lizblog

Simples

Meerkats are so very cute! This one is called Simples .... of course. I got to cuddle her courtesy of Whitehouse Farm.

Second time around

So .... here we are again. This time I am confident that the sale will go through. The buyer has already sold her house.
Hope to be moving in August.

Warkworth revisited and an encounter with a jellyfish

Louise (and Luke more briefly) were visiting last weekend. Not the weather we're having now sadly, but still it was good to see them.
On Sunday Louise and I decided to go to Warkworth Castle. It was nearly closing time, so it was a whistlestop tour and the ferryman wasn't there to take us across to the Hermits Cave, but we still enjoyed looking round.
It's the shear size of everything that gets me. I know it was cold ... but those fireplaces!

Louise is 5'10" and she was dwarfed by the kitchen fire places. There was just a small one in the bedroom!

  

"Going" the old fashioned way!   Through the arched window ......

I love the frilly stone work where it's been worn away by the wind.

From there we went on to Alnmouth Beach. It was blustery and a bit chilly, but we collected lots of driftwood for me to take back to Huddersfield.
There was just this one bit we couldn't quite carry!
  

Then Louise encountered the jellyfish!
  

Day at the Sage

Today I was at the Come and Sing event organised by the Northern Sinfonia. We were singing Rutter's Requiem. It was quite something to be part of. Welcoming all the visitors initially and then rehearsing with Simon Hasler along with 500 singers from all over the North East (and west ... I was chatting to 2 couples from Cockermouth during one interval).

Before the day started my friend Pam and I went across into Newcastle. First we had lunch at the Baltic and then walked across the Millennium Bridge and along the Tyne, crossing back over the Swing Bridge.

The Sage looks wonderful from any angle and dominates the views across the river. Newcastle is a lovely city, so much character and so many different styles of architecture.

  

Soldiers

I've been meaning to use this cute little Christmas gift for .... well, since Christmas really. KIndly given by my big brother and sister-in-law.
The kit ......

All that is needed to make boiled eggs with toast soldiers.

  
..... and there you have it ..... tea.

Thanks Ian and Caroline. :-)

Beach holidays

It was great to welcome friends from Huddersfield this week. Heidi and her two children, Nathan and Naomi came to stay for a few days. When they arrived mid afternoon on Monday, the weather was beautiful and we were straight out on the beach.  

Initially they were happy digging in the sand, picking up shells and pebbles and building sand castles.
As the tide came in and the sea got nearer discretion was thrown to the winds, they stripped off and were in the water.

  
Nathan learned that it is as well to keep an eye on the incoming waves!

The next day was warmish but rainy. Not to be deterred, we went to the shop, bought our fishing nets and went to see what we could catch in the rock pools.
  
  
We caught several hermit (or turnip as the children called them) crabs and one ordinary one.

After that it was off to the playground to warm up a little.
  
Think I enjoyed the roundabout more than the kids did!

The next day was bright and sunny again, so we decided to go to Druridge Bay. The tide was out and there was a lovely large puddle left behind where the water was warm. The kids had a great time splashing around and dressing up in the seaweed.
  
The kids had loads of energy, but the sun was very warm and I preferred to stay horizontal!

  
We rounded off the trip with a visit to Cresswell icecream shop.