St. John's church sits nestled among high coastal meadows by the sea. The weather was rather bleak the whole ride there. The rain let up just as we arrived. My husband went to scope out the trail to decide if it was an ok idea yet. While he did that I was was able to check out the church and cafe a bit. And convince a boy he could ask the cafe people directions to the restroom. It's the little victories in life. ; )
Yep. No words can explain the pure joy of pulling food right off the plant. No words necessary to explain their reaction….
After which the who-can-catch-a-berry-by-mouth game commenced.
May I present the winner….
This has been home-away-from-home during my absence in this space lately. Mornings spent reading with steaming mugs nearby. Days spent hiking. Evenings full of exploring all the nooks and crannies of the eco-friendly farm which surrounded us.
Our host was a fascinating man with a heart for adventure. Quintessentially British, he sported a mop of curly untamed ginger hair and wore a button down shirt with rolled sleeves, glasses, and belted trousers tucked into gum boots. He welcomed our crew enthusiastically and showed the children all the possibilities waiting for them on the farm – bikes, badminton, ponds, and a real treehouse. He explained why the farm was a proper nature reserve and not just a vacay spot. He then showed us where the best hiking was and where to find the ponies I had my heart set on seeing.
Before embarking on the guest farm adventure he had spent many years in Africa as a safari guide. We swapped stories of travel and military life. He had fond memories of US Marines who shared music and cola and conversation in a far away place in the days before computers and ipods. His feet are planted on English soil again but he said Dartmoor was his wild. I get that. I need my wild too and we found it on this trip for sure, thanks to his maps and inside tips.
(just looking – we didn't eat them)
And now it's midnight and the day starts early here. I hope yours are also full of fresh air and wet boots.
Into the orchard this week. It is much cooler than last year this time which makes for a far more pleasant job of picking. If it was warmer we would be fighting the wasps which devoured the fruit right on the trees last year. There are two varieties of plums in great abundance – a red and blue tree. Which of these many English varieties is anyone's guess. I am always amazed at all the things I don't know. How many fascinating things there are to know.
Framlingham Castle came alive with dancing and medieval combat last weekend and we were front and center for all the action. The sun even showed up which made it pretty close to perfect.
The reenactment, provided by the Plantagenet Society, was incredible. (I should probably not admit how old I was before I could pronounce that correctly. Suffice it to say it was before this weekend. But maybe not allll that much before ; )) They use authentic weapons – ie no matter how many times you rehearse, it's gonna hurt some. We were all wincing every time we heard a blow strike. We left convinced this would have not have been as romantic and sweet as it may have seemed to us before. I am pretty sure it was brutal watch it live back in the day.
I am always super happy when our kids work up enough courage to jump into the fray. I was so not that child, myself.
And a side note, if there are any Jack Black fans out there who watched his version of Gulliver I am telling you, this guy was SO the spitting image of Chris O'Dowd's villain. And if you haven't seen it? C'mon. For real??
It's actually happening now for some crops. The last bales are being moved from the fields and carrots and onions have come up. The comfortable rhythm of the farm planting and reaping is a balm during a challenging summer. There has been lots of washing and chopping and mixing. Tomorrow, a recipe to go with these.
Evening has long been my favorite time of day. All the demands that stacked up in the morning trickling away. I lace my shoes and head out the door for sky and air. Actually in between the lacing and the heading out there is bargaining. Cajoling even. I am always recruiting a walking partner and my peeps are always begging off. In fact I posted this status on facebook the other night:
"Who is gonna walk Mom tonight? "
"I went with her last night."
"I have a cold."
"I think I do too…"
Honest to gosh you'd think I was 85 listening to this discussion…
So yeah lol. I walk a long way and have lingering issues about walking alone from living urban places. Sooner or later someone grabs their shoes and the other dog leash and comes along. Usually it works out that everyone walks with me once a week. A mom date. : ) We walk, we talk, we talk a lot. Most often we see something fabulous or do something awesome before the night is over. This night, both things happened…
“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world."
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams
It was the beach trip that almost wasn't. We had already had a couple full days of sightseeing after all. "We can be home by dinner time if we head back now…" It was decided that we would eat our boxed lunch in the shade and sit for a few minutes and reassess.
After our break we loaded kids and dogs and headed out, resigned to wrapping up our trip if the Dad driver needed to. But after a few miles I noticed the car was not pointing north after all. Instead, the buildings began sporting pastel hues and we spotted the occasional palm tree even. Yes – in England!
And then, the water came into view and all talk of heading home was long forgotten.
This was waterfront in Hastings and the 'sand' was manmade. More like a super thick layer pea gravel actually. No one was complaining though. At the end of that trek were icy white topped waves to splash through on a warm day. After they were all splashed out we explored the boardwalk area and hit up the ice cream stand. After which some very happy kids piled into the car and dozed all the way home, windows down and wind blowing hair dry.
On our road trip to Leeds for a dance competition we squeezed in a few field trips. The big surprise was the Thackeray medical museum. We planned very last minute and the museum randomly pulled up in a list of local sights. I am glad I clicked on that link because this sleeper attraction was worth every penny.
The first part of our tour was the "Streets of Old Leeds" which I expected to be much like the much loved "Streets of Old Milwaukee" from my childhood museum. Yeah, but no. Truly this was one of the most realistic and disturbing recreations I've ever been through. Unique to this place was the smell. They piped in exceptionally realistic stench which had us a bit gaggy. There was audio too. Wailing animals and chopping sounds at the blood stained slaughter house, moans of the sick, vendors hawking their wares. At several points the little ones jumped or gasped or turned for an exit and Moira and I were half-tempted to do the same. We are glad we pushed through though. It made an impression few book explanations could have. If you are interested there is a virtual tour here. Without smell-avision you will have to take our word for the rest.
There were fabulous displays of vintage medical equipment and medications, complete with explanations of the procedures and how they've evolved. Lots of film footage was available. Just truly fascinating even for kids.
My only gripe came while I was completely engrossed in the maternity section reading the stories and seeing all the apparatus used over the years. The exhibit closed with huge quotes on the displays which led one to the conclusion that "people who love children only have one or two because you could never do enough for more." To which I just reminded children of mine – numbers 5, 8 and 9 – that love multiplies, it does not divide.
This morning we had the great summer toy box purge. That went well so we moved on to tackle the indoor/outdoor half bath that was added to the outside of the house for farm staff years ago. (insert shudder) Meantime, the sun and the temperature were rising – a rare combination here. So we finished up and spent the rest of the day focused on vitamin D absorption. For a while there, if I closed my eyes, I could have been in the tropics. I think. I haven't actually been to the tropics, so it's just a guess.
It has been a big week. Doctor appointments, eye appointments, one sick child, one traveling parent, and two working daughters. It was pure joy to spend these hours just watching them smile with no place to be but right here.
Starry Sky Journal 