Skipton

Richard and me on the canal walk in Skipton




Skipton Castle



On Saturday Richard and I went out to Skipton, about 20 miles north of Leeds on the Leeds-Liverpool canal. We had lunch at a take-away and walked around town for awhile. Went along the canal out to Skipton Woodlands, which was lovely.

Hilarious signs

I pass by this sign when I walk to campus, and I'm always struck by how apologetic it is. The sidewalk is torn up for about 15 feet, and they make such a big deal out of it.

Same goes for the buses--this is the kind of bus I use in Leeds. It's not as funny as the ones in Bath that used to say "Sorry, not in service at the moment." But still, you'd never see an American bus apologizing...

The Brits still use these non-PC signs, too. I don't think we're allowed to say "Men at work" in the States, post-feminist movement.

Last night I saw one of these road signs for the first time--it cracked me up! I love the cane and the fact they're all hunched over! It's so wrong, and so funny...

Ilkley

Views of Ilkley from the moor


The heather's not blooming yet...Supposedly, in August all those dark brown parts will be bright purple.

Last Saturday we went out to Ilkley--it's a lovely town, and there were some incredible views from Ilkley Moor. It's a spa town, like Bath or Harrogate, so it has some gorgeous Victorian architecture. Also like Bath, it's full of posh older people (retirees are called "OAP"s for Old Aged Pensioner or Old Aged Person, or as one local seniors club calls it, Older Active People). Had a nice picnic lunch, walked around town and got coffee before heading back to Leeds.
This week I'm buckling down on the dissertation. One more week until that 1/3 draft is due, and all my coursemates are freaking out. Am just heading to the library now to print out more articles for my content analysis--at this point, I'm enjoying the research again. Now that it's been a month since classes/exams ended, I feel ready to get back into it.

Summer wardrobe

I was so excited about this t-shirt...Not that there's anything unusual about a graphic tee, but it's from Urban Outfitters. I'd never bought anything there before, because their sizes were too small, but I've always loved their vintage tees--really soft cotton, cute graphics, long enough short-sleeves, etc. They only had mediums left in this design, but I went ahead and tried it on anyway. I was so thrilled that it fit!

I always have a hard time finding shorts, and normally I'd never try cargo shorts, but these are great. They've even got pockets on the butt that make it look like I have one! Brilliant!

I'm in love with this skirt. It's really soft and feminine, and I love the muted lavender-ish color.

I'm not a summer clothes person, but it's been so hot out lately that I'm willing to wear tank tops. This is one of those soft peasant-y style flowy shirts that I never thought I could pull off (without it looking like a maternity top), but I actually like it. And I can always wear a cardigan or jacket over it, too.

I also got some essentials--bras, undies, and layering tanks. I couldn't get a good picture of this black dress I got at H&M, but it's nice and it only cost 10 quid on sale. Also bought a chocolate brown version of that navy blue short-sleeved wrap-top I bought a few months ago. I loved that shirt, but I left it at home during spring break...

So, as you can tell, my student loan money came in today. I spent all morning downtown shopping (and studying a little bit at Caffe Nero and Starbucks). When I got home I went down the hill to Morrison's, so now I'm well-stocked with food and clothes once again! I also feel good that I did my part to stimulate the economy...Recession? What recession???

Summer

Hyde Park BBQ a few weeks ago

This is an old one, but I came across it on Facebook. Me w/ my friend Mat, and some random guy. Drunk Yorkshire men love posing for pictures with strangers...


Not too many crazy nights out lately. Now that we're getting on with the dissertation, I've been spending my time in these places:

Brotherton Library

Caffe Nero on Albion Place

Starbucks around the corner on Albion Street

Yesterday Richard took me on a lovely drive out to Otley--didn't bring my camera, but found these pics online. Next time I get out of Leeds, I'll remember to bring it!


The River Wharfe. Gorgeous riverside gardens, park, and funny little "amusement centre" (mini-golf & that kind of stuff).

Dissertation work's going relatively well. I get these occasional bursts of genius, but most of the time I'm just reading, taking notes, and drinking lots of coffee. It's very strange doing independent research. Now I understand what Prof. Taylor said about it being quite lonely--you don't see your coursemates every day (or even every week) anymore. I've gone to a couple of birthday parties and BBQ's, but I have more day-to-day contact with baristas than with my friends. At least we've got Facebook :)