On me 'olidays

[gill216]

Just spent an amazing family xmas in the "Red House" , Scarborough. If anyone wants details I'll provide them but it's easily goggled. One thing I will say is that the website doesn't do this place full justice. Sleeps 10, There were 8 of us constant but we all had friends to stay for a couple of nights to make up the 10. There is one very small reference to the utility room. It's bigger than my kitchen diner at home and the things in it were amazing. Baskets full of silly hats, baskets of toys, sewing kits , you name it, it was in there. No mention of the little nooks and crannies that were packed full of book shelves catering for all ages and tastes. The games room had not only a piano but various other instruments as well. Complete with learn to play them books. Boxes full of cd's from opera to lady gaga. Jigsaws, games etc. You name it , it was provided. I'm not sure that I ever discovered everything that this amazing house has to offer. It took me 3 days to find what was obviously meant to be the food larder underneath a set of stairs! 2 pets welcome at no extra charge. Even they are provided for. Pet food bowls, balls for dogs etc. No additional charge for gas, elec, or logs for the open fires. Absolutely brilliant. Just a shame the snot monster got me with a vengeance when I got home.

[Wulfruna]

the "Red House" , Scarborough. ........... it's easily goggled.

Sounds as if you all got a bit goggled ... What a great idea for a "different" way to spend Christmas Glad you had a good time, but sorry about the after-effects.

[giraffe]

Not my holidays, but pictures from foreign parts. My nephew is currently living and working in Antarctica, so we have been reading the blogs that he and his colleagues are posting about their adventures. This isn't my nephew's blog, but has some really amazing pictures in it, particularly of the iceberg with the hole in it. I'm amazed just looking at the pictures, I can't imagine how breathtaking it must be to have seen it firsthand.

http://antantarctic.wordpress.com/

[Bunnylump]

Wow. They just don't look REAL, do they?

[giraffe]

It's that blue colour that is so amazing, and where there is just a little crack you can see the really intense blue hiding inside.

[Wulfruna]

It reminds me of some years ago when Scurra and I went to a fantastic exhibition (I think at the Royal Academy) of American large-scale landscape art. One of the rooms was filled with gigantic paintings of icebergs just like those pictures - all vivid blue and white and dramatic shapes (including a hole through the middle). I remember being totally blown away by it.
There were also paintings of fantastic mountain scenery and another room full of vivid autumn colours - very dramatic! Not to mention the Niagara Falls - which seemed to move before your eyes......

[gill216]

Nice to see you on here today. I was wondering about you and the floods down South.

[Bunnylump]

Was this you, Wulfruna?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=73 ... =2&theater

[gill216]

Anybody just watched the news at ten? Silly woman crying because " it's not even her water" that has flooded her house. Don't mind her being upset but they got the wrong one when they interviewed her.

Enough! I diverse.

[Bunnylump]

Well, I must admit that I would be very unhappy if my house was flooded with ANY old person's water...

Yes, I did see that, I felt sorry for her but she was being super ridiculous.

[Wulfruna]

Nice to see you on here today. I was wondering about you and the floods down South.

We seem to have escaped the worst of it on this side of the Exe - we look across the river towards Dawlish and have always envied them their beautiful railway line going right by the sea..... Indeed, in the past we have sometimes gone over there for a day out to watch the sea crashing up over it on stormy days! This video (shown on BBC) was actually taken by a friend of ours whose house overlooks the line
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26076630?SThisFB
We had a chunk of garden fence blow down which was totally covered with ivy and which our neighbour was planning to get rid of in any case because the ivy was such a menace. It's an ill wind....... Though it will be quite a big job cutting all the ivy off and humping it to the tip for disposal - there's masses of it!

[gill216]

Not so much on me 'holidays but 2 pics of my second home. ie the tin tent.

First one is of our present site 30 years ago and the circle denotes where the coastline is now. Or was. Not anymore. More land went in December

The second pic was taken days after the December surge and shows the remains of the land that fell but hadn't yet been washed out to sea.

Did anyone manage to see Spurn point on our meet? That is now an island, last year I cycled to it. The life boat people were moved off last year. They asked for volunteers to go help clean up for the wildlife but they wanted them in January and we have no access to our holiday homes until Feb. If they repeat their request several of us here will top the list.

Someone please re-size if necessary. Never did fathom out how to do that.

[LAT]

Today I've been to Another Place.

[giraffe]

Well that's a bit cryptic!

[Bunnylump]

I think the capitalisation might be a clue...

[Bunnylump]

Just got back from a weekend away with some friends. We stayed in Deal in Kent. On the way down there we stopped for lunch at a pretty village called Chilham which has been used on numerous occastions as a film location, notably for the BBC production of "Emma" and several Poirot cases.

The cottage we stayed in in Deal was very stylish and well equipped, although it was a bit of a pain to park anywhere near it. Not totally impressed by Deal, had never visited it before, although it did have a couple of interesting buildings and narrow windy roads and of course is by the sea. Yesterday it drizzled all day which didn't help with my general impression of the area! Anyway, yesterday we walked along the coast to Sandwich, which had altogether more charm. There was an ale and folk festival going on there, so there were more Morris men and (what do you call female Morris dancers? Maureens? Morisettes? ) than you could shake a stick at, including some who appeared to have nipple tassels (well, OK, they were actually strategically-placed rosettes, but they did look funny! ) Anyway, we managed to locate some fairly decent live music, some jolly commendable Doom Bar and a pub which sold Caribbean chicken patties which were yummy.

Today, on our way back, we stopped in the village of Wye, which is on the downs. That was another very pretty village, with a grade 1 listed church, and some fabulous college buildings (which are apparently attached to Imperial College.) We had a lovely walk (this time, largely in sunshine) up on to the downs, which took in views of the white crown cut into the hillside, and views down the Devil's Kneading Trough
which was well worth the climb for the view. We then had a REALLY yummy very late lunch / tea (what is that called? You can have a brunch, so maybe this is a luntea? ) in the King's Head Inn (would definitely recommend that one if anyone's passing.)

Altogether an enjoyable weekend.

[LAT]

Sounds good.
We liked Sandwich when we visited Kent a couple of years ago. And Chilham. I'm not sure if we went to Deal though.

[giraffe]

Isn't it high tea? (Medium sized meal between lunch and dinner?)

[Wulfruna]

High tea is more often an early dinner (around 5-6pm), but it certainly sounds pretty similar! I would expect a Scottish High Tea to be a main hot course accompanied by bread and butter with bread (or scones) and jam to follow, and then cakes/biscuits -all washed down of course with tea. Yummy!

[Bunnylump]

No scones or bread were harmed in the eating of the meal. But they did make a mean honeycomb ice cream! We drank a good deal In Deal, Chilled in Chilham, asked questions in Wye, but sadly didn't manage a sandwich in Sandwich.

The only downside to the weekend was the man eating biting things which have attacked my leg. I have MASSIVE blisters filled with goo now. Note to self: stop being yummy.