Just like Nanny's Garden

"Mom, let's stop and take a picture of this house."

"Why?"

"Because all these flowers remind me of Nanny's house."

Fish and Chips

This is just about as authentic as I think it gets. No plates, just a stack of papers wrapped around haddock and hand-cut potatoes so hot we had to wait five minutes to eat them. Salt and vinegar on the table. I asked for napkins and the lady at the counter handed me more sheets of paper. Odd. We ate outside this little chippy, with foot traffic going by envying our late lunch.

To be honest, a bit greasy for my taste. But the flavor of the fish inside was
phenomenal. And the chips (French fries) were to die for.
This portion was HUGE. The boys and I shared it and still couldn't eat it all.

Roses and Peonies

This week, a tall leggy rose bush in the front garden at our house finally bloomed. I have been wondering what color it would be! White. Wow. The flowers are stunning. Not fragrant, though.

Also appearing this week, after two weeks or more of what seemed to be buds ready to open up any second, this peony decided it was time to bloom.

 

Both these plants are right in our front yard. I'm enjoying the fruits of someone else's labor, that's for sure.

The English roses are blooming everywhere now! This is an awesome time to be walking the streets and peering into people's front gardens. Ollie and I always have to stop and, well...you know how the saying goes...

Lost Puppy

When I see that someone has set out a lost item to be claimed, I always have to take a picture. This little stuffed puppy was on the rail outside a real estate office.

 

How We Spent Our Half-Term Holiday

Saturday
Drove up the coast to Lindisfarne Island.


Photo source: http://www.scotcolour.com/



Photo source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Sunday
Merrit made omelettes. Delicious, as always. :-)

Monday
A trip to the nearby park turned into water play since the new splashground, which has been under construction for the last month or two, just opened this past weekend. We hadn't planned ahead, so Ollie stripped down to his underwear like all the other little kids and Merrit went shirtless with his pant-legs pushed up. It was a bit too chilly, truth be told, but I can remember swimming until my lips were blue as a kid so I figured they'd be okay.

Sunny, but chilly. These kids are braver than me, that's for sure. 

Merrit, opening the dam.

Tuesday
We went with friends to an event sponsored by an organization for kids with disabilities but open for all to attend. There was much to see and do, but the boys most enjoyed the drum circle, the mud hut built in traditional Celtic style, and awesome wooden playground.

The front door to the mud hut was only about three feet high.
I was so impressed by the aeration vents and amazing thatched roof.

Once inside the hut, the ceiling soared to a peak high above.

Ollie conquering the wobbly bridge.

Wednesday
The boys and I walked to the indoor pool, swam and rode the waterslides all morning, stopped for a pizza marguerita on the way home, and then they napped!

A picture of the nearby indoor pool where we can swim.
Photo source: http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/

Thursday
New friends invited us for dinner at their house tonight. We barbequed in the back yard. How American! But of course we had sausages. How British!

Friday
I took the boys down to the skate park for Merrit's first attempt at riding the bowls, ramps, and walls. He's been getting really good at around-town scootering (is that a word?). Helmet on, we set off for the skate park, which is about four blocks away, right next to the North Sea. Unbelievably, Ollie was mostly content to just watch the big boys.

Saturday
Having caught the bug, Merrit wanted to go back to the skate park for more! Mike was happy to oblige. They were gone for a few hours. Back at home, Ollie and I did some cooking. We mixed up chicken salad and tabouli for a picnic the next day.

Sunday
No time for omelettes today! All four of us drove about an hour and a half south/southeast to a spot in York County called The Forbidden Corner. We were invited to tag along with another family, so we followed them there. At our trip to The Forbidden Corner we saw amazing English gardens, wooded paths, trick water features, hedge mazes, optical illusions, underground caverns and passageway, and quirky sculptures.

The Forbidden Corner

What is The Forbidden Corner? Ah, I'm so glad you asked. It started out as one man's personal garden, built on land that was stripped clean as it had once been part of a military base.

The goddess Venus.

With a butt tattoo?

Obviously, this gent has a sense of humor and is a kid at heart. There were so many interesting things to see in the gardens. From holes in the wall that actually have mirrors in them, to water spouts that squirt unexpectedly when you walk by, to quirky sculptures like bears playing cards, amazing murals, gorgeous rock work, hedge mazes, and more than a few claustrophobia-inducing tight, dark passageways.

We went with friends to this spot--they've been here many times before--and we all had a blast! Here are some of the best pics of the day...

The entrance to The Forbidden Corner is via this big mouth.
When you walk through you have to dodge a huge, swinging
epiglottis and  a loud burp erupts, activated by motion sensor.

An overlook from the hedge maze. Don't miss the deer in the fields.

Merrit and his friend run down the hedge maze. Thankfully, no one was lost.
At least, not permanently. 

Here we are in a rotating room with seven doors...

Going down, down, down, deep into the caverns beneath the gardens.

It was too dark to take pictures, but we found underground waterfalls, twisting and turning passageways, statues of Ancient Greek gods, scary soundtracks, murals, illuminated and moving floors, and all kinds of craziness.

We broke for lunch. Between my friend Jo and I, we had an amazing spread. A cheese board and pate with crackers. Plums, strawberries, and bananas. Hummus, tabouli, chicken salad with walnuts and grapes, and fingerling potato salad with scallions. Wine, sparkling water, and OJ-spritzers. Cookies and chocolate. It was fab!

After lunch, we had some company.

Swinging around and around is good for the digestion.
Not so much.

These stepping stones had motion-activated sprinklers
in them...take a look at the next picture!

Mike barely escaped without getting drenched!

Huge woodsman with his axe. The legs are tree trunks!
Amazing.

How lucky am I? I married a man with a great sense of humor who's a
kid at heart...just like the man who created this garden.
Oh, and his legs are like tree trunks. The coincidences just keep coming.

On our way home we stopped at this village pub for tea.

Scooter Boys

With both boys out of school/preschool this week, and the weather being gorgeous like it is, we have been out and about a lot this week. I'll do a little recap on Friday of what we did each day of our half-term holiday, but for now here's a bit about the mode of transport:

I love this picture.

Another day, same scooter boys, same scooters, same setting,
same helmets, slightly cooler.



A fun hill by the library and tourist information centre.