… an amazing day on this beautiful island (Lindisfarne- Holy Island). Wishing it was warm and sunny like this all the time :)
A much needed WARM, sunny day, spent hiking in Hamsterly Forrest… a new favorite place for us. A bonfire tonight will wrap up a perfect summer day in England.
Barter Books
Yesterday Adam and I took a trip up to Alnwick to go to the famous Barter Books. It’s a used book store in an old train station. It rained all day and was cold so being in a cosy old train station with fire places and cups of tea was perfect. Adam left empty handed (shocking!) but I came away with a beautiful nature journal that was written by an “Edwardian Lady” about the English countryside. I love it! Here are some pictures from our day.
The camping bug still bites
… even if you are 6 months pregnant and your belly is ever growing, making ground sleep seem impossible. I think a hammock would be the way to go… but there are shockingly few trees around these parts. So, I’m dreaming… and maybe planning a little. We’ll see what happens :) It’s hard to say no when the camping bug bites.
2 Weeks of Summer
Just returned from a two week trip home. I am pretty sure that my two weeks of Georgia Spring, will be my British Summer. I crammed in as much summer fun as I could. I… laid out in the sun in the driveway with my sister like old times… drank sweet tea… ate watermelon… and peaches… washed a car in the driveway… went fishing and then fried and ate the fish that very night (delish!)… wore flip flops and skirts and sun dresses… ate BBQ (Ridgewood BBQ even)… spent hours on the screened in porch… walked barefoot in the grass… pretty much everything you could want from a summer.
Can’t wait to meet the little BOY that will wear these! (Pattern on www.purlbee.com)
I couldn’t resist a detour to the cathedral this Easter morning on my walk to work. I can’t help but think of the hundreds of Easter services that have taken place here and how the Durham bells have been calling people to worship for almost 1000 years. A rich heritage to be sure.
Backyard study session with my favorite study partner. I am not sure how to feel about the fact he is getting his PhD in religion but regularly helps me figure out my epidemiology lessons… smarty pants…
Something to try…
A couple of weeks ago Adam and I discovered a recipe for some DELICIOUS Coffee. I believe it was called Israeli coffee. Make a cup of strong black coffee. Before you poor the coffee into your cup drop a whole cardamom seed (or two if your Adam) in the bottom of your cup. When you smell the cardamom seeds you’ll think I’m crazy, but it adds the perfect little something to a black cup of coffee. Give a try!
Day Dreams
Usually my day dreams are full of thoughts of…
cooler weather, crisp mountain air
hiking boots and rip stop pants
trails, blisters and lots of dehydrated food
hair that smells like camp-fire smoke for days.
A lifetime of living in Atlanta and San Antonio made it impossible for me to imagine what it would be like to long for warmer weather.
Now I understand. A year of indirect sunlight will do that to you. Even when it’s warm here… it’s not really warm.
I find myself dreaming of a red hot Georgia summer. I won’t go as far as to say a Texas summer…that would be just crazy… but a Georgia summer…
sweet tea, watermelon and chick-fil-a lemonade
tank tops, shorts and flip flops
cars so hot you could bake bread in them
screened in porches
the sound of cicadas and the sight of lighting bugs
going fishing at 7am to try and beat the heat
the smell of freshly cut grass.
Looking forward to a trip home in May.
Family, I promise I won’t complain when I step outside the airport and realize I can’t breath.
“The mountains, hollers and coves that we now call Roan Mountain became one of many gateways into areas of new settlement, alive with numerous possibilities and hopes for the future. Those folks who first settled in the wilderness were strong and hardworking, held true to their beliefs and were devoted to family and neighbors and willing to risk all for a new life. These very traits hold true today in families whose ancestries go back to the people who first settled outside the British colonies- love of home, family, friends and this wonderful place called the Roan.” - Roan Mountain: History of an Appalachian Treasure by Jennifer A. Bauer
