It's great up North

OMG, that heat wave we’ve just had was quite something! Have you guys also had it? It was insane here. Luckily we were away during most of it in the Cotswolds (and yes, pics to come from that little trip away too!), but our house was like a sauna when we got back on Tuesday afternoon, and it was only yesterday, after Thursday night’s thunderstorm and heavy rain, that I felt fully functioning. Let me tell you as a lady of a certain age that heatwaves and hot flushes combined is no joke. Much respect to my menopausal sistas living in hotter climes!

Anyway anyway anyway. Still have some Yorkshire pics to share with you. On our second day there we went to Dalby Forest for a walk, and this section of the walk reminded me so much of our summer hikes in the Alps, but it was like someone had just photoshopped out the mountains. You can also mountain bike your way around, but it wasn’t possible to rent any bikes, because, you know, Covid.

Everyone loves a walk in the woods, whether you’re young or old, whether it be your local one or a new one. This Carl Jung quote I read at Swiss Miss the other day really resonated with me: “Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilisation take a walk in the woods, or a bath in the sea. Entering the unconscious, entering yourself through dreams, is touching nature from the inside, and this is the same thing, things are put right again.”

This brook looked so tempting to dip my feet in, but I didn’t.

In one section of the path we had to step carefully so we didn’t crush tiny little frogs to death.

Using tree roots to get up.

L waiting - and seeing what wearing a face mask upside down was like while he did.

On the way back to our friend’s house we took a detour so we could drive through the North York Moors. They didn’t disappoint. That vast expanse really felt planetary, if that makes sense. I also really loved the colours; the purple of the heather against the browns and greens looked amazing. All the colours below the sky in this picture would make such an opulent colour scheme for a room don’t you think?

My guys, framed.

I felt like I was in Andreas Gursky picture here.

And of course, lots of sheep.

And finally, on the way home, probably the best road sign I’ve ever seen. Shame I didn’t get a good pic of it.

Change of scenery

We were supposed to go to Amsterdam this summer for our summer holiday, but Covid 19 had other plans. So we drove up to Yorkshire last week to stay with our friends in the north for a few nights. Driving past Drax Power Station as we get close always is always eery but quite cool, but also scary because the environment.

The first thing we did after dropping off our bags was head to York and walk along the river Ouse.

We continued into Rowntree Park in the drizzle (aaaah, the joys of British summer holidays)…

… where we witnessed this surreal moment of a dog modelling on a bench. I wish I’d gotten closer (I guess this is what zoom lenses are for), but I’m sure the lady taking pictures would have seen me running closer and then the moment would be over.

The following day we drove up to Fraisthorpe Beach, and while we waited for our lunch we very much enjoyed this scene of a dad talking to his kids playing inside this bunker.

As I was packing my bag for this trip I took out my swimming costume, thinking there was no point in bringing it, but turns out there was. Never mind.

Our friends recently got their first dog, Rae (a greyhound rescue), and I fell for her big time. I walked with her on the lead the day before and I really felt her calm which made me feel calm, which probably in turn made her feel calmer, and then me calmer, and so on. I immediately started daydreaming about getting a greyhound, and was looking at rescue websites, but then realised that there’s no way I’d demote Buddy as king pet in the house, and so getting a dog might be something we’ll do in the future instead.

Did you know that the top speed of a greyhound is 72km/hr (45mph)?! We got to see Rae sprint up and down the beach and it was really impressive.

Time to hop back in the car and move on. And our friend S did not want his picture taken.

We drove 20 mins up the road to Flamborough Head. I’ve never seen chalky cliffs before and these didn't disappoint.

Ridiculously pretty.

Oomoo spotting seals swimming down below. A zoom lens would’ve been good here too :D

We made our way down to get a different view, and as I took this the tide was coming in fast, so a quick click and then a jump out of there.

One of my favourite feelings is to feel tiny in nature. It feels like a correction, like “Dear Human, you think you’re so important, well, check this out. Are you this big? Didn’t think so. Yours, Nature”.

Maybe soon

Another pic from Paris last summer, of people doing a very normal everyday thing (and little me taking their picture). A question that came up at the beginning of lockdown was what the first thing you would do once it was over would be. Mine was to go for a swim at the Ladies Pond, but it isn’t anymore. It now looks like it will open on the 4th of July, and it will be rammed, and warm, which is the exact opposite of what I loved about it this winter. I can’t think of anything in particular that I want to do now, but just seeing people sitting at a café outside like this again will be good enough for me.

The less obvious

These are the sort of things I love spotting and taking pictures of, and it always seems easier to find when you’re in another city or country. I look forward to the day when we get the chance go somewhere not local again, and even though it doesn’t feel like it’ll happen anytime soon, it will.