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!

Pancake Day!!!

I just found out that tomorrow is Pancake Day!! I guess this is a national holiday and everyone makes pancakes for the evening meal. Even the stores had displays just for pancakes makings!! The pancakes are more like what we would call a crepe' (very thin and can be consumed in three bites) but of course that is French so they call them pancakes here. The most common way to eat them is to spoon white sugar and then pour a bit of lemon juice in the middle and roll it up and eat it. I've also had pancakes with nutella, cheese, and an icecream bar. Tomorrow Jane and I will be making a plate full and then meeting up with some other residents of the hospital accomodations to add the toppings and then play Balderdash.

Spring!

Well, not quite spring but today I saw these small white flowers which I think are some type of crocus. These are the first flowers to have emerged and give me hope that spring with warmer weather and more beautiful flowers is right around the corner!

Best laid plans

February 22, 2009
Best laid plans
A couple days ago I got the bright idea to go to Whitby. As it is my favorite place near Middlesbrough and I haven’t been in 2009, I figured that it was about time for a visit. But, what should I do or see this time? Church! St. Mary’s is my favorite parish church so why not go to Whitby on Sunday and go to church at St. Mary’s? I spent Friday evening planning bus schedules and looking up service times and by this morning, I was ready to go. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day; by the time I caught the 8:45 am bus, the sun had burnt through the clouds, warming the earth, and creating a brilliant blue sky. I hopped on the bus to take me to Whitby. Through the countryside we went, past the little villages and fields of sheep heavily laden with their winter fleece. Up, up we went on the narrow winding country road to take us to the top of the moors. Then, slow, slow we crawled to the grassy shoulder. As cars whizzed by us, I assumed the driver was allowing the cars that had formed a train behind us to pass. Groan. Stop. Sputter, sputter, cough, cough, the old bus replied to each turn of the key. Stuck. In the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, the 93 bus to Scarborough calling at Whitby decided to stop and die. The driver tried to reach the depot on the radio; no answer. He tried his cell phone; no reception. He tried a passenger’s cell phone; lost reception. For over an hour we sat, 4 passengers and one driver. It is amazing how much influence the mind has when confronted with a situation such as being stranded. I suddenly found myself to be starving; would I starve to death before being rescued? I suddenly needed the toilet desperately; what patch of heather would afford the most privacy? Finally, the next bus to come along stopped and collected us. By this time, it was well past the church service start time. Arriving in Whitby, I wandered out to the end of the pier-a place I had never been but is amazing as it juts out into the churning waves making one feel small and insignificant as they are surrounded by the North Sea. I wandered the shops; I can always find some quirky amusements to entertain myself. I stopped in for fish and chips with mushy peas at Hadley’s and then decided to climb the 199 steps to St. Mary’s. After services, the church is open for visitors so I wandered through the church appreciating the beautiful woodwork which resembles ship architecture; suitable for the area. With ominous thunder clouds beginning to roll across the moors, I quickly bought a lemon top (vanilla icecream with lemon icecream on top) and then boarded a bus suspiciously resembling the one from earlier, and headed back to Middlesbrough. This time I made it back without incident. Maybe I’ll try again next week….