October 14 Update (England, Here and Now): How's that for original?

October 14, 2011

Dear Mum and Dad,

Here's hoping that you made onto the site without any difficulties and that life in general for you is going great. The mail route in particular.

Same for you, Rich! Hope you're doing well and can hold out until the tea comes home. While I'm thinking about it, what choc would you prefer--Cadbury, Galaxy ...? Wine Gums or Fruit Pastilles? Tell Mum and Dad your answer, and I'll get on it ASAP.

So ... I'm trying to remember what we did when ...

Aha, that was it! Driffield and Bridlington shopping spree occurred on Wednesday. It was a lovely, drizzly day: perfect for shopping, in my humble opinion, but the rain seems to depress the average Englishwomen (for example, Auntie Jean), and so one needs something to cheer one's self up--like chocolate banana fudge. It worked wonders, being one of the foods Auntie has dreamed about.

Good gerief, we must have visited every blessed charity shop in Bridlington. Wandered through the market. Checked out the harbour leading out to the North Sea. Dropped the fudge on the sidewalk--ah, you didn't read that. Had fish and chips for supper--make that ''scarfed.'' It was delish.

Right, that was Wednesday ... Thursday, I went out with Auntie to help with a cleaning job in Kilham. For a butcher, a certain Peter Harrison, son of the former butcher, William James Harrison ... long-lost relative, Dad? :) He's a perfect butcher; jolly type of guy with a big red apron. I think the whole time I was there, I dusted china pigs. And I gathered that Auntie was happy to put up her feet in half the time.

After supper, I went for a walk and a side road distracted me, so wandered along it; and because it wound up onto the hills, I got to soak in a sunset that started off in subtle loveliness and ended in a blaze of dusky red and orange glory. Then back to a bowl of caramel ice cream! Oh. And a banana, too. Of course. :)

Friday: got up to help Auntie, and she didn't waaaaant me ... sniffle, snuffle. lol. Lisa went with her, so I went for a walk first thing. It was amazing. The dew on the grass splashing onto my boots; the fresh air full of scents like newly-cut grass, damp earth, and livestock; the sunrise of bright yellow light; and the odd glimpse of animals, like a herd of Jacob sheep; a goldfinch (possibly?) with a red cap; a horse that turned his rump to me then turned around and stuck out his tongue, no word of a lie; and a sweet little fieldmouse that I actually held in my hands! Before you ask, I did wash my hands, no worries.

Anyways, I headed down the first road, turned around so far and then headed up the Sledmere road, planning, in my Canadian logic, to cut along the next road, then hook up onto the next, thus heading back to Langtoft. But after walking a distance, I noticed a sign pointing in the direction I was going that read ''Bridlington.'' Good grief! And my wegs were getting tired ... So I decided to cut across the fields, hopng the farmer wouldn't line me up in his sights and also hoping that it would connect with the Sledmere road. The path turned into a lane that wound through some woods--lovely, safe woods, Mum-- then hallelujah, the gate! Three hours. Crikey!

With love,

Jenn XOXO

Pics: England, Here and Now

Dear Mum and Dad,

(as well as anyone else who is willing to put up with some nonsense)

Well, ain't this grand! Maybe I should keep my mouth shut before I post this, but why put off thanking God for small mercies?

Before we attack the documented evidence of the crimes committed over the pond, I'm sharing a few pics of Sarah's new 'do.

Oooooh, look ...

Isn't she CUTE?!

It was a blast doing it up with hot curlers. Lots of bounce, thanks to the new layers.

And her new smile ... !

Cool detail pic.

Sunrise on the way to England.

Wisps of hair.

The aforementioned butcher. Not much to look at, but he has a big, generous heart.

Prissy miss.

(The hat we-- borrowed while shopping in Beverly.)

She wouldn't speak with us until a couple shops later.

A nice elderly man Auntie Jean and I met while out on an evening tromp.

He walks this route just about every day.

Granny with her new reindeer socks.

(We're trying to get her away from the stilletoes.)

Warshin' on the line.

Snoopy surrounded by nature.

Look at this capable lassie pottering in the garden.

Flowers in Aunt Jean's front garden

Beth: in case you wander onto here ... well, enjoy. :D

Sweet old couple on a rainy day with a splash of pink.

Beautiful, rain-laden roses at the market in Bridlington.

The harbour by the North Sea

Some things never change.

Sweeties stuffing chocolate banana fudge.

(Muv, try to convince Auntie that you will not have nightmares from this pic tonight.

Try.)

Brazen buhrd!

Oh, great, now there's a large body obstructing the view.

Hey hey hey, there's the boots. Did I hear a whistle?

Unbeknownst to me, the little beggar nipped at Auntie's ankles as she strolled past.

And here I was, turning him into a celebrity.

A side street lined with baskets. And the odd misfit.

There's Lisa, boiling the kettle for a cuppa, good lass. She is very well-trained.

Uh, yeah, sorry, Mum. Granny offered. She might've thrown the freshly boiled kettle at me, hot water and all, if I had refused.

JUST KIDDING.

ROFL. :D)))

No, I was good. Settled for a Pepsi split with Lisa. Isn't she sweet?

Unfortunately, not all the pics made it to the end. This-- blessed computer ate some along the way. But, hey, let's look on the bright side: a few surprises when we get home, eh?

Still missing you, and praying for you. Hope the route's going great, as well as life in general. We'll talk soon, eh?

More love and hugs,

Jenn

England Here and Now (In Other Words, Not Last Year)

October 12, 2011

Dear Mum & Dad,

On bad terms with Auntie's laptop, so don't have the guts to tackle pics at the mo, but thought I could dash off a few lines to update you on the latest diggings. I told you about Monday, right? --went out to lunch with Aunt Jean, Granny, Spider, and Lisa, then went on to Beverly and checked out the shops for a couple of hours. They have some great consignment shops, and Aunt Jean, bless her, picked up a jaaaazzy pair of cowboy boots as an early Christmas present. Sarah's wearing them today, so will try to get a good pic and post it up here, along with the pic of me hanging onto the arm of a local butcher and Sarah acting high soci with a feather-ensconced hat she--well, borrowed from a local charity shop. We really shouldn't have, but Granny was a bit of a bad influence, with her four-inch stilletoes and hot pink mini-skirt.

Then Auntie and I went for a tramp down a chalk road and messed up by trespassing on the land of a piggery. We're expecting the police any minute, so must keep the curtains drawn tight.

Tuesday, we figured it was about time we tried to mend our ways, so we slept in til an unearthly hour, then got up just in time to look industrious for Auntie Jean coming back from work. I made stirfry with rice, and ''hoovered about'' (comps. of Granny) while Sarah weeded and clipped outside. But then, that big birch tree was blocking the view of the road.

And I ate a whole celery stick!

Off to shop in Driffield and Briddlington, so must run.

Wuv 'n' 'ugs,

Jenn

Bamburgh Castle 2010

Our next stop was Bamburgh Castle also in Northumberland on the east side of England facing the North Sea and looking across to Denmark. (The link will take you to a page were you can access a virtual tour. Pretty neat.) The castle isn't just a relict of history but also owned and inhabited by descendants of the Lord Armstrong Family.

Walking in the entrance

A hidden energy bar for IF an emergency need arose. It did.

A scale replica of the castle and grounds

Many different displays in the King's Hall. Not a very good picture, since we weren't allowed to use flash, but it gives an idea of what the rooms were like.

Left side of Cross Hall

Right side of Cross Hall. The main room is roped off from visitors, but can be opened for weddings and such.

One of many...

...suits of armour.

The ladies sitting room

A tapestry made by Russian prisoners from their uniforms during the Crimean war.

Looking down to the beach from high up in the castle. It was a cold and misty day.

Bamburgh Castle, Home to the Kings of Northumbria

Holy Island 2010

One of the castles we visited was on Holy Island in Northumberland. We had to drive over a causeway to get to the island.

There were warnings for naive tourists...
...and shelters for the heedless ones! The tide comes up quite the height.
Lindisfarne Castle in the distance.
A bench to rest on the way.

A piece of sheep's wool caught in the fence. There was a small flock that wandered over the castle grounds.

An expired crab we found on the beach. Unfortunately, my camera lenses didn't have enough zoom, but there were some seals on rocks in the bay. We could hear them barking to each other. :)

On the path, winding up the hill to the castle, you could look down to the beach.

Some sort of lovely flower.

Looking up at the Lindisfarne Castle. We decided to save our money for the next castle on our list, so we didn't go inside, but rather toured the grounds.

Flowers growing just off the path...

...beside an old fence going down to the beach.

Zooming into the foliage

An icicle in need of sustenance; the monastery and village are in the background.

All is well with the world once again. Jenn chose a raspberry swirl ice cream on a dare, while I opted for a hot bacon sandwich. For those of you, who don't quite understand the definition of English bacon, it's very much like Canadian peameal bacon, or thick American slices of ham. Glorious to the palette and comforting to the tummy!

We followed this lovely path and discovered a cozy little cafe for the tea and coffee drinkers in our ensemble.

Some of us almost had to leave... :p