the Esk and stopped in at Lealholm. Above is a photo I took when the train stopped at Glaisdale - I thought the planter might make a nice subject for a painting - such character with the lovely plants and flowers while the planter itself is starting to fall apart.
A view of the Esk from the Stepping Stones in Lealholm. There wasn't a lot to do in Lealholm, really, just stroll around the lovely town, mainly...and get used to the smell of silage. We had lunch at the Shepherd's Hall and then got the train back to Whitby.
On Friday we got a taxi back to Yarm and enjoyed an evening of visiting with J and S and family there - which included wearing my skirt, by request of my niece who dressed in her favourite dress and the necklace that I'd made for her.
On Saturday, we all went to The Forbidden Corner. What a nice day out! We didn't get many photos because it was too much fun to stop for photo ops! Above is a view of the dales from atop one of the castle walls at The Forbidden Corner (or, "Scary Corner" as my niece likes to call it)!
On Sunday, we visited Great Ayton, home of Captain James Cook. The view above is of the High Green. After that, we were back 'home' for a proper Sunday Dinner (Yorkshire Puddings included) and a viewing of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" on DVD.
And, on Monday, we came home :( We're planning another trip already!
*We did actually win £10 on the lottery, which we donated to our niece's and nephew's Majorca holiday fund
