Evidence of Spring

March 14, 2009
Evidence of Spring

Today, as I walked to the corner grocers, I was pleased to see other evidence of spring bursting forth from the recently frozen ground. These are a species of daffodils indigenous to England. They grow wild up in the Cleveland Hills and along the motor ways. I think they are so beautiful and add such a nice bright color to the landscape.

Bums and Tums!

March 13, 2009
Bums and Tums!
My curiosity of strange and new foods has finally caught up to me. One can only have so much fish and chips, curry, and fudge before it starts impacting the fit of one’s clothes. I decided to take an exercise class at a local gym called Bums and Tums. It is a class that focuses on squats and LOTS of sit-ups. Fortunately, the class is all women but it is a bit discouraging when the instructor is a size 2 bubbly blonde who doesn’t even do the exercises but runs around encouraging all of us out-of-shape professional women to do “just one more set” of squats or sit ups. At the half hour mark, my quads and abs were burning and by the time the hour was up, my muscles were shaking and trembling so badly that I could hardly walk. The following day wasn’t so bad, but by Thursday I was walking as if I had spent the last 5 days on a horse, using the toilet was becoming a chore, and climbing the stairs to my flat might as well have been climbing Mt Everest. As the old saying goes, “no pain, no gain” so for now it is to the gym several times a week and backing off the local delicacies.

Fudge!

March 4, 2009
Fudge!
I thought I’d share with you all the yummy-ness that is Bedale chocolate-orange fudge.

Second try

February 29, 2009
Try it again
I’m back at whitby again this weekend; yes, I made it without any bus mishaps. I always know that I am in Whitby because when I get off the bus I hear the sound of sea birds, I smell the sea; a mixture of water, fish, and old boats. This smell will change midday to the greasy smell of fish and chips. Church has just finished and I’m sitting in a quaint café drinking a hot chocolate and looking out the window and the Whitby Wyrm (a jewelry store) and a sweet shop where people are actually buying icecream even though it is near freezing outside! It’s much colder today than last week yet the streets are continuing to fill with tourists bustling in and out of the low shop doors. Church was interesting. I can now say that I have been to a Church of England/Anglican Church. There was only about 15 in the congregation and I was the youngest by at least 40 years. Many of the hymns were familiar to me although some of the wording was varied. The format is similar to Catholic churches I have attended; books for repetitious reading and written prayers. The people were very friendly but were confused as to why someone my age would be attending their church service; a clear reflection of the culture and how it has influenced my age group over here. No fish and chips for me today; I’ve brought a healthy snack for although I could eat fish and chips with mushy peas every day, they aren’t so good for the figure or my wallet :) I probably won’t get back to Whitby for some time now; probably not until April comes to visit and I take her for the fish and chips with mushy peas experience!

Wain Stones

February 28, 2009
Wain Stones
Today I went hiking with one of my colleagues up to the Wain Stones. I love hiking and being out in nature but most of these places are only accessible by car which is limiting to me. We did a 3 mile loop up the mountain on a muddy path that threatened to suck my shoes off with each step, then up to the boulders. Does this one look like a face? It should because it is the sphinx stone. Across the ridge we walked, on stone slabs which were placed an unknown amount of years ago, making our way across fields of heather (this is the largest area of heather in England). Occasionally, a ring necked pheasant would fly up out of the heather in front of us. This walk is part of the Cleveland Way; a hike which stretches 109 miles across the Cleveland Hills. The route is marked with these signs that have an acorn. Next week I plan on doing the 7 mile hike from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay which is a course across the cliffs on the coastline. I’ll then catch a bus from Robin Hood’s Bay back to Middlesbrough. Pray for good weather!