My 7th week, July 8 - 14

My 7th week, July 8 - 14

July 8.

Waking up in this AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) looking out onto the sheep on the moor, the river in perfect quiet, was bliss - so peaceful, only the sounds of the birds and the bleating of lambs. 

The view from my window.

        

The opposite view from the top of the hill to my window .

Lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling.

In the afternoon, my first walk  guided by Randy, was to a nearby small village, Ireshopeburn, where the Weardale Museum is housed, crammed full of local artifacts of the area. There were two parts of the building, the first section on one side was originally the home of the minister of the High HouseChapel, which was on the other side. It was here that John Wesley came 13 times to preach.

                                                             

         An example of a Weardale lead miner's kitchen.

Fluorspar

From the tapestry. 2gns is 2 Guineas or in old British money 2 pounds and 2 shillings. 

Randy and Lynn in their delightful cottage with wonderful meals!

 July 9

Getting braver, since I had never been in this area, I decided on a bus excursion to explore further north. Hexham, 40 minutes or so, was highly recommended and Randy drove me to the nearest bus stop. Just as I did in the south, I loved being on the bus and seeing over the tall hedges to fields and houses on the other side. The center of town is not very large, so it was easy to find a shop to get a picnic lunch which I ate in the lovely garden next to the Abbey. Another warm, rainless day! There was a very patient and well-behaved blackbird who was obviously eyeing my sandwich. He stood just far away enough from me so he could fly off if I got up, eyeing my every movement. I finally scattered some crumbs on the grass and left him to it. Across from the park was the public library, and as it is also the Tourist Information Center I went in. Big mistake.  I picked up a few leaflets, then my eye caught a book on the new arrivals shelf which I couldn't resist reading. It was about the Mitford sisters, which I have mentioned in an earlier post. I realised that it would take a while to finish the book and I wanted to wander around the town and especially the Abbey, so reluctantly I put it back on the shelf and went out to explore. Since I wasn't shopping, I only glanced in the windows but saw quite a few shops with items of beautiful craftsmanship.  Very tempting but no. I was pleased to see a shop with a window display of a violin in the process of being built. 

I went to the Abbey, which has been welcoming visitors for more than 1,300 years. After years of turmoil and change, in 1113 the Archbishop of York reformed the church as a Priory of the St. Augustine monks, which continued through many raids from the Scots until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It then began to be Hexham's Church of England parish church. The Big Story, an interactive, all-age exhibition is an excellent way to see and understand what the Abbey has gone through during those 1,300 years. I spent a long time at the exhibition and just made the last bus to where Randy was to pick me up. A very good exploration day.  www.hexhamabbey.org.uk

Adding to my collection of the post boxes of each reign. I'm not sure if that one is George the 5th or 6th. 

July 10

Off to Durham, (the UK, not NC)

Walking from the park and ride bus stop up to this bridge and seeing this castle around the corner is an amazing experience. Lucky university students!

Durham Cathedral by the river. 

Post box of Victoria's reign.

Punts along the river. Students and tourists love them. 

The Durham Town Hall
There's a tremendous amount of construction being done all over the UK, probably taking advantage of the perfect weather. 

Only 3 people have been given the honorary freedom of the city of Durham -
this is Archbishop Desmond Tutu's plaque in the Town Hall. 

One of 19 plaques embedded in the stones of the town square, featuring special dates of various events.
Here's the one to commemorate the railway reaching Durham in 1844.

A little hideaway tea room for my afternoon tea.

Pink jewelry goes well with a pink drink!

 July 11
A lot of driving for Randy this week, as we were off to York, a 2+ hours drive, to meet up with viol friends for an afternoon playing session in Sue's home. I was happy to see Naomi, also playing the treble, whom I had met a few years ago at Alison's International Viol course at Benslow. There were 5 of us altogether, and it was a very enjoyable session. Sue hosted us afterward with a lovely supper before Randy and I went to meet Lynn at York Minster for the concert of The Sixteen. 
Sublime and heavenly. 

July 12
Another playing day, this time in Durham, with Randy's good friends - hosts Julie and Les, John again, Randy and me. 

We had lunch first which was delicious, as you can see. Elisa, don't you love these Italian plates? I told them how much we like your red ones.


Julie, John, Randy and Les. A lovely conservatory, and in spite of the lack of water this summer, the flowers all over are beautiful. 

This is a tromp l'oeil. Fascinating when you walk into the room.

Breakfast in the garden.

Durham Cathedral.

July 13

An excursion to a favorite traditional pub of Randy and Lynn, the Rose and Crown. 

This 18th-century coaching inn stands next to the Saxon church in the picturesque village of Romaldkirk near Barnard Castle amidst the stunning countryside of Teesdale where the Durham and Yorkshire Dales meet in spectacular rural landscapes. A delicious lunch (and the first shandy of my trip in the UK).

It's a short walk from the main road to the Low Force waterfall in Teesdale, County Durham, the smaller of  two waterfalls in the area. The High Force waterfall is in Upper Teesdale, County Durham. 

In the evening we watched the first Prom on TV. The first part was R. Vaughn Williams " Toward the Unknown" a setting of Walt Whitman and a new collaboration "Five Telegrams" by Anna Meredith. This was followed by an extraordinary reading by the BBC Symphony orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo of Holst's "The Planets". 

July 14

Good walk up a burn (creek) to a mine, now closed and derelict.

Walking up to the mine beside the burn (creek)

Back to the cottage for a light dinner - and party time! The small community of just a few cottages and houses is home to an interesting group of people from all walks of life. Since there is no pub, the neighbors get together in their homes, and this Saturday was Randy and Lynn's turn. It couldn't have been a more lovely evening sitting out in the garden with the sunlight going until at least 10pm.

The entrance gate to the cottage.