I'm on my way, don't know where I'm goin'...

Painting

2012-02-07T03:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend we painted the living room! Here's Cookie in a final before picture...

It snowed on Saturday while we were out picking up paint--Otley looked great on Sunday morning

Even though she has a lovely new water bowl of her own, Cookie prefers drinking from my pint glass...We got this coffee table at a charity shop for £10 on Sunday.

We picked up the table at Poverty UK on Saturday, too--it was only £12.50!

Cookie approves of the new paint job

It's still brown, but it's about 5 shades lighter than the old paint job ("malt chocolate" instead of "stone pebble"). And it's actually complete all the way up to the ceilings! Success!

First weekend

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

We spent our first night in the new flat on Friday, and had a great weekend moving and shopping. The place is shaping up really well, and it already feels like home.

We picked up a couple of pieces of furniture at Poverty Aid UK (same place where my dresser is from--brilliant stuff!). They'd just been brought in, and we snapped them up.

Little sideboard unit with 2 drawers and 2 shelves

Dining room table--very solid, classic design (some heat damage on the top, but it was only £40 and we can fix it and/or use a tablecloth...)

This is what it looks like with the extra panel in--it's huge!

Cookie is settling in well--she's been going around exploring the place in the evenings and sleeping on (or in) our bed most of the day.

Cute little glass bottles I picked up at Ikea--they match my glass Avon jar really well!

The bathroom already looks a million times better with just a new shower curtain and a new toilet seat.

Before pictures...

2012-01-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

We got the keys to the new flat yesterday! First things first, I wanted to take some before pictures to show how it looks now, before we fix it up. It has a ton of potential, and I can't wait to see how great it's going to look with new paint/flooring/light fixtures, etc.

The worst one is the smaller bedroom/future office:

I don't know what she was doing to the walls...

I can see a lot of potential there, with the big window and deep sill

I have no idea why the flooring is gone...

The kitchen

The bathroom

The bigger bedroom

The tenant left a TV, but we're getting rid of it asap, so we don't have to get a license

The living room--note the wallpaper remnants. The carpet is actually in great shape, though!

I love the big windows & deep sills!

The panel there by the door is loose, and we're going to put glass in its place

Trip to Seattle

2012-01-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

Snowy scene from the freeway--such a gorgeous welcome back to the Evergreen State!

First dress we tried on at Jessica McClintock

The winner--the color looks a bit off in this picture, but it's plum. I didn't take a picture of Mal's dress, but hers is plum and a slightly different cut (halter neckline)

I had a great time in Seattle, but it really was a whirlwind trip! Cookie was a fantastic little world traveler--she just curled up in her little carrier and slept while we were on the train. She's very happy here now, purring & cuddling with us. I'm so glad it's all worked out!

York

2012-01-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

We went to York a couple of Sundays ago

Outside the Minster

Richard

Piano busker--he was playing that Mozart song that's in Wuthering Heights & Pride and Prejudice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgq3OTSRVBc

Minster

We saw the Hogwarts Express engine! Unfortunately, it was getting dark out and this is the clearest picture I could get...

Platform 9 3/4 sign!

The warehouse has so much china from the trains...

Love this sign...

Phil Taylor Conference Photos

2011-12-19T02:40:00.000-08:00

The Student's Appraisal Panel, with Cristina Archetti, me, and Nick Cull

Chatting with Paul Moorcraft during a coffee break (Tracey's in the background, too!)

Another shot of the student's panel, with Jacob (Phil's last PhD student to finish) and Elina (Israeli Prime Minister's Office)

At the conference dinner, I was sat between Stephen Badsey (Left) and Paul Moorcraft (right). I love this picture--you can see how Paul is monopolising my attention with his hilarious stories!

Mingling with the Vice Chancellor, Michael Arthur

During my talk about Phil's impact on my work & life

Briefing the MA student volunteers at the start of the conference

Lunch break, chatting with Kate Utting and Paul Moorcraft

A couple of group shots at the end of the first day

BBC's Kate Adie and Prof. Gary Rawnsley

Phil's Conference

2011-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

The conference poster

This Friday & Saturday is the conference, at last! I'm so excited to meet Phil's friends and colleagues, and chat with these experts in my field. We met with the MA volunteers today and went over what needs to be done. It's going to be a busy couple of days, but I'm really looking forward to it!

Birthday at Chatsworth

2011-12-10T10:10:00.001-08:00

On the drive down to Derbyshire, it started snowing.

We stopped for lunch, and this is how much came down by the time we were done eating!

The Carriagehouse at Chatsworth

Chatsworth parking lot, complete with Chatsworth sheep

Even the parking lot is beautiful...

Going into the house

The serpent is the Cavendish family crest

Inside Chatsworth

Love the Christmas decorations!

Chapel

Chapel ceiling

Lounge--sorry for the poor photo quality, but it was very dark and I tried to use the flash as little as possible

So much amazing artwork

Courtyard

The Painted Hall

The birthday girl at Chatsworth

The Painted Hall

In the library, they had all of the books related to Chatsworth--it looks like Mom's bookshelf! Bess of Hardwick, Counting My Chickens, etc....

The Library

My favorite statue--I just don't get how the veil really looks like sheer fabric...it's amazing!

The 6th Duke's Dining Room

So stunning! I love all of the silver & the chandelier

In front of the house

The South view of the house

Such a shame about the scaffolding, but it is off-season...

Emperor fountain

The Cascade

Richard & me in front of the Cascade

Gardens

Tomb (not sure who's in there...)

Sheep in front of the Carriage house

Carriagehouse courtyard

Our lovely hotel room in Buxton--with at least a dozen framed portraits of John Travolta on the walls

Despite the John Travolta decor, it really was nice--lovely bay window & four poster bed!

Snowing in Buxton!

View from the pub

View of the Peak District on our way home

The snow tapered off when we got to lower ground

You can still see the snowy higher ground in the background, though!

Grassington Dickensian Christmas Fayre

2011-12-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

Bunty!

We had fish & chips for lunch

Somebody's happy to be here!

Morris dancers

York Christmas Market

2011-11-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

Victorian post box

The streets were packed--only 30 shopping days until Christmas!

Wreaths at the market

Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate with Brandy or Baileys

Betty's Christmas display

The Shambles

York Minster all lit up at night (it was only about 4:30 pm)

View from Starbucks

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T03:53:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin & pecan pies

Turkey crown, polenta cornbread stuffing & Paula Deen's green bean casserole

Christkindelmarkt

Some of my ICS colleagues at the German Christmas Market

Liverpool

2011-11-20T01:46:00.000-08:00

Outside the Liverpool One shopping centre, with Albert Dock in the background

At the entrance to the Beatles Story museum

Abbey Road!

Sgt. Peppers!

Inside the Yellow Submarine!

Outside Albert Dock

Merseyside

Albert Dock

Penny Lane!

George Harrison's birthplace

Resident cat

St. Peter's Woolton Parish Church, where Paul & John first met at a fete where John's band was performing

Strawberry Fields!

Mendips, where John grew up

Paul's house

Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, where Paul & George went to school. (Now home to Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, co-founded by Paul)

Liver building

The Christmas lights looked much better than they did in previous years

Light Switch-On and Christkindlemarkt

2011-11-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

Town Hall with Leeds International Film Festival poster. We went to see the new Wuthering Heights, but it was far too artsy...even darker & more violent & disturbing than the book!

Light switch-on night

Frankfurters for dinner at the Christkindlemarkt!

Drinking our hot honey mead--it's delicious!

It was opening night, so it was packed!

Leeds-Liverpool Canal

2011-11-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we went for a walk along the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool canal

Leeds city crest

Granary wharf

Roundhay Park & Harewood House

2011-11-08T00:52:00.000-08:00

Roundhay

The Mansion at Roundhay

View from the steps of the Mansion

Waterloo Lake

Autumn leaves--I love this time of year!

We saw crews setting up the Christkindlmarkt last week--it opens this Thursday! I'm so excited for the bratwurst & feuerzangebowle & honey mead!

Inside the Bull Ring shopping centre in Birmingham

Lakeside walk at Harewood House

The leaves are just amazing right now!

The Himalayan Garden at Harewood

The lake at Harewood

Outside the walled garden

These climbers go all the way up & over the wall and halfway down the other side

Greenhouse inside the walled garden

Brussels sprouts

It was so much warmer inside the walled garden--it really keeps the wind from the lake out

Harewood House

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

I carved my pumpkin tonight! In keeping with tradition, I watched "Ichabod" and drank hot apple cider while working on it :)

I love carving pumpkins--it's one of my only artistic talents (along with Magna-Doodle)

Golden Acre Park

2011-10-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went out to Golden Acre

Chrysanthemum Society display

Dahlia society display

The bees were all over these bright flowers

The park's resident cat

Very curious about our food...

The next day we went to Granary Wharf for our appointment at the Hilton

Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Light Night & James Corden

2011-10-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Leeds Town Hall on Light Night

Richard & me in Millennium Square

Choir in front of the Leeds City Museum

Craft displays in the Town Hall Victorian prison chambers

Video game being projected onto walls in the city centre

James Corden's book signing at Waterstone's

Autumn Leaves & Lotherton Hall

2011-10-07T02:22:00.000-07:00

View from our living room window

I love this time of year!

Garden of All Parish Church, Otley

Classic Mini Cooper on a residential street in Otley

View from the Bridge over the River Wharfe

Richard & me at the wharfebank park

We tried to get all artsy and take some different shots where we weren't posing...

Lotherton Hall, an Edwardian great house owned by the Gascoigne family (now operated by Leeds City Council)

Gardens

The Rockery

Lavender

Main entrance

12th Century chapel

Richard & me at Lotherton Hall

Blackpool!

2011-10-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Friday before Dublin we went to Blackpool for the day. I'd always heard it was a tacky seaside resort, and expected something like Virginia Beach or Ocean City...but it was surprisingly lovely!

On the way to the promenade, we saw this gorgeous old church near the Winter Gardens theatre...

It was really windy & cold, so we had lunch at a fish & chip shop where you can actually eat inside (they're usually to-go, but Blackpool seems to have a lot of chippies with inside seating--maybe it's always cold & windy!)

They served my mushy peas right on top of the fish...it still tasted great, but looked like green slime!

Illuminations in the daytime

Central Pier

Trams go along the promenade from Pleasure Beach to North Pier

Blackpool Tower

Beach view from Central Pier--I love these iron benches!

There were quite a few gypsy fortune tellers around town...I had no idea that was a common thing at the seaside, but maybe it's just Blackpool

Bowling in the arcade at Central Pier

We took a tram down to the Pleasure Beach

That's our jolly conductor in the background

Pleasure Beach has become a proper theme park now--it costs about 40 pounds (per person), so we skipped it.

More from Dublin

2011-09-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Carly's just posted her pics from Dublin on Facebook, so I picked a few good ones for the blog...

This was the "morning after" shot--kegs lined up for collection outside a pub

A group of buskers who turned out to be from Portland, of all places!

Richard & me in Temple Bar

More shots from our Guinness pouring class

We're all taking it so seriously!

Dublin

2011-09-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Richard & Me in St Stephen's Green

The duck pond in St. Stephen's Green

Archway leading to Grafton Street

The Stag's Head pub where we met Carly & Matt for lunch

I love the dark wood & stained glass windows

And there's a giant Moose head on the wall above the bar--not a stag's head...

Dublin Castle gates

Our amazing room at Russell Court Hotel

Grafton Street

Marks & Spencers

Molly Malone statue

Trinity College

River Liffey

The Four Courts

Christchurch Cathedral

I love this bakery's name...

I tried to take a shot of James Joyce House of the Dead, and a Guinness truck got in the way...

It's where he set his story "The Dead"--I haven't read it, but when I saw "James Joyce House" on the sign, I thought it meant that it was where he lived...

Learning how to pour the perfect pint

Inside the Guinness Storehouse museum

I love the old advertisements!

That's a lot of Guinness!

The Gravity bar, with amazing views of the city

Ha'penny bridge

Parnell monument--Charles S. Parnell founded the Irish Parliamentary Party in 1882 and was a key figure in the movement for Irish nationalist movement

Live music in Temple Bar--we saw more later in the Old Storehouse pub, too. They were both amazing!

Temple Bar

These public art works were really funny

I had to look up Larry Murphy--he's a suspected serial killer in Ireland

On a lighter note, I loved how all the shops have "Molly" as one of the most popular names...at last!

I love this vintage neon sign above the jewellers!

Christchurch Cathedral

Richard outside Dublin City Hall

Wetherby, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and Bolton Abbey

2011-09-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

On Bank Holiday Tuesday, we went to Wetherby for the day

It's only 12 miles from Leeds, but it feels like a lovely little traditional village

Wetherby Parish Church

Town Hall

The Shambles

Old Police Call Box outside the Micklegate Police Station

All in all, we were really impressed with Wetherby--such a hidden gem!

This Saturday, we went out to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Visitor's Centre

Sheep & Sculpture

Chapel

Then today, we went to Bolton Abbey

Yorkshire Lavender

2011-08-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

We went out to Yorkshire Lavender today--this time it was in bloom!

It smelled so good...

There were tons of bees all over the lavender

Ilkley Moor

2011-08-25T15:37:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday after church we went out for a walk on Ilkley Moor. The heather's in bloom right now, and we had a nice sunny day, so it was perfect timing!

Close-up of the heather

View of Ilkley from the Cafe on the hillside

More heather

The interior of our church

Leeds Trinity shopping centre, under construction

Queen Victoria's statue in Hyde Park, with the gardens in full bloom

I know soon enough it will be fall again--some of the leaves are already changing in Hyde Park--so I'm glad I got a few shots of Summertime Yorkshire :)

Brimham Rocks

2011-08-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Wedding Gown & Jewelry

2011-08-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we've made our first official wedding purchases! This is the dress I chose from Oxfam Bridal:

And today at Debenhams, we picked out my earrings and tiara. This picture isn't exactly what my earrings look like, but it's very close--they match the tiara.

The picture from the website doesn't really do it justice--I'll take some pictures of it on me. My crazy thick hair is coming in handy for once--I really pull off the tiara well!

Harewood House

2011-07-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Thwaite Mills Watermill Museum

We went to check it out last weekend, but when we got there, it stank. Literally. It smelled like there was a sewage treatment facility nearby. Given that it's in an industrial area a couple of miles south of Leeds, that might be it...We took a quick picture and went to Roundhay Park instead.

We had a picnic & watched people playing cricket

Richard feeding some scones to the geese

Duckling & mom in Waterloo Lake

Roundhay was definitely a better plan...No sewage smells there!

Last night we went to the Victoria for dinner after work

Today, we went out to Harewood House and actually went inside the house for the first time. It's a bit pricey (14 pounds), but worth it. The house is gorgeous (no photos inside, unfortunately), and the admission price includes the bird garden which was amazing. It's practically like a zoo, with endangered species and really elaborate enclosures...

Stanley Crane

Helmeted Guineafowl

Snowy Owl

Waldrapp Ibis

They're critically endangered--only about 500 in the wild (Morocco), and about 1000 in captivity worldwide.

Stork

Mallards

Chilean Flamingoes

Richard & me by the lake

A house for all seasons...

(Back in November)

On the terrace

View from the terrace

It looks so different in the summer!

Oakwell Hall

2011-07-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

Venue hunting...

2011-07-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

We're looking into booking Oakwell Hall for our reception venue...

It was built in 1583, and it's now a museum, restored to the way it would've looked in the 1690's. Charlotte Bronte based the heroine's home in "Shirley" on it, and it was also used for interior shots in a 2009 ITV version of "Wuthering Heights", so it's got some great Bronte connections!

Here's the 19th century barn where receptions are held:

Wedding Fair

2011-07-11T03:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we went to our first wedding fair. It was relatively small, with about 40 stalls, but we got some good info & contacts.

Fashion show

Wedding cars--there was only one company there, and we weren't too impressed. This car is a Daimler, and they've added a Jaguar hood ornament to it--as a fan of Jags, I'm not cool with that!

Chocolate fountains

Overview of the whole place.

We did chat to a very nice couple who does wedding photography, looked into suit hire, and learned about the options & prices for wedding bands. Overall, it was a success :)

Engagement Party

2011-06-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Albert Bar at the Victoria Pub

Richard giving his speech--it was lovely, and he kept it short & sweet :)

Mingling between the 2 crowds--my ICS friends and his ITS friends

I really should've taken more pictures, but we were too busy playing hosts! About 25 people came, and it was hard to get to chat with everyone there--but I guess that's a preview of what it's going to be like at the wedding. Around 9pm, we carried on to dinner with the ITS crowd, and then on to the Bierkeller for one of my friend's birthday drinks. It was a great night!

Otley Carnival

2011-06-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Pipers

Steel drum band

Carnival queen

Subway man

Noah's Ark float from the C of E primary school

The carnival queen giving her speech--she looked about 10, and was very well-spoken :)

We saw the Otley Brass Band again at the park this Sunday

Stockport and Manchester

2011-06-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

The weekend between the engagement and the Lorient trip got lost in the shuffle--here are the pics from the Stockport Beer, Cider & Perry Festival and our afternoon in Manchester :)

The festival was amazing. They had 150 varieties of beers, ciders & perries on tap (we each tried about 5 different 1/2 pints), so it was hard to tell where to start. Each barrel had the name, price (for full and 1/2 and 1/3 pint) & the ABV % on them (% alcohol by volume).

It was held at a football stadium, so this was the seating :)

After the festival, we went into Manchester for a little sightseeing & dinner on the way back to Leeds.

We went on the Wheel--neither of us had been on it before, and it was definitely worthwhile.

View of Manchester Cathedral from above

The Wheel from below

Manchester Cathedral from below

Old & new buildings clashing in the city centre

The last time I was in Manchester (Nov 2007), this was where the ice skating rink was :)

Richard & me in front of the fountain

More pics from Lorient

2011-06-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Angelique's put her vacation photos up on Facebook, so I've put a few of the ones with Richard & me on here :)

Richard and me and tons of seafood!

Richard & me at the lunch

Stef, Angelique, Richard & me at Grandmere's apartment

Stefan and Richard at the restaurant

Lorient Trip

2011-06-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Nantes

Richard & me at the Chateau

Nantes

Graffiti in Nantes--Is somebody still upset about World War One???

Lorient

Marina in Lorient

More shots of the Port de Plaissance (pleasure boat marina)

Richard & me

Having some cafe while waiting for the ferry

Sailboat near Port Louis

Entering the harbour at Ile-de-Groix

Port Tudy, Ile-de-Groix

Bienvenue a Ile-de-Groix! We had the most amazing ice creams (glaces) at this bike rental hut. Mine was Caramel au Fleur de Sel (Breton speciality, salted caramel) and Richard's was Tiramisu. Delicious!

Jardin on the walk to la Plage des Grandes Sables

Leaving Loctudy....

The most amazing beach I've ever been to in real life....Plage des Grandes Sables, Ile-de-Groix

Sea snail, barnacles and mussels

We found an adorable island cat and he followed us up the road :)

Back in the harbour at Lorient

Moules marinieres (mussels) for dinner! I can't believe I ate the whole thing...

The bistro where we had dinner

La famille!

Me, Cristian (Madou's son, a 2nd cousin of Richard), Aela (Jacque's daughter), and Martine

Aurelian (Martine's son), Charlotte's husband, Emilie's boyfriend, Charlotte, Emilie

Cristian and his wife, Aela and Martine

Martine, Nanny Gwen and Véronique

Stefan, Charlotte, Angelique, Jacques and Aurelian

Stefan, Angelique and Aurelian

Celebration for 3 birthdays, a new baby and an engagement :) Nanny Gwen is 80, Jacques is 60, Aurelian is 30, Charlotte's new baby Gabrielle was born 29 April, and of course, Richard & I are engaged!

Jacques, Nanny Gwen, Aurelian and baby Gabrielle

Birthday tarte aux fraises ("Joyeuse anniversaire Aurelian")

Laurent, Richard and Aurelian :)

Jacques's boat. He's been building this sailing ship (based on a historical English design) for about a year, all on his own. It's amazing!

Veronique and Laure

Jacques' business

Guillaud Vérandas

Véronique's apartment in Ploemeur

View from Véronique's apartment

Living room

Veronique's neighborhood

Carrefour supermarket

Church by Véronique's apartment

More shots of the neighborhood--it's a lovely area!

In front of the church

Nanny Gwen's apartment in Lorient

These were painted by Richard's great-grandfather (Nanny Gwen's father). Some of Nanny Gwen's paintings are in the background of the shot below:

Richard and Nanny Gwen (Grandmère). Madou is in the background (Grandpère's sister)

French windows in our room at Rex Hotel

Church in Lorient

Nantes

St Clement church in Nantes

Detail of St Clement arch

Canterbury

2011-06-09T01:10:00.000-07:00

St. Augustine's Abbey

Burgate Lane

Cross in front of the cathedral gate

It cost £9 to go any closer to the Cathedral, so we just got these glimpses of it over the wall. It's nice, but not all that different from York Minster...

Conquest House, where the knights who killed Thomas Becket supposedly met to plan the assassination...

The old King's School Shop--I love the wonky door (apparently it's a more recent addition)

The Queen's Guest Chambers--Elizabeth I stayed here

Away from the crowds...

Punting boats

Canterbury was lovely--everything's extremely old & well preserved. It was packed with tourists and school groups (we saw kids from France, Germany, Spain & Italy), but after about 4:30pm everybody left. I think I might have been more impressed by Canterbury if I hadn't already seen York. The two towns are very similar, the way they've incorporated modern chain businesses into old medieval buildings. We went to a Starbucks right next to the Cathedral gates!

Engaged!

2011-06-01T00:25:00.000-07:00

On Bank Holiday Monday, we went to Richard's hometown Ramsgate in Kent for our 2nd anniversary.

Richard & me in Broadstairs

The two of us in Ramsgate

The bandstand where he proposed :)

A vintage postcard of the bandstand

After a lovely anniversary dinner, we went walking out on the harbour wall. It was cold & rainy, and there were fishermen hanging about, which really cut down on the romance factor ;) Richard took me up to the clifftop on these stone steps that go up past a cafe his granddad used to take them to. We went under this bandstand for shelter from the rain and looked out at the view of the Channel. I thought something might be going on, because it was a bit odd to go stand under the bandstand, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too high. Wouldn't it be terrible if you expected it and it didn't happen?! But then when he actually did ask me, it caught me completely off guard! I didn't even look at the ring--I just said yes and kissed him. He had to pull me off and ask if I liked the ring to get me to look at it. It's gorgeous:

Platinum band, Emerald-cut diamond with brilliant-cut (round) surrounding diamonds.

I absolutely love it and I keep looking at it all the time...

After the proposal, we went to the Belgian Cafe in the harbour for a celebratory pint of Spitfire ale :)

On the 6-hour drive home from Kent, we discussed some wedding ideas. Tentatively, we're looking at Sept 2012, wedding here in Yorkshire and a honeymoon in the States. For now, though, we're just enjoying telling everybody the good news!

Otley Show

2011-05-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Highland cattle

Pony competitions

Chickens

Preserves, marmalade, & lemon curd

Baked goods

Victoria Sponge

Scones

I loved this little dog & the sheep--they probably thought he was a lamb...

Pygmy goats! Always my favorite part of a fair...

Welcome Baby Charlie!

2011-05-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

William at the park

Me with baby Charlie

Kelly & Charlie on Mother's Day at Cracker Barrel

Mom & me at Cracker Barrel

Me & Charlie

Making cute faces...

William & Kelly at the Frying Pan Farm Park

William on the wagon ride

Baby's first wagon ride

I'm so glad I got to meet baby Charlie & spend these first few weeks with the family. It's a crazy but fun time, and he changed so much every day. Can't wait to see him again at Christmas!

Pickering and Malham

2011-04-26T06:17:00.001-07:00

While I'm waiting for my flight to the States, here's an update of all the recent photos...

Daffodils in Pickering, North Yorkshire

Very overgrown bit of the graveyard...not sure why this part isn't maintained like the rest!

I think the rose & scythe image means someone was cut down in their prime...

The old Liberal Club building, now home to the Thirsk & Malton Lib Dems--so that answered my question about Liberal vs. Liberal Democrats...They're the same.

Pickering's High Street

Ducklings!

We went to this Beck Isle Museum--a lovely little museum that's housed in an old college. This room was done up like a chemist's shop

My favorite is "Female Pills"

This room was done up like a nursery--I love those alphabet cards

And the doll house

Happy Families

Victorian-themed front room in the museum

This was on an old egg incubator in the barn's farming displays--"I get plenty of fresh eggs and lusty chicks from my own hens..."

Last weekend we went to Malham again and the weather was gorgeous--and it's lambing season!

Lambs!

So cute! I kept stopping to take photos, so the 1 mile walk took a long time...

Janet's Foss, a lovely little waterfall near Malham Cove

Richard & me in front of Janet's Foss

Ducklings!

More lambs!

I love this one--so sweet!

Richard & me in front of Malham Cove

Limestone pavement at Malham

The climb up to the top is very steep, but the view really is worth it...

London in the Springtime

2011-04-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

At King's Cross Station

The British Museum

Mummy

Inside the British Museum

Enlightenment exhibit

This mosaic from Hinton St. Mary is one of the oldest surviving depictions of Christ (c. 300-400)

I just loved this adorable little sample set of Spode!

I loved all the delicate carved jewelry (these rooms were all 1700-1900 European)

These were little season tickets to the opera, with the name & box assignment carved into ivory

For dinner we went on a pub crawl around Fitzrovia, from Tottenham Court Road to Warren Street tube station

We had pies at Newman Arms

I love this fake blue historical site sign...

The Scientologists have made it all the way to Tottenham Court Road

Kensington Palace back gardens in Hyde Park

The Orangery at Kensington Palace

Hyde Park

Hamley's toy shop has the cutest little Sylvanian Families window display for the Royal Wedding

Hamley's is amazing--7 stories of toys :)

Richard & me in Piccadilly Circus

Gates from St. James Park into Trafalgar Square

St. Paul's

Vintage red bus in front of St. Paul's

Millennium Bridge with a huge number of tourists on it

Tower Bridge

Richard & me on Millennium Bridge

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The Clink, the notorious medieval prison on the South bank, 1151-1780.

Replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship

Tower Bridge and the HMS Belfast battleship

Richard in The Banker, the pub under the railway bridge

Our view of the Thames

London

2011-04-08T02:18:00.000-07:00

I'll post more pictures later, but here are a few highlights from our trip to London...

St. Paul's Cathedral

Picnic in Russell Square

Picadilly Circus

Richard on Millennium Bridge

Me on Millennium Bridge

Comic Relief Sketch

2011-03-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mom, here's the video I was telling you about:

Comic Relief Sketch

--Peter Kay is amazingly versatile--his show Phoenix Nights has him playing multiple roles, and it's brilliant. Very Northern, too--he's from Bolton, near Manchester.

--The man in the picture at the end is Trevor McDonald, an anchorman from ITV's News at Ten

--I love how Susan's hair gets bigger throughout--it's making fun of this video with Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson (When Susan was on Britain's Got Talent that first time, Elaine Paige was the person who Susan said she wanted to be like)

Elvaston Castle and Park

2011-03-26T07:38:00.001-07:00

Cherry blossoms in Ticknall's Village Hall garden

The Old English Garden at Elvaston Castle County Park--I think those might be rhubarb...

Gardens are much less impressive in March...

The Formal Gardens closer to the Castle and the church

I love this one!

The Castle isn't open to the public, due to a lack of funding in the past few years. It's run down, and now the Council want to defund the park entirely, selling off some of the land to private developers. They didn't charge any entry fee to the grounds, though, and it only cost 1 pound to park our car. If they want more funding, just charge 2 pounds to park--your profits would double, and I'm sure people would be willing to pay it.

The Formal Garden

Gravestones in the churchyard

Richard & me in the courtyard

Richard and me in front of the castle

The road to the castle

Venezia: Day 3 and departure

2011-03-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

On the way to the Accademia

Richard & me on the bridge to the Accademia

View of the Grand Canal

Me on the vaporetto on the Grand Canal

San Michele, the island cemetery--Ezra Pound and Stravinsky are buried here!

Richard at dinner, with pizza diavola (spicy sausage) and chianti

Me at dinner with pescatore (seafood pasta) and pinot grigio

San Marco at night

Gondole at night

On our last night in Venice, we took a late night vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal after dinner

The Rialto bridge at night

The Grand Canal at night

Parting shots of Venice--the markets along the canal

First thing in the morning, we went to the Gallerie dell'Accademia. It's currently being renovated, so it was only partially open, but the big ticket 'must-see' pieces were still on display. We saw Veronese's The Feast in the House of Levi, the largest oil painting on canvas in the world (18 by 42 feet!). There were also a few paintings of Venice by Bellini and Carpaccio that were really great to see--it sort of brings the city's history to life. One of them, for instance, had women seeing their men off at the docks.

After the museum, we went ahead and got a 24-hour pass for the vaporetto. It's pricey, but we decided that we would need to take the vaporetto the next morning anyway to get to the bus station, and we might as well just have a boat day (we wanted to see San Michele, the graveyard island, and you can only get there by vaporetto). Besides, it's 18 euro for a 24-hour ticket, and you have unlimited rides for the time period you buy--very clever system.

First we went up the Grand Canal, because we hadn't really done that yet and it's supposed to be the way to see Venice. And because we needed to transfer to another vaporetto to get to Murano, the island where they do art glass. To be honest, the glass pieces were mostly gaudy--very bright, bold colors and designs, and all the shops in Venice and in Murano all had mostly the same stuff. None of it was delicate or ornate like Fenton glass. It was all very modern looking, which isn't really my thing. There were a few nice things, though, and I have to be careful what I say about it, because we did get a couple of souvenirs! On the way there, I got splashed when I sat at the back of the vaporetto, so the rest of the afternoon I felt a bit damp and sea-salty...A very nice Italian woman offered me a kleenex to dry my face & hair off a bit. She smiled and said "Welcome to Venice!" (Everybody else just stared...)

We were there at lunch time, and we looked the menu outside at a restaurant in the touristy bit of the island--they were charging 15 euros/person for their lunchtime menu turistico. Yikes! The hostess came out immediately and asked us (in English, of course) if we were having lunch. She had a look on her face that said 'come inside or go away, make your mind up right now.' You seriously cannot even look at a menu (that was posted outside) without getting jumped on. We said no, grazie, and kept walking. Luckily, we found a supermarket that was tucked away in a very cheesy little shopping centre, upstairs and behind all the little art glass studios. It was full of locals--definitely the one place in Murano where we wouldn't get spoken to in English. We got fresh bread and pastries from the bakery, meat and cheese, fruit, chocolate, bottled water--and I think in total we spent less than 1/2 of what we would've spent at the restaurant with the snotty hostess.

After lunch in Murano, we took the vaporetto to San Michele, where Venetians are buried (there aren't any cemeteries in the city itself). It was very big & beautiful--the graves are very well maintained, and they use a lot of artificial flowers. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but most of the graves had flowers on them, and most of the headstones had photos of the deceased (I've always found that a bit creepy). There are a few famous people buried there--Ezra Pound was the only one I was really interested in seeing, and his stone is a bit of a disappointment. It's small, only says his name, and it's under a bush. Stravinsky is buried there, too, but we didn't bother checking him out...Sorry, Igor, but we're not that into classical music.

(As I said, no photos allowed, so I took this one off google images)

After San Michele, we went back to Venice for a siesta (I took a shower and washed off the sea salt!). We did a little souvenir shopping before dinner. By this point, we were used to the Venetian shopkeepers' style and knew how to act. Basically, don't even enter a shop unless you intend to buy something, and you know exactly what it is that you want to buy. Do a lot of window shopping. Even that can be difficult sometimes--in the little jewelry boutiques around Piazza San Marco, the shopkeepers will stand behind the door and watch you window shopping. It's really disconcerting! My guess is that they have a lot of problems with tourists and this is how they keep them under control...but jeez, it's not fun to shop in Venice.

We had dinner at Aciugheta, that lovely place where we'd had wine the night before. The food was excellent. I did that guidebook recommendation of ordering the specials, and I ordered the linguine with seafood. It was delicious--seriously one of the best meals I've ever had (apart from Cracker Barrel). The sauce was very light--just olive oil and some tomatoes, and there were small strips of steamed zucchini mixed in with the steamed seafood. All the flavours just blended together so nicely--eating new things in a foreign country always gives me inspiration for cooking! I had the panna cotta al limoncello for dessert, and it was amazing, too. I'd never tried panna cotta before, but it's like a pudding--and this one was spiked with lemon liqueur and had mixed berries & berry sauce drizzled on top. Richard had pizza diavola, the spicy sausage one, and coffee-flavoured semifreddo for dessert--it's like a slightly softer ice cream.

We'd thought about having more wine in the bar area after dinner, but we were so tired & full, we decided to take a walk instead. We took some more pictures around San Marco, then had a little vaporetto ride (making full use of that 24hr pass!) up the Grand Canal to Rialto Bridge. We got off there and had some vin chaud (hot wine, they use the French name for it) and walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel. It was a lovely thing to do in the evening.

The next morning we headed back up the Grand Canal to our bus and went to the airport. Leeds was fogged out, so we got diverted to Liverpool (which I had no problem with--I love Liverpool!). We had lunch at the airport (which was surprisingly good), and then Ryanair's chartered buses came to take us back to Leeds. The buses were lovely--we had 4 leather seats around a table all to ourselves, so we put our feet up and relaxed.

All in all, it was a great trip--the good things, like delicious food & beautiful architecture, make up for the bad things, like rude people & getting splashed. I think next time, we'll go to Rome or Florence ;)