Tales from Connievan :: York II

This is the river Ouse which flows through the city of York in the North of England. We love this city, it's a truly beautiful, vibrant and historic place about 40miles east of Attic-land. J and I moved to York from Down South in 1998 and lived there throughout our 30's. It holds many happy memories for us :: we bought our first house together there in 1999, we were married there in 2001, and the Little People (minus Little B) were born there in 2002 and 2004. And friends, oh lets not forget the many good friends we have still living in this lovely place, cos they make the memories. And that's the draw for us.....yes there is architecture and history and a plethora of maaaaarvelous eating, drinking and shopping possibilities, but it's the friends that call us to return time and time again.

This doesn't look much like a city centre road does it? It runs alongside the river a mere ten minutes walk from the very heart of the city, and is the road that we drove along with Connievan a few weeks ago.

If you've been visiting the Attic for a while, you'll know that we took Connievan to stay in York for a week last year. The idea for this jaunt last year was mine, and I think it was rather inspired actually. In a nutshell, this was the plan :: we would take Connievan to our old home place for a week, but J would in fact still be going off to work. So during the week days, J would trot off to be Important in his job, leaving the Little Peeps and I lots of time to spend with good friends doing the familiar Mummy-offspring stuff of old. J would then return to us at 4.30pm each evening to join in the jolly activities and would feel as if he were on holiday even though he had been at work all day.

We chose a different camp site this year, with the central location being the main deciding factor. Actually it wasn't so much a camp site as a caravan park. One hundred and five caravans to be precise. It was ever so slightly off putting in it's orderliness and it's greyness. There was an awful lot of grey concrete and grey stone chippings and very little greenery. And it was very, very, ever-so-very Caravanny, if you get that. Lots of plush, modern, sparkling white caravans with fancy awnings attached. Flat screen tv's. Microwaves. Furniture. Equipment. Neatness.

With three children in tow, we were placed in an out-of-the-way corner, and that suited us just fine. Ahhhh sweet little Connievan, two decades old and so cute and humble and uncomplicated! No awning! No microwave oven! And *gasp* no television!!! However will we manage?

Sit outside in the fresh air, surely not???? Play games?????? Make conversation???? Cook easy one-pan meals on the little caravan hob, why how quaint!! How terribly old fashioned and wholesome!!

But no matter what we thought of the camp caravan site, it's location was fantastic. Situated a short riverside walk from the city centre, it was also right next door to a beautiful park. A lovely lake, with large expanses of daisy-speckled green grass and a terrific play area for the children which we visited on a daily basis. It even had an ice cream van in residence. Super.

As was the case last year, much of our time in York was spent playing. The Little People had a great deal of fun swinging, sliding, climbing, spinning, rocking, jumping and balancing. For them it was a very, very active holiday, cos when we weren't out visiting various parks we were walking/scooting along the river or through the city streets, or running wild in friends back gardens. Back at base, there were plenty of other children at the caravan park to play with, so the activity went on from early in the morning until nightfall.

We were generally lucky with the weather last week, it was really hot and summery, but we did experience some incredible storms. There were a couple of torrential downpours with impressive thunder and forked lightening, even pea-sized hailstones at one point. The storms were short and sharp and left behind them some welcome fresh, clean-smelling air and some sizable puddles. If I tell you that the above puddle (Little Man wearing my crocs in the above picture) at one point contained eight soaking wet children, you can probably imagine the scene. Three of those children were mine, two of them fully clothed and soaked to the skin, the other one wearing baby-sized crocs and a soggy nappy and also soaked to the skin. Lots of screaming, splashing and laughter, it was a joy to watch. You've gotta LOVE the way that children seize the moment and find fun in the simplest of things, it made my heart sing with happiness to watch them enjoy this puddle to The Max.

This year I did manage to find time for a little quiet caravan hooky too. Once Little B was settled down for the night (the timing of which varied enormously) I would sit and work up a few stripy rows. Sitting on stripes whilst making more stripes is a pretty good way to spend an hour I think.

My camera came with me everywhere last week but I didn't end up taking that many photos. Somehow the days were quite jam packed with activity, and especially where the Littlest member of the family was concerned, I was kept very, very busy indeed, too busy to take pics. Looking after him and keeping him safe/happy/out of trouble when out and about is such an all consuming job.

But no doubt about it, York is one incredibly photogenic city. Some amazing buildings....

....lots of floral colour....

...and the cutest, quaintest little streets you ever did see.

One evening, I decided on the spur of the moment to take a walk around the city All By Myself. It's around 9pm in these pictures, would you like to come on a little evening walk with me, to see the sights and take in the evening ambiance???? Ok...here we go................

Doesn't it look picturesque?? It was. It is. A very picturesque kind of a place.

Atmospheric.

Drank a lot of coffee last week, ahh I do like me a good brew of fresh morning coffee I have to say. York is inundated with fabulous places to rest ones feet/wheels and refresh with a brew/smoothie and a slab of cake.

And refreshments aren't too bad at Connievan HQ either.

My holiday hooky project was this sweet little jacket for Connie's cafetiere, the pattern taken from Nicki Trench's wonderful book Cute and Easy Crochet. I confess the results are a little disappointing, as for some obscure reason it never occurred to me to actually measure my work against the cafetiere as I was going along. So the finished Ta-dah moment turned into rather a disappointing strop when the cover refused to fit. It just doesn't fit. It's not wide enough and is all stretched and sloping and the button isn't in the right place. No fault of the pattern I might add, just the fault of me, merrily working up the stripes without thinking about what I was doing. Of course it could also have been the fault of the tumbler(s) of vino which accompanied my evening hooky (yes, when in Connievan I always drink wine out of a tumbler, makes me very feel rather giddy and holidayish)......hmmmm......I Love the idea of a cafetiere cosy though, and fully intend to give this project another go. Maybe I should do it here in the Attic without the tumblers of vino to hand. Yes, that sounds like A Good Plan.

 x

 

 

 

Comments

[Calisse]

Hi, I do love York too.. It remembers me my last year holiday : York is on the way to Scotland. Wonderful holidays.

[jamsandwich]

Just when I was feeling homesick I checked in with your blog and there was the beautiful city of york. What a lovely surprise. Thanks for cheering me up.

[Tory B]

Thanks, again, Lucy, for taking us along on such a delish holiday!! Love the pix and the time you got to spend with fam & friends... :)

[Rita]

Beautiful pictures! I sent you a DONATION (for a cup of coffee) LOL. I live in the USA and want to make sure you received it. Thanks.

[Nadia (the everyday blessings)]

Hello Lucy :) I adore your tales of Connievann-ing! Such fun! I can't wait to see what happens next in your world :)
I've also started a blog (literally)! So feel free to come over and say hello. It would be lovely to see you there x

[poppy]

Ah your pictures bring back memories - I used to spend a lot of time in York once upon a time!

Love the cafetiere cozy, I don't think you should be disappointed with it, a bit of wonkiness won't stop it doing its job and it's lovely and cheery! I made a knitted one just a couple of weeks ago which I love despite the fact that it's made from a cream yarn which shows up every little coffee stain where the spout dribbles. Oh well. :-)

[Hope]

every single time i visit i think "why do i not stop by more often?!" your photography, blogging and stitchy-goodness always makes my soul smile!! thanks for that! (and i've finally added you to my bookmark bar.)

[LoriAngela]

Thanks for the tour of York, I've never been. I made a cozy for my coffee press that didn't fit, so I just put a few rows of single crochet around it.
I do get the All By Myself walk. I was lucky enough to do it nightly when my teenagers were babies and Daddy got them ready for bed.

[Kansas Jenn]

i love the confession of vino via tumbler. guilty pleasures, right?! looks like a lovely trip L. welcome home!

[Reality Jayne]

A24...I hope your planning on printing out your blog into a book someday. It would be a wonderful thing fot the kiddies someday. I have read it from the beginning, and its a nice story of them growing up.....and other memories...I just got mine put into a hard cover book to have forever for my kids to read ....someday....if they ever get interested in me...lol

[Tempewytch]

Used to live in Darlington so went to York quite a bit (that and Durham), hmm like the idea of the cafetiere cozy! I think I might track that book down and have a go

[anne@andamento]

Lovely photos, we used to camp in York racecourse for the CTC rally in midsummer. I've not been there for a while though - time to return soon...

[Linda Solaiman]

Glad you had such a lovely time Lucy, you brought your holiday to life and I felt I was right along there with you. I love York too and visit whenever I can :)

[Tina, the quiet homemaker]

Gosh York is so beautiful and never seems to look mobbed with people either. I quite fancy visiting it now! :)

[LizzieJ]

Well I've done it! My college course start date plopped through the letterbox today and it's all down to you Lucy and your wonderful blog. I started following you abt 18mnts ago & you have since inspired me to pick up my needles and hook & rediscover my love of all things colourful & crafty again. So inspired in fact that I have done something i always wanted to do & I've enroled (as a rather 'mature' student) on a design, fashion & textile course -scary stuff but v exciting and honestly 100% inspired by you! I just wanted to say a heartfelt thanks from one of your army of decicated Attic24'ers! Liz x

[Anne Bush]

Greetings from a fan of your blog in York! I hadn't realised you had lived here and that your little ones had been born here. As a "Friend of Rowntree Park" I am so glad you liked it so much! I don't think I've ever seen the Shambles look quite so empty all the time I've lived here though...and yes, those hailstones were incredible!

[Rachel Forrest]

it looks great - do keep posting - miss you when you are away too long! We used to camp in a very primitive way when we were young and parents had no money - they took us to Cornwall in a beaten up old camper and we had no tables and chairs - sat outside on rugs and the battered old suitcase was our table - now remember it so fondly - remember when i was about 13 mum told me to pack my Biba nightie - she meant the cosy one but i of course took the satin slinky one - so incongrouous! Happy memories ! Enjoy the rest of the summer hols :)

[Karen]

Love your photos. York looks like a beautiful city. I lived in the UK (Lincoln) for three years and your photos remind me of it. Some of the best years of my life. :-)

[Catriona]

Lovely travelogue Lucy and you make my heart soar when you talk about the little people splasing in the huge puddle. Some parents don't seem to allow their children to explore and enjoy the freedom of nature-perhaps the mess puts them off. You were very lucky to get into the caravan site in the park named after the chocolate company as it's always so busy. Now that we are silver surfers we tend to use the other site on the park and ride route instead. Unfortunately it is dangerously near the outlet shopping village!Never mind how old your van is-we don't take a television either and don't care if other folk think we are deprived/strange/bonkers. Keep caravanning!

[Bia]

Hi..I´m from Brasil. I love your blog I met there one year ... I'm not one day without seeing your posts! I love your photos ... all of them! Thanks...

[Sarah]

Gosh it all looks so beautiful!! I'm glad you had a lovely time!!

S x

[Allyson]

Beautiful buildings. I love old buildings...so much nicer and more character filled than modern ones :)

[kate]

We're not to keen on those 'en-massed white shiny box' type camping either. Lovely pictures and lovely stripes :) We also had to deal with wet entertainment but that is part and parcel of the great English summer holiday !!

[Justine Anstiss]

York looks absolutely gorgeous.....I want to visit!! Yes, it really is the simple things in life that bring the most pleasure and who needs all the fancy stuff when on holiday. Thats the whole point is to get out and about and discover!! Another wonderful post Lucy....I always feel refreshed after reading your words :)

[Tink]

Hey, looks like we lived in York at the same time! I used to love walking the streets late at night as well, so much nicer than during the day when they're packed with tourists!