Escape

Last week we escaped! We left for the airport in a downpour of rain and several hours later arrived at our destination in warmth and sunshine. Bliss!

All we wanted to do was lie out and bask.

The hotel had 'designer' touches!

But what's this?
RAIN!

Never mind, what's a bit of rain when you're from England.

Time to hire bikes and explore the town,

where, luckily for me, there were cycle paths.

And the weather improved.

Pit stop.

It was good!

Some days the sea was rough.

But on our last morning it was like a mill pond.

Fabulous!

And then we came home.

Wonderful weekend!

Print by Stephen Jacobson, in photo below right.

Our book group went to the seaside this weekend.

(Same gang photographed in France several years ago.)

Once again our hosts were Tony and Andy.

It felt like being aboard an ocean liner inside their flat!

All the beach huts were closed for the winter.

On the coastal path we walked by this deserted house.

 Shades of Norman Bates!

Or Edward Hopper.

I wonder what it's like inside?

After our Sunday morning walk we had to leave our friends, (thank you all for such great company) because we had been called to a 

PRIZE-GIVING AT THE PALACE!

No, not THAT palace, but the Bishop's Palace in Wells

where Himself had won a prize in their Literary Festival short-story competition.

Ew, er, the excitement!

The author, Louisa Young, conferred with organizer, Kate Hudson.

Himself received his prize,

his mug shot was checked

and then we went home.

What a wonderful weekend!

"Season of mists and...."

and a great deal of rainfall!
I've covered the squash with fleece because the nights are chilly and frost is threatened.

It is not a very good crop this year, there has been far too little sun for them to fully mature and I'm concerned that the skins have not hardened well enough for them to store for long. In normal years I grow enough to last at least until late spring.

Surprisingly, the coriander has loved all this wet. I have a huge amount of green seed. Will it ripen? Should I harvest the plants and hang them up indoors to dry? Advice please! Usually they dry out of doors on the plant, but this year, THIS year!!

The autumn colours are just starting to show

but there is no crisp leaf kicking

because it's wet, wet, wet.

Water, water everywhere

This time last week we were leaving the Dales and the landscape was draped in early morning mist. It always seems to look at it's most beautiful once I have packed up to go. The weather forecast had promised extremely bad weather to come and we thought it best to head back down south. It was a wise decision because by the following day stretches of road had become flooded and were closed off. We had enjoyed sunshine with showers during our stay, the only areas of flooded road being quite useful for washing the underneath of the car!

Many of the Dales are called after the rivers that run through them.

Some of the bridges are handsome old stone structures such as Ulshore Bridge over the River Ure,

while others, over the many tributaries and streams, are altogether more humble.

The water is stained brown from the peat in the surrounding moorland hills.

There is a beck, the word for stream in Yorkshire, beside our home and the sound of running water is a constant.

A little further up the beck there is a small waterfall.

What's not to like?
Well, the journey back south was a bit grim!