Darlington, England, is where we have landed now. It's located in the northeast, between Newcastle and York. Not a really big city, but like so many, there are lots of old, charming buildings - and a young English guy whom we met in Laos! After staying in the same guest house in Luang Prabang, he invited us to visit and stay with him here in England. Gary is a bachelor pilot, living alone with his two cats and a tankful of fish - and often his girlfriend, Jane. His home is actually outside Darlington, in a wee settlement called Middleton One Row. Such an ancient and plainspoken name, as it indeed consists of one row of houses, stretched along a small street with fields behind and in front. While Gary flies off to the continent on day trips for his job or goes sailing up north, we are happily house sitting and taking care of the creatures, gardening in his tiny, overgrown front yard, doing small repairs to the house - and cooking for us all. We are having a grand time. Just think of us as aging housekeepers, a bit like Upstairs/Downstairs!
Gary's 200 year old row house is the white one in the middle with his Land Rover in front.
The cheery pastoral scene from our bedroom window
And, of course, it's not all work, by any means! Last week Gary took us on some adventures on his days off. First was a trip to the medieval city of Durham. It must be hard for residents of this area to believe, but we had never heard of Durham University, third in rank behind Cambridge and Oxford. Or of Durham Cathedral, a massive, ancient, and beautiful church where worship has taken place every day for 1000 years!! We were in awe of the cathedral. When we overheard the boys choir rehearsing for the evensong service, we decided to stay and attend it. The service was lovely, if very sparsely attended (maybe 10 people). In the timeless tradition, prayers and hymns, sung by the choir, lifted up and through the high, high spaces of the cathedral. I was reminded of our recordings of the Vienna Boys Choir. A cozy dinner in the riverbank Cafe Rouge warmed us up, and then we took the train back to Darlington in the cold rain.
The impressive Durham Cathedral - and impressive Bruce & Gary!
The next day Gary took Bruce up for a spin in his 2-seater airplane. It was a brighter day, but blustery. I stayed behind on the airstrip in the grassy field, said a prayer for their safety, and watched the skies. They had a great outing, flying over Gary's home and then to Durham for a peek at the cathedral from above!
Bruce and Gary taking off for a spin in Gary's plane
We lucked out with a beautiful, sunny day over the weekend. Because they are so rare, they are especially appreciated! While Gary worked, Jane took us to the sweet, seaside towns of Whitby and Saltburn. We passed through the charming (that adjective will get a work-out here in England) towns of Stokesley and Great Ayton and then past Roseberry Topping (no, not something to eat but a distinctive pointy hill). Captain Cook, the famous explorer, had grown up in these parts, and there were monuments to him in several places. Whitby is known for its abbey ruins and its fish 'n chips, which we indulged in. Lots of folks were out enjoying the day, including a Gothic wedding party. The church here provided inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Whitby harbor with the church on the hill
The funicular at Saltburn
Today we took the train to the city of York. We HAD heard of York Minster, the big cathedral in the medieval city. But again, we were unprepared for the grandeur of the structure, one of the largest and most renowned in all of Europe. And, again, we decided to stay for the evensong service, which is not very long and promised to be even more lovely than the one in Durham. This time, the service was crowded with people, mostly tourists, it seemed. As we learned, Britain has a tradition of choral music in its great cathedrals, and there are often choral schools for children, connected to the cathedrals. Although this choir included adults, it was mostly made up of children, some as young as 7 or 8 - and many girls! Their music filled the worship space with a reverent and sacred lightness that was inspiring.
York Minster
We've read that this is the coldest spring on record. With all of this rain and cold, damp weather, Bruce and I are becoming aficionados of tea rooms. For the third time in a couple of weeks, we found a charming tea room tucked away on a second floor, serving lunch (or cakes & tea) to little old folks like us. And we have managed to find a pub which serves either tea & scones or Guinness - and, most importantly, it has a fire in the fireplace! (We're missing our wood stove.)
Jane, Bruce, and Gary walking to a resto in the village - in the rain!
Taking a shower in these chilly climes is an act of faith. To strip down to one's nakedness goes against all reason. There is that moment, shivering while waiting for the water to turn hot, that one despairs just a bit. Luckily, we've not been disappointed once. But, there's always the off chance that THIS will be the time that the water is cold. So, that's about the level of risk-taking that I am doing these days :) !
We are really enjoying this area. It's very pastoral and pretty, especially in all its green, spring splendor. And it's ancient, with historical underpinnings that we are only vaguely aware of, in our American-oriented mind-set, but would love to learn more about. And then, there is the much more recent rich musical heritage from the 60's and 70's, matching our own hey-day. We keep running into references to the Beatles and others. All around us is news of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her 60 years on the throne, due to take place in early June. And, of course, London is gearing up for the Olympics. It's fun to read about these events, close up.
Storefront highlighting Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee
Our next stop will be southern England, in the Dartmoor region, where we have plans to help out on a blueberry farm for a couple of weeks, until early June. Then it's off to Madrid on June 5 for a few days to visit our friend, Andrea. For those of you who are wondering, we'll be flying back to Maine on August 8, in time for Dan Fink's wedding on August 11. Not sure yet about the weeks between Madrid and August 8. It's a work in progress. Stay tuned!
And, of course, it's not all work, by any means! Last week Gary took us on some adventures on his days off. First was a trip to the medieval city of Durham. It must be hard for residents of this area to believe, but we had never heard of Durham University, third in rank behind Cambridge and Oxford. Or of Durham Cathedral, a massive, ancient, and beautiful church where worship has taken place every day for 1000 years!! We were in awe of the cathedral. When we overheard the boys choir rehearsing for the evensong service, we decided to stay and attend it. The service was lovely, if very sparsely attended (maybe 10 people). In the timeless tradition, prayers and hymns, sung by the choir, lifted up and through the high, high spaces of the cathedral. I was reminded of our recordings of the Vienna Boys Choir. A cozy dinner in the riverbank Cafe Rouge warmed us up, and then we took the train back to Darlington in the cold rain.
The next day Gary took Bruce up for a spin in his 2-seater airplane. It was a brighter day, but blustery. I stayed behind on the airstrip in the grassy field, said a prayer for their safety, and watched the skies. They had a great outing, flying over Gary's home and then to Durham for a peek at the cathedral from above!
We lucked out with a beautiful, sunny day over the weekend. Because they are so rare, they are especially appreciated! While Gary worked, Jane took us to the sweet, seaside towns of Whitby and Saltburn. We passed through the charming (that adjective will get a work-out here in England) towns of Stokesley and Great Ayton and then past Roseberry Topping (no, not something to eat but a distinctive pointy hill). Captain Cook, the famous explorer, had grown up in these parts, and there were monuments to him in several places. Whitby is known for its abbey ruins and its fish 'n chips, which we indulged in. Lots of folks were out enjoying the day, including a Gothic wedding party. The church here provided inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Today we took the train to the city of York. We HAD heard of York Minster, the big cathedral in the medieval city. But again, we were unprepared for the grandeur of the structure, one of the largest and most renowned in all of Europe. And, again, we decided to stay for the evensong service, which is not very long and promised to be even more lovely than the one in Durham. This time, the service was crowded with people, mostly tourists, it seemed. As we learned, Britain has a tradition of choral music in its great cathedrals, and there are often choral schools for children, connected to the cathedrals. Although this choir included adults, it was mostly made up of children, some as young as 7 or 8 - and many girls! Their music filled the worship space with a reverent and sacred lightness that was inspiring.
We've read that this is the coldest spring on record. With all of this rain and cold, damp weather, Bruce and I are becoming aficionados of tea rooms. For the third time in a couple of weeks, we found a charming tea room tucked away on a second floor, serving lunch (or cakes & tea) to little old folks like us. And we have managed to find a pub which serves either tea & scones or Guinness - and, most importantly, it has a fire in the fireplace! (We're missing our wood stove.)
Taking a shower in these chilly climes is an act of faith. To strip down to one's nakedness goes against all reason. There is that moment, shivering while waiting for the water to turn hot, that one despairs just a bit. Luckily, we've not been disappointed once. But, there's always the off chance that THIS will be the time that the water is cold. So, that's about the level of risk-taking that I am doing these days :) !
We are really enjoying this area. It's very pastoral and pretty, especially in all its green, spring splendor. And it's ancient, with historical underpinnings that we are only vaguely aware of, in our American-oriented mind-set, but would love to learn more about. And then, there is the much more recent rich musical heritage from the 60's and 70's, matching our own hey-day. We keep running into references to the Beatles and others. All around us is news of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her 60 years on the throne, due to take place in early June. And, of course, London is gearing up for the Olympics. It's fun to read about these events, close up.
Our next stop will be southern England, in the Dartmoor region, where we have plans to help out on a blueberry farm for a couple of weeks, until early June. Then it's off to Madrid on June 5 for a few days to visit our friend, Andrea. For those of you who are wondering, we'll be flying back to Maine on August 8, in time for Dan Fink's wedding on August 11. Not sure yet about the weeks between Madrid and August 8. It's a work in progress. Stay tuned!
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