City and Country

Our Easter holidays were slow and quiet and aside from my solo trip to Dorset we hadn't made any plans to go anywhere or do anything out of the ordinary. J was working during the second week and the Little People are now at an age where their own agendas take priority over what Mum thinks they should do. 

At the start of each school holiday I always ask Little B if there is anything special he would like to do, or anywhere he would like to go, and the answer is always a very firm No. He is simply not bothered, preferring his own company and to stay within the comfort zone of his bedroom. Last week however, I was making plans to go to the City with Little Lady and he unexpectedly said that he would like to come along too. Well, I was absolutely delighted and I immediately booked a table for a meal and got our train tickets sorted before he could change his mind.

Little Lady said she preferred to shop for clothes by herself so for some of the time it was just Little B and me. We pootled around the shops, mostly just looking but he was very encouraging when I said I might like to buy myself something new to wear for the Spring, perhaps just a t-shirt to wear with jeans or something. He helped me choose, and well, I am pretty surprised to tell you I bought something yellow! I hardly ever wear yellow (most of my clothes are on the blue/green part of the spectrum) so it came as quite a shock to find that yellow was calling my name. If you are curious to see, it's ((this top)) from my fave brand Seasalt.

The other thing I wanted to shop for was new bedding, something I've been thinking about since back last year. Again, Little B was a huge help, offering suggestions and assisting me in my choices and he really seemed to genuinely enjoy himself. I'm SO happy with my new bedding, I had ummed and ahhhed over it last time I was in John Lewis in November, so finding that I still loved it as much 5 months later convinced me to splash out and buy it. I'll remember to take some photos of it to show you in another post very soon. It's just lovely.

Little Lady chose where she wanted us to eat, it was a restaurant that we'd visited last summer for lunch and it had obviously made an impression on her. It's right in the middle of the city centre, a restaurant chain called Bill's which serves Mediterranean inspired food. We had booked for an 11am breakfast/brunch and I can tell you that it was very yummy.....

.....doesn't it look good? I went for the Mediterranean breakfast (poached eggs, feta, chopped salad, labneh, chilli oil & toasted flatbread) and the only thing I wasn't too sure about was the labneh. It was quite sour tasting (like a tart yoghurt dip) which put me off a bit, especially when eaten with eggs? But overall, yup, my belly was very full and satisfied after polishing off that little lot. 

Truthfully I was still feeling a bit under the weather for most of last week and wasn't sure how well I would cope with a whoile day in a busy city centre. I'm happy to report that the change of scenery and pace was surprisingly refreshing and although by the end of the day I was absolutely dead on my feet (having walked over 17,000 steps) I really enjoyed myself. The Little People were great company and I think/hope they had a good day out too.

Little B is 12 so still a child (albeit an exceptionally mature one) and I do still like to treat him according to his actual age for the most part. For example, I think it's important for him to take breaks from his screen and gaming from time to time so that he can benefit from being out in nature, and this isn't something he readily agrees to. Its takes a firm parenting stance to make it happen and he always grumbles about it, but then seems to really enjoy walking and being with us out and about once we get going.

We drove out into the Yorkshire Dales on Easter Sunday morning to do a six mile circular walk which we know very well and love in all seasons.

Because we knew the village would get very busy, we made a huge effort to set off early so that we would be easily able to park the car. Honestly I am amazed that we manage to do these kinds of things, it does take some considerable planning and determination to get out of the house by 8am.

As you can see, it was well worth the effort - blissfully quiet footpaths and the most stunning morning light were ours to enjoy.

It was good to see the horse chestnut "sticky buds" already beginning to unfurl in the spring warmth - another month from now and the treetops will be full of the most delicious fresh greenery and my heart will be so happy to see it.

We weren't the only ones out and about on this early morning!

Strolling along beside the river is a very tranquil thing to do on a sunny bank holiday Sunday....

.....and even the noisy rush of the falls at Linton seemed peaceful to me. I mean, it doesn't fill my soul in the same way that the sound of the sea does, but I've grown to love riverside walking since I started living here.

Time to leave the water behind and head out across the fields now....

....up, up onto the top of the hills...

....enjoying the sweeping views and wide open skies.

It really is a lovely walk this one, with plenty of little twists and turns through fields and gates, over stiles and stone walls and winding up and down quite country lanes.

We arrived back into Burnsall around 11.30 which was perfect timing for a spot of refreshment. There is a really lovely little café on the edge of the village green called the Riverside, and we'd been told by friends that the coffee and home baking was well worth some attention. The café was really busy so we took our drinks as a takeout to sit beside the river on a bench and enjoy the views. Well, what can I say, it was absolutely outstanding. It was so hard to choose a cake because they all looked amazing, but in the end I opted for a generous slab of courgette and pistachio loaf cake which we shared (it was pretty huuuuge). My goodness, it was one of the best cakes I've ever tasted and I've not been able to stop thinking about it since. To give you an idea, I found ((this recipe)) which looks similar, so I think I'm going to have to try it. Either that, or else I need to plan a trip back to Burnsall riverside sometime very soon. I don't think a twenty mile round trip for cake and coffee is too much, do you?

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Comments

[Angela]

Oh my gosh it appears even blog posts get spammed these days (the two comments above). Anyhow I just wanted to jump on to say how much I love your blog posts! They’re like a little break from my routine day! I liken it actually to the good old days, remember when we’d receive a letter in the mail from a friend and how good that felt! That’s what your posts are like, like catching up with an old friend! So thank you very much for brightening my day! I love the yellow top, it’s so so pretty! The bonus for me is Seasalt deliver to New Zealand! I might just be purchasing from them next year when I’m earning more money (presently working part time to study at age 55!). Thank you again! All the best Angela x

[Louise]

Everything you wrote about Little B sounds exactly like my Sonofagun No.2. Just turned 13 and would rather be hunkered down in front of a screen or listening to music with headphones on. When he decides to grace us with his presence it's a rare treat. And when we drag him out into nature, there is much grumbling until he starts to enjoy himself (much to his surprise!). But it sounded like such a lovely day out with 2 of your kiddos. Xox

[Carol]

Love,love,love your blog posts. You live in a stunningly beautiful area! A joyful read!Carol

[Mary-Ellen]

Such lovely photos! 😍 Thank you so much for sharing with us. 🥰

[Tammy]

I'm always glad when I see you have a post! Thank you for sharing your days! Your pictures and descriptions make us readers feel like we are actually there on a tour :)

[Ruth]

Hi Lucy, what a lovely post (as usual) .
Those Victorian arcades are beautiful, aren’t they? There are several in Bournemouth and I always enjoy them when visiting.
Xxx

[Tineke]

Sounds good! Out and about with your kids, buying lovely yellow tee's. you live in such exceptionally gorgeous countryside. All that mjummie food <3

[Ruth]

Dear Rosemary Foreman. What can I say about Covid? It’s still here, albeit (at the moment) in a milder form, however people are still filling hospitals with it, and it’s affecting some people badly. Our government seems to think it’s all over, and has scrapped all legal requirements. You don’t have to wear a mask, you can travel freely and go to shops restaurants, theatres, etc. There is no free testing any more, but most people I speak to are still testing regularly. Most people wear masks on buses where I live, but not so much on trains. however, people seem to accept that some wear masks and some don’t. You rarely seem to find hand gel publicly any more, so make sure to take your own. Good luck, I hope you enjoy your visit.

[CJ]

What a pretty walk and lovely to see the lambs. My youngest is a bit the same re going out - very happy once I have prised him away from the screen. Your day in the city sounds lovely. CJ xx

[Julie]

The cake looks scrumptious!

[Rosemary Foreman]

Dear Lucy ..... I live in Rural Maine USA ...... I am bewildered about trying to arrange a trip home to Visit my sister in Newcastle with 3 other family members in August ..... My sister has not been so well so I dont really think it is a good idea to land on her for 2 weeks so I thought we should Air b and B somewhere ..... (Non of us want to drive ) really what am I asking you ???? well i Think it is about covid ... I can barely understand what is going on via news etc ..and my sister is really staying home still ... we dont have much here and almost everone still wears a mask... is it really okay to go on public transportation and etc etc ... to travel and visit people etc ..... loaded question I know ... thanks and I loved how you had such a fun visit to Leeds ...I love Salts Mills by the way ... and the top will look lovely on you xoxox