Last week in Durham

This'll have to be quick because I'm now on the other side of the Atlantic and faced with the somewhat monumental task of moving our household and family across the country...  in a few short weeks!

Monday of our last week -- met our friends at the train station and enjoyed a lovely evening with their jet-lagged and exhausted selves.

Tuesday -- beautiful weather for the second day in a row.  The day included a cathedral tour, climbing-up-the-Tower, walking around town, card-playing...  Evensong at the Cathedral followed by a yummy dinner at a Spanish restaurant in town.

Wednesday -- day trip to Lindisfarne (the "Holy Island").  Perfect weather.  Really nice.  Dinner tonight at a Thai restaurant.

Thursday -- the rains came down.  Quiet day -- didn't do much, me just mainly getting ready to leave and the rest of us taking it easy, shopping, Chris finishing up his work.  Our plans to visit a local 13th century manor house and gardens were scratched due to the weather.  A Castle tour was on the itinerary but there were no guides...  I guess the students weren't available, it being a graduation day for a lot of them.   Early dinner at our flat.  Some of us went to Evensong at the Cathedral.

Friday -- our friends departed for Edinburgh, we packed up and headed in the opposite direction, for London.  Nice weather -- I took the Underground just a few stops to the National Gallery and enjoyed a few hours there, just me and my audioguide!  Very much the perfect way to do an art museum, I've decided.

Saturday -- last "full English" breakfast and then off to Heathrow.  Flight home was uneventful.  I watched 3 movies.

So there it is.  I would add photos but they are on my laptop and I'm too lazy to go get them.  Not really, I'm not lazy, but I am prioritizing, and moving the photos is NOT on the top of my list.

Thanks for reading over these last few months!

Day 75: Durham

This evening the Olympic torch relay came to Durham City.

waiting on Framwellgate bridge

any minute now...

this looks promising

there it is!

there it goes

The only other time we saw the Olympic torch was in 1996 when it came through Durham, North Carolina -- on its way to Atlanta.  So yeah, there's a theme there, I think.

Day 74 (June 15): Durham

Last full Friday in Durham.  Lotsa rain. 

Chris and Caroline checked out the Chinese buffet in town this evening.   I am making good progress on Great Expectations and finished Wives and Daughters tonight.

Day 69: Durham (and Exeter)

We had lots of rain last night and the night before and so the river is very high.  This is unfortunate for the rowers and city planners and those who were looking forward to the 179th Durham Regatta.  The whole event (which was to occur yesterday and today) was cancelled.

river is very high and the water is fast & rough

it's also really brown today

I took a walk this afternoon along the river and through town.   Two nice ladies (from Cambridge) asked me for directions, which I gave them.  That was fun.

this is what they were looking for -- it is a bronze copy of the wooden original

The sculpture is "The Journey" and depicts monks carrying the coffin of St. Cuthbert.  (The one lady said she didn't like it at all.)

The river under the Old Elvet bridge was quite calm (whereas on the other side it was running very fast).  I took a few photos of the boats and the valerian growing on the bridge.

you can rent these boats

my attempt at an artsy picture

I'll call this one "Still Life with Boats and Valerian"... 

p.s.  Chris and the girls were in Exeter today and taking the train back to London this evening. 

Day 27: Durham

Cold and rainy today.  Church in the morning, home the rest of the day.

No photos for today, so I thought I'd share the books I am reading while we are here.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith (a Scot).  I haven't read these yet -- in my life at home I guess I just don't have time (or make time?) for this kind of reading, so it's fun to do that here.  I'm half-way through the second book.  I understand there is a BBC TV series made here, will need to look into that.

Mary Queen of Scots by Alison Weir.  I've read a few of her other English royalty titles and since we are going to Scotland and visiting Edinburgh I thought I'd read up on an important chapter in Scottish history.  It's tough to keep everyone straight but it's interesting reading.

Nicholas Nickleby  and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I'm about 1/5 into the first.  We'll see how far I get with these two!

We are also re-watching the BBC Cranford series right now.  So good.  And living in England makes these stories more meaningful.

Plus it is fun to see this again after recently seeing Imelda Staunton be so amazing in Sweeney Todd.

7 Quick Takes: Why Rain Every Day is Good

1.  Cute umbrellas.

2.  It can't be 90% humidity when it's raining.

3.  Cute rain boots.

4.  It (usually) can't be 95º when it's raining.

5.  People who have city garden plots appreciate it.

6.  Cute rain jackets.

7.  You don't have to worry about if it is going to rain.   [I've used this one before.]

Day 24: Durham

The rain came again today and did not go away until just an hour or so ago (it's 8:22 pm right now).  According to the cabbie who took Caroline and me from the City Centre back to our flat (it was just too wet and we had too many packages) it hasn't been "nice" weather here (he was very specific that the descriptor was "nice") since 1977.

Oh well.

It actually was nice here earlier this week but maybe he's even more demanding than I am.

the Chapel was just beautiful and this picture does not capture that

We had the privilege this morning of touring Ushaw College, a closed seminary with many lovely buildings on 300+ acres outside of town, that hopefully has a future awaiting it.

in the library

looking through letters written by John Henry Newman

This evening Chris and I enjoyed a lecture down at the University, given by Fr. Robert Barron (of Word on Fire Ministries).

A good day, despite the rain.

Day 23: Durham

Today was a stay-inside, travel-planning, emailing, not-doing-much day.  This is the only picture I have for you, 'cause at one point I did get around to washing the dishes, too.

just keepin' it real

Don't ask me what is in that bowl that is sitting on the top of the microwave because I don't know.  I am just sorta ignoring it and hoping it won't hurt anyone.

Day 20: Durham

Another fairly quiet (and rainy) day here in North East England.  We started out with a 25 minute walk to church.  We'll be attending Mass at St. Cuthbert's while here in Durham.  It's a lovely old building (no surprise there) and it was packed with people -- many older folk but a lot of not-so-old and a handful of children and younger families.  It's such a blessing to be in Mass on a Sunday morning, so far from our home, and yet still hearing the same words spoken and doing the same things, knowing this is going on world-wide.

new polka-dotted umbrellas are always fun

I talked Chris and Caroline into walking a short distance into the centre of town and getting takeaway fish-n-chips for lunch.  It was yummy and the smell brought me back to my New Zealand childhood!

Naps, walks, tea & scones, books, and now they are watching Britain's Got Talent.  I don't think it is impressing them.

7 Quick Takes: What's to Love about being in the UK

1.  Scones with clotted cream and jam.

2.  No car so I have to walk everywhere.

3.  No dishwasher so I don't have to load and unload it.

4.  Scones with clotted cream and jam.

5.  It rains every day so you never have to think about whether it's going to rain or not.

6.  The washer and dryer are so small that I have to do a load or two every day so there's no real possibility of the laundry piling up.

7.  Did I say scones with clotted cream and jam?

Go here for more Quick Takes.

Day 12 (April 14): York

We started the day with a full English breakfast (of course) which is a definite perk of travelling in the U.K.  Then off to pick up a free guided city tour.  Unfortunately it rained through much of it and was very cold...  we learned our lesson to always be prepared with a rain jacket and warm layers.

cold & rainy & very historical York

After warming up with Cornish pasties and hot chocolate, we toured the York Castle Museum anc Clifford's Tower.

not really

Dinner at an Italian restaurant.  A full day.