A little French repas!

Inspired by our sojourn to La Marche at Willoughby and our 10,000 steps a dayd,  un petit déjeuner at Frenchies was required! The food there is so good! Too good as it attracts the ever watchful kookaburra and brush turkey.

The walk with its magnificient views of the Heads, and city landscape is incredible. The perfect Australian day!

Happy Birthday Roger

 Great to share Roger's birthday with Caleb, Hiromi and Pat!  A golfing life experience ha! ha!

Le Marche - Aussie Style

 

Back to the old routine! Lovely stroll through Willoughby to the French Market.  Loved hearing all the French chatter again. fresh flowers, baguette (of course) and of all things cumquat jam!

We're back... singing, cumquatting, birthdaying, open micing, walking, concerting and BeanZing!

Oh to be back in the rush and tumble of Sydney! Home on Wednesday, rehearsing in the city on Thursday - it looked so cosmopolitan and kind of exotic! Great to meet up with everyone again although I felt sorry for Ruth who sat next to me having to put up with my lame singing.

As dawn broke off to Raymond Terrace to see Caleb and Hiromi. Of course Roger and I had been awake since 4.00 am. Arghhhh jet lag! Breakfast at the Riverside cafe... before cumquatting.

Oh my goodness what a tree! Collected 10 Kg.  I reckon there is at least 100kg left! Made up cumquat and ginger marmalade when I got home.

 

Great to be walking with Caleb and Hiromi again. This time to Fingal's Beach. 

Lots of catching up.  Jaffle lunch at the caravan and of course plotting our next trip with them. 

Love the concerts in the Utzon room...so intimate and yet fabulous views of the Harbour.  The concerts are always a bit quirky and this one was no different.  Liam Byrne a Berlin-based Irish played the viola da gambist along with Australian gambist Laura Vaughan The program was called Liquid Space, perfect as we looked out at the lapping water of Sydney Harbour.  An interesting concert with a mix of 16th- and 17th-century Renaissance and Baroque works as well as modern compositions. Great to see the two young composers sitting in the row next to us.  We are so lucky!

 

Finally it was open mic time with the BeanZ followed by dinner at the Ivanhoe Pub! Phew! somehow managed to get my feral story written. Enjoy! 

Copy of Open mic by Julie Howard

A Whirlwind Stopover in Vietnam

The. Lounge at Heathrow was really crowded but it gave us time to make those last phone calls and to gather our thoughts before we headed off to Hanoi.  The food and service on Vietnam airlines was terrific but sleep was on our minds! We were met in Hanoi by the enthusiastic guide Teddy who was supposed to take us straight to our hotel BUT he had other plans.  I'll take you on a three hour tour of Hanoi he said.  No Charge! All free!

There were half a dozen people travelling on to Sydney with us and we had all planned to use the 12hr stopover to shower and chill.  In unison we yelled out Nooooooooooo! 

Reluctantly he dropped us off, promising to pick us up for dinner. The hotel was of course was in the middle of a gloriously busy street, selling everything you could dream of. We regained our Vietnamese road crossing skills by walking straight ahead and never looking behind us.  I can't believe in previous years I've cycled here.  Most of the bicycles have now gone to be replaced by motor cycles.

 

Dinner turned out to be at a street 'cafe' - delicious food if you didn't think too much about what you are eating ha! ha! I tried to persuade Roger to have a skin fade haircut - only six dollars! No way was his response.  I actually still don't know what a skin fade hair cut is!

So back on the plane.... to Sydney!

 

London, Windsor, Ducks, Swans and FOOD!

The task this morning is to hand our hire car back and catch the National Express bus to London. After our horrendous check-in experience with rude counter staff who overcharged us (a battle we are still fighting!), we made sure to leave ourselves heaps of time  Surprisingly, all went smoothly. Surprisingly, everything went smoothly. We ended up enjoying a freshly cooked breakfast at the Radisson before wandering across the road to catch the bus.

It was an easy ride down. I even had time to glance over my music for the upcoming Benjamin Britten concert-EEEK! My first rehearsal is the day after we get back home to Oz.

We had a quick changeover at Birmingham, which proved to be a prime spot for people-watching. All I can say is that people come in every shape and size, wearing a fabulous array of clothes. Fascinating!

Exhausted, we checked into our hotel and enjoyed fantastic service alongside one of the best meals ever - and fantastic service!!!!

The next day, with seven hours up our sleeves before our flight, we took the opportunity to explore Windsor. Neither of us had been there before, so a cruise down the River Thames was the perfect way to spend a hot morning. There were flotillas of ducks and swans everywhere!

Windsor Castle was so much bigger than we expected and for the first time there were tourists everywhere unlike Southern France and Yorkshire!

As always amused by the signs and posters.

Farewells - Sheffield to Manchester

Last year was a tough year for my schoolfriend Maria, with the loss of her grandson and husband John.  It was so good to see her and to talk rather than using telephone or zoom.  We also had a chance to chat with Jeannie and Adrian.  Its good to have friends at these sad times.

Of course we also visited my grandparents, parents and cousin's graves.  I can see I have to get some maintenance done as they are starting to look neglected.  Always an emotional time saying goodbye.

But say goodbye we did and headed off to Manchester to return the car.  We stopped at Disley on the way to stretch our legs (got to keep up the 10,000 steps per day!) A lovely little village, complete with canal, quirkily named pub, a few heart thumping hills and of course a mansion or two!

Café Nine Beats, and Howard Family Banter

Café Nine is one of our all-time favourite spots - great music, excellent coffee, and the same friendly baristas welcoming you back. I was originally supposed to hold a book launch here, but COVID got in the way! Next time!

Nether Edge also has fantastic charity and secondhand bookshops. I did spot a skeleton for sale, but decided buying it might cause just as many headaches for me as 'Mr. Violin' did for Mark!

Next on the itinerary was the Howard family gathering. I was nervous just as we arrived at the Broadfield Ale house, I found out about its colourful past. Hey! I booked it because the fantastic internet reviews. I needn't have worried as soon as we stepped inside I knew it was going to be good. Between the fantastic food, fab service and the lively Howard banter, it couldn't have gone better. 

Gathering with 'The Boys'(our nephews) is always a highlight.  It was amazing that Nicky caught the ferry from Ireland, Jonathan a plane from Spain and Mark and Christine drove from Ripley. 

Our great-niece Elise, who we hadn't seen since her stint living in the Arctic Circle and roaming the globe, has now settled in Sheffield so we should see more of her. 

Reminiscing brought back great memories - from Jeannie and Adrian visiting us back home in Manly for the North Head walk, and my schoolfriend Maria, who of course has visited us in Australia, USA and  UK so many times. 

It was fantastic to laugh and joke as if no time had passed but of course there was a sadness that John and Harvey are no longer with us.  It's such a tragic heartbreaking story.

Also Brian, Dot, Lynda, Sue, Martina, Dean, Cory, and Willow couldn't join us this time... Maybe next year?

 

Yet more fun with Sarah & Mark

Down Winnats, through Castleton, across Ladybower Dam and up on the ridge to our friends Sarah and Mark's farm.  It looks magnificent as ever. I am truly jealous of their veggie garden! We met years ago and somehow have managed to meet up either in Derbyshire or Manly ever since.  

Last time was in Allambie where Frankie and Arthur joined us for lunch on the terrace followed by a walk on North Head.This time we caught up with George over dinner at the farm. Frankie and Arthur in London. 

We celebrated our final night with a wonderful, authentic Italian meal with Pedro, Sarah and Mark at Sheffield's Bottega restaurant. I loved Mark's story about heading off to Ireland for a gig. Of course, he had to book a separate seat for his violin - oh, how my brother used to complain about having to pay for an extra seat for his instruments!

Anyway, Mark booked the violin under 'Mr. Violin', which caused absolute chaos at the airport when 'Mr. Violin' couldn't be found for boarding.

All too soon, our paths diverged: we were off to stay with Maria in Sheffield, while they headed to Stockholm for a summer house exchange.

We've shared so many meals, adventures and stories ...I wonder when and where we will meet up next!

Goodbye Middleham, Hello Derbyshire

On the morning we left Middleham, everyone dropped by to say goodbye and wish us good luck.  'We'll be back' we say ... but when? So as we leave we have our usual mixed feelings -  sad to leave, but eager to continue the adventure and to meet up with family and friends.  

We set off over the moors that are just sprouting their purple sprouts, but its strange to see the moors so brown and dry.  Of course in the usual Yorkshire fashion it wasn't long till the heavens open and there are the usual cow jams and sheep wandering across the road. 

Over the moors our first stop is Alderley Edge to meet up with our two nieces Laura and Katie with their children, Jessica, Conner and Rory.  Oh and Roger's brother Chris flew in from Portugal for the day! Yeah!

Laura cooked a wonderful lunch. Oh how the children have grown and so much news to catch up on. Must try to get to Portugal next year.

Then it was down Winnats Pass to Sarah & Mark's Farm.  Oh this is such an emotional trip for me.  So much of my childhood is tied up in this part of Derbyshire.  Adventurer's badge with the guides, climbing MamTor,  hiding in dillops and hollows until the fog lifts.  Blasted by wind, sleet, snow and occasionally by sun! LOVE IT!

winnats by Julie Howard

Facebook Blunder to a Wensleydale Feast

It all started with a mistake as many good things do.  Somehow Facebook posted that it was my birthday in June. As people started to send me messages I replied that it was actually in July and for the first time in a number of years I was going to have a summer birthday in Yorkshire!

Rachel saw it and said 'Oh we should have a cousin's get together.' Helen picked up on the idea and started at WhatsApp group.  All I had to do was organise the venue and the meal!

Back in Oz I thought that won't take long! Ha! Quickly the numbers grew to fourteen from six different counties. They were all looking forward to a pub that provided good food, was in driving distance of six counties, had parking and accessibility for a wheelchair user! Now pubs in the Yorkshire Dales are known for their ambiance and food but not for their larger dining rooms or accessibility.

At the time I was preparing for three concerts, two home exchanges, BeanZ events, packing and yes still trying to finish my novel!

Thank goodness I found Oliver at the Wensleydale Hotel only a 300 metre walk from Foxglove Cottage where we were staying! Thank you! You were a lifesaver, the service and food were superb! 

 

Its incredible to believe but I hadn't seen Rachel since she and Lucy gave me 'bridal horseshoes' 54 years ago at our wedding!  The other cousins I've seen briefly over the years, so there was a lot to catch up on. 

Everyone brought photos and there was lots of laughter, news sharing and anecdotes galore. 

It was strange to see other people's photos of your own wedding and amazing they have kept them all these years.

Rachel wasn't driving back to London until the next day and so we were able to do the Shawl walk one last time!

Oh and I guess we shouldn't leave it another 54 years till our next get together!

Celebrating Yorkshire Day in Style!

What a day to visit Richmond, Yorkshire Day!

We headed straight to the market square to hear the official proclamation, followed by a quick five-minute Zumba session with a group attempting to break the world record for the longest continuous Zumba event. Afterward, we joined a fantastic walking tour of Richmond led by Delphine, one of those terrific guides who seamlessly weaves centuries-old history into modern-day stories.

One of the most fascinating stories she shared was about a local lad, Ben Wilkinson. He built his wealth after getting into commercial drone technology—a sector that exploded in demand following the war in Ukraine, making him a multi-millionaire. Over the past few years, he has been purchasing and restoring historical buildings around town to turn them into thriving businesses. The impressive Fleece Hotel, originally built in 1898 in the Scottish Baronial style, is one of his key properties. He is currently redeveloping several other local sites, including Friary Lodge, the former Barclays and TSB bank buildings, and Oak Grange Farm. It is wonderful to see these heritage structures saved from decay and bringing new energy to the town.

The Fleece

Delphine also shared the story of Richmond Castle, whose construction began in the 1070s under Alan Rufus (Alan the Red). It remains a magnificent sight on the cliffside today. Although it fell into decay by the 16th century, the castle grounds were leased by the military in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War I, it served as a detention center for conscientious objectors—most famously the "Richmond Sixteen," who were held in the cell blocks before facing court-martial. We didn't have time for a full tour inside the castle this trip, but it is high on the list for our next visit.

Richmond really is a bustling town with a surprise around every corner, framed by vibrant summer flowers this time of year—though you certainly need your walking legs, as those cobbled streets are steep! We rounded off an incredible evening with delicious Thai food served with a warm Yorkshire accent, followed by a terrific performance of The Tempest at the restored Georgian Theatre Royal. It is well worth a visit if you ever get the chance!

You know you are in Yorkshire when ...

Cakes, zumba, tractors, sheep jams and misbehaving dogs within the castle walls!
 

Horsing around

Met up with Simon in the morning and he took us around the stables and then off to the gallops. 

Every morning string after string of racehorses walk up through the cobbled streets of Middleham village to exercise. They are heading to the training grounds which span vast stretches of open moorland - the Gallops. The gallops are used daily by around 13 to 15 local racehorse trainers and 16 training yards, serving over 1,000 thoroughbreds! 

Lovely to see Olivia ride across the tracks while Simon told us all the inside goss of all the horses and trainers ha ha!

We will miss these beautiful horses (and their riders). 

We got back to Leyburn just in time to meet up with Anna and Ben and family at the famous Tennants auction house. No wedding here this time but lots of interesting things on auction including fashion house items ... ties, shoes, bags, dresses, coats and much more.  I was very careful not to move in case I made a bid!

We loved the Shawl walk and its stunning views.  The local story is that it got its name from Mary Queen of Scots who when she escaped from nearby Bolton Castle dropped her silk shawl, giving the escarpment its name.

Mmm, on the other hand historians suggest 'Shawl' comes from the Old Norse/Old English word schalle, referring to a cliff, slope, or wooden ridge.

Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes

Hawes is a lovley town, with markets, lots of craft work including a stall selling old musical instruments.  OMG has anyone ever lifted a tuba.  The one we tried weighed 13.6 kg.  Imagine marching with that and playing in tune!

It had an incredible museum, fabulously curated with really friendly knowlegeable staff. I sort of knew about tin mining but I had no idea that knitting was such a part of Dales culture

In Hawes hand-knitting cottage industry was at its peak in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Whole households, men, women, and children, knitted continuously while walking, carrying loads, or sitting around the hearth. 

An average family would turn out 6 to 10 pairs a week. In the late 1700s, the Dales region produced roughly 5,000 to 6,000 pairs of stockings every week. This added up to over 250,000 to 300,000 pairs of hand-knitted socks and stockings per year, which were sold across Britain and exported to military forces abroad.

To produce that quantity purely by hand, knitters in Hawes used knitting sticks which were to strapped to the waist to anchor one needle, allowing knitters to use both hands for rapid, continuous movement reaching speeds of over 200 stitches per minute. I loved the rag rug, I used to make those with my grandma.

One section of the museum was in the train.  It showed regular life in the Dales but the police section had a notice displaying crimes for which you could be jailed including false thoughts! 

And all that Jazz!

 

1 August is Yorkshire Day

It's celebrated by all things Yorkshire, food, parkin, brack, Yorkshire puddings, cheese as well as  beer, flat-cap throwing, parades, dancing and much more daft stuff.

Yorkshire flag.

The Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity is read aloud every year on Yorkshire Day in York, the historic capital of the region at four designated points along the ancient city walls: Micklegate Bar, Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, and Walmgate Bar.

It was a protest against the changing of traditional boundaries.

I, [Name], declare that Yorkshire is 1,141 years old. That it is the largest, finest, and most noble of the English counties, and that its borders are to the North, the River Tees; to the South, the River Humber and the county of Derbyshire; to the East, the North Sea; and to the West, the Pennines.

I declare that Yorkshire comprises the West, East, and North Ridings and the City of York, and that no part of it has been transferred, ceded, or severed by any act of government, local or national, or by any other authority whatsoever.

God save the King and the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of York. 

I'd better tune up, I guess we'll be singing On Ilkley Moor Baht 'at 

the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire!

Meanwhile our choir has been enjoying its tour of England.... Bravo! Sounds like a fabulous tour.

Watch out! Wallace is about!

Off to Hawes today... I love how everything, like France is only twenty minutes away and so much to see and do.  First stop the market which was full of fresh fruit, veggies and seafood.  We stocked up with scallops, salmon from Scotland and tiny prawns which were so yummy. 

Then off to the creamery... Wallace and Gromit country. 

 

I love Wallace and Gromit... and of course Shaun the sheep.  My favourite episode is A Grand Day Out, where Wallace builds a moon rocket  to find more cheese! Couldn't resist watching it again on youtube... and yes of course we bought cheese. 

Then off to the most amazing museum... more of that next post.

 

A Bubble of a Birthday, Wedding and Auction

My birthday started with phone calls, cards and flowers..from around the world, continued with a wedding and an auction and ended with champagne and seafood!  What a day! 

Though now a famous auction house based in Leyburn, Tennants actually started as a small local firm right here in Middleham. It auctions vintage cars, bikes, artworks fashion, grandfather clocks and TAXIDERMY! which is quite confronting when you walk into a room of stuffed animal heads.

It famously auctioned a rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for £80,000. It was one of only 500 hardbacks printed in the original 1997 first run. The author's name was listed simply as "Joanne Rowling," and had quite a few typos. It gives us writers and editors hope!

When we arrived, the complex was buzzing as a massive Indian wedding was in full swing with hundreds of guests. Each side of the family wore a distinct colour, and this particular group was dressed in vibrant pink saris. It was an extraordinary sight!

We had chosen Tennants for Anna and Ben’s visit specifically to catch the fashion exhibition and display of auction items, featuring pieces by Louis Vuitton and Dior (just your average everyday wardrobe, of course!). With Libby studying textiles and design, we hope she will enjoy it when we come for lunch next week.

 Actually managed to get in a short walk around town too.YaY!

There's some reight queer signs in Yorkshire!

Of course they're not real cats!!! What do you think we are!  Percy Shaw from Halifax, got the idea for reflective road studs in 1934 after a cat's glowing eyes reflected his car headlights on a dark, foggy night, saving him from driving off a steep road.  They must have saved thousands of life. My dad always remembered him because he had 5 television sets!!

 My parents always called me a daft Apeth (halfpenny) when I was a kid, but we never saw signs for extreme wildfires.

The 'give way to oncoming traffic' sign is a daily trauma as the road narrows to a single lane bridge or laneway...  and the Kettlewell sign is just fun!

That’s the Moors for You!

An easy 5-mile walk today... across the moors and along the river.

Of course, we got lost straight away, but we crossed paths with a lovely guy from Leeds who pointed us in the right direction. He told us that not so many years ago, the village didn't  have electricity, and even now, there are still only two streetlights! Back then, they relied on a local hydro scheme, and twice a week, you’d take your batteries down to the river and get them recharged.

Once we got our bearings, onto the moors we went. They really are  steep .When you’re walking across them, it feels like your ankles are bent at right angles to your feet! Of course, we saw sheep, more sheep, and... yes, even more sheep.

The moors are vast, and right now, there’s just the faintest blue haze before the heather develops its purple bloom in September. 

Walking here brought back so many memories. Growing up, it was drilled into us: If the fog comes in, DON'T MOVE. Sit down and wait. Fog can descend in an instant, and one wrong step could send you into a deep chasm. I can still remember sitting huddled in grassy hollows with my friends, watching the mist drift past, until suddenly it cleared and we were bathed in sunshine - or, more likely, pelted with sleet and rain.

Well... that’s the moors for you!

On the way back we  e\ven found a kissing gate ... a teenage delight! Still fun!

Foxglove Cottage, Swinton Estate, and a Summer Birthday

A great day out with Jill who has just returned from Oz.  She has been staying in our apartment in Allambie.  So relieved that she loved her visit to Sydney.  She walked from Allambie to Manly, Mermaid Pool, Manly Dam, visited the Opera House, did some whale watching and visited the Christmas markets at the Rocks. Much more I'm sure because her energy is amazing.  

Thanks Lynn for giving her such a lovely welcome and to Lori and David for inviting her to dinner at your place... she loved meeting your guests and your generous hospitality

House swapping is such a fun thing to do. We  love her little cottage 'Foxglove' here in Middleham.  In front of us is Middleham Castle and behind us Simon Kent's stables.  We are surrounded by friendly people, abbeys, pubs, sheep and creameries!  What could be better.?

Couldn't resist adding this photo of the cottage shrouded by winter snow.

Jill took us to lunch at the fabulous Swinton Estate. Oh my goodness it was grand.  A woollen merchant built the 'home' in 17th Century on over 20,000 acres.  Through all those times it has only been owned by two families. It is now a hotel and spa and of course has this fabulous restaurant.

I am trying to find a slot in our timetable to have a relaxing spa before we set off for Sheffield and Manchester.

 

My birthday today... first summer birthday for a while. Very exciting!

 

A Decade Since Manly. Reunions, New Beginnings, and Baby Evelyn!

I can't believe it's ten years since we last met up in Manly!   Really enjoyed seeing  Andrew (Roger's second cousin) Alex and Evelyn at the Richard III pub . As you can imagine there was lots to talk about.  So much has happened - Covid,  Andrew and Evelyn living in New Zealand and moving back to UK, new houses and apartments and of course the arrival of Evelyn!

The pub of course is full of horse memorabilia. The chef at the pub has great reviews but on this day had had an accident and broken her hand!  Still a great meal and catch up!

Roger even managed to snatch an hour's reading!

A Dales Walk with a Dash of History

Our plans for walking on this trip had been thoroughly thwarted by the intense French fires, but the Yorkshire Dales finally gave us our chance. We set off for a short walk around Jervaulx Abbey, and just as we parked the car, we bumped into Ian Burdon - the current owner of the abbey and its surrounding 350 acres of land.

We stopped for a chat… because of course we did!

His father, Major W. V. Burdon, bought the abbey and land back in 1971. When the Major died in 1980, the estate was inherited by his eldest son, Rae. But really, who wants to inherit a crumbling 12th-century Cistercian abbey ruin? Rae certainly didn't. Luckily, Ian did. He bought out his brother and has spent the decades since managing and preserving the site.

Bravo, Ian!

With the abbey’s history fresh in our minds, we set off on our six-mile walk, wandering past sleepy sheep, ancient stone bridges, a fair few stiles, and sweeping farmer's fields. A bloody brilliant day.