My Mini-tour of the Neighbourhood

On Tuesday, Aunt Jean and I went for a ramble down one of the roads leading into Langtoft. It took us about five minutes to leave the village and then we were out into beautiful countryside.

Sleek cows

Aunt Jean on the road leading into Langtoft. As you can see, I don't have quite
the eye for the interesting like Jenn does. I was probably too busy yammering. :)

Visit to Uncle Steven's

Later Monday evening, Aunt Jean took us over to meet Uncle Steven and Aunt Barbara. We had a visit over a cup of tea in front of a lovely crackling fireplace.

Mom's Uncle Sam, who had stopped by.

Great Uncle Sam and Uncle Steven, Mom's twin brother.
Unfortunately, this photo didn't come out well because it was getting dark.

Jenn's Rambling Discoveries

Here are some photos Jenn took on one of her tours of the countryside

Chimbley tops with bird guards

Intriguing little shed

Love the setting for this one...

Glorious countryside

One of many gates

The photographer herself

Sunset through a hedge

I'd love to be driving that tractor (wistfully)

Visit to Aunt Gillian's

After lunch at Dean's, we trooped over to Aunt Gillian's for a visit and some desert. Can't remember what it was called exactly, but believe me, it was delicious!

Lovely day for drying washing -and all we got to see of Uncle Phil since he was working ;)

Aunt Gillian getting started

Thought I was going to die laughing...

Good ol' Ted

Three sisters who hate having their picture taken-clowning around.

L to R: Gillian, Lynda and Jean

Wondrous mustaches!

"I don't want my picture taken!"

"I'm worn out.... Are we done yet?"

This little yellow flower in the Bugthorpe churchyard caught Jenn's eye

Bugthorpe Post Office and incidentally local variety store

"Muddy Boots?

Take 'em off!!

or wait for assistance.

Thank You"

Wish we'd caught the man taking off his boots.

First Night in England

When we went to bed the first night, we were still on Canadian time, so when 1:30 pm rolled around, we woke up with a bang and were wide awake. Instead of wasting precious vacation time on trying to get back to sleep, we decided to enjoy some Pringles and M 'n' M's. We tried to get a picture of the clock pointing to the time, but the night flash wasn't working to our complete advantage. That also may account for the shut-eyes. After a delicious half-hour of snacking, we were satisfactorily able to drift back to sleep.

Day 1 in England

Our main goal in going to England was to visit family members and friends. We had something of a travel itinerary made up, so on Monday, we left Uncle Mike and Aunt Jean's where we were staying for the week and headed over to Sheriff Hutton with Aunt Lynda and Grandma to see Millie, a lady Dad and Mom have know for years.

Cute lil' Grandma coming out of Aunt Jean's
(Don't let looks deceive you; she's as feisty as they come!)

This was our only chance to get a decent picture of the driver. ;)

Sign post near Sheriff Hutton

Millie's lovely front garden; many homes are semi-detached.
Couldn't believe how many flowers were still blooming well, compared to our very few.

She was thrilled to see us

We had tea and all sorts of treats; lemon curd tarts, Blue Ribbon chocolate wafers, raisin scones with thick yellow butter and more! We felt spoiled rotten and enjoyed every minute of it.

Grandma and Millie setting the world to rights over a cupa' tea.

L to R: Sarah, Aunt Lynda, Millie, Grandma & Jenn

Penalty for Neglect 2 Pounds
Sign on gate leading to railway line found on our way to get lunch

Grandma and Aunt Gillian wandering through Dean's Garden Centre in Stockton-on-the-Forest. The four of us who visited with Millie met up with Aunt Jean, Lisa and Aunt Gillian at Dean's for lunch. They contended they wanted sarnys and chips, while I stuck with a bowl of soup and a roll. Glad I did-one sandwich completely covered a large plate!

Jenn's eye for the beautiful

Jenn with her dear little hedgehog... one of the very few we could find. :)

ENGLAND: First Day in the Bonny Auld Country

To use a bit of countrified lingo: them confounded dates! Everything looks good; we're doing a Mother's Day post, and we hit Publish, and it comes up on the screen--wham! Deception uncovered. The heading reads, "Saturday, July 3, 2010. Mother's Day Photos."

It doesn't take much for the average person to be able to sleuth it out: we are not avid, intense bloggers.

But then, we're busy doing more important things. Like touring England, as of 9:00 this morning! So, will do my best to keep our blog followers--all three of you--updated on our daily scrapes and adventures.

Roight, then: no time like the present.

Departed out of Toronto airport around 9:30 Canadian time. It was a rawther restless flight, on account of trying to sleep most of the trip, and failing utterly. It didn't help that Sarah and I were struggling to overcome rotten-timed colds. But all things--good and bad--come to an end sooner or later. We arrived in Manchester airport at 9:00 this morning, without fellow passengers and crew assaulting us on account of my trying to imitate their accents, and more than likely making the attempt sound like a mockery. They sound brill, though.

Auntie Jean and Uncle Mike were a sight for sore eyes. Great to see them again after, what, three years! :) From there, it was a two-hour trip to Driffield on highways much like the Q.E, then through green, rolling countryside.

To BED. Fear we didn't make very good company for Granny and Lisa; crashed for two welcome hours; then woke up a bit brighter and ready to face more relatives dropping in for a visit. A livingroom full of friendly humanity, chocolate biscuits, and English-style humour; great stuff, that.

Broke out for a run through the village later in the evening. Aaaah ... how can I possibly describe the utter bliss of running down a rough track in the brisk evening air ... feeling a slight mist as cars drive past in the puddles ... flushing out a flock of birds in a nearby field, and hearing their wings rustle ... seeing the faint brushes of red sunset light in the sky, and chatting personally with the Artist? I can't. You should've been there.

Wish ya were,
Jenn