Back in the UK

I'm in a lo-tech house and have very limited access to the internet. My apologies for not blogging on a regular basis and for those of you that have just joined take a look at my China Blogs.

Sunday, August 23. The trip from Shanghai to London is approximately twelve hours and it turned into a marathon movie festival. Living in Russell, movie going is a major production, and our movie day of choice is normally " 1/2 price Tuesdays". Being on a Virgin Atlantic flight with a number of relatively new movies is a added extra, therefore I made the best of the opportunity and watched several movies that were on my list of "I think I'd like to see that". I can now cross off the following: Grand Torrino; The Boat that Rocked; The Changeling; and Traitor.

An old friend, Ian Binks met me at Heathrow Airport and took me home to his house in Bedfordshire. Lots to catch up on, a few glasses of red wine and a lovely meal of roast beef and yorkshire pudding. Move over Jamie Oliver.....

Monday, 24 August. Ian had arranged for me to collect a rental car in Luton and then it was north to Yorkshire. I'm visiting my Mom, the main purpose of this trip to the UK. A 2 1/2 drive up the M1 and I am in Wetherby, Yorkshire. I never actually lived in Wetherby and I left the UK in 1975, so it's all a bit foreign to me. I am in the country for a month,this is a luxury, normally I fly in for a week to ten days and then move on to my next venue.

For the next two weeks, I am planning day trips with my 84 year old mother into the Yorkshire Dales and surrounds. Yorkshire is the largest county in the UK and is known for its villages and rugged scenery. It is also the birthplace of literary talents like the Bronte's, artists, such as David Hockney and of course the amazing explorer Captain James Cook. The Yorkshire moors can be an inhospitable place, however I am here at the end of summer and the weather is warm, but sometimes little wet and windy.

As we venture out and about, I drive the car down windy lanes past rugged cliffs, high moors with purple heather and fields with bales of hay that have recently been cut. Ruined castles and abbeys abound, most dating back to the 1100's. Most of our visits take in small villages that give me no parking challenges, however when in Yorkshire the city of York is a must-see and it's history goes all the way back to the Romans and then the Vikings.

Places of note that I visit with my Mom include:

The fishing village of Flamborough, a chalk headland surrounded on three sides by sea and on the fourth a man-made earthworks known as Danes Dyke in an attempt to keep out those raping and pillaging Vikings.

Bolton Abbey, not an abbey, but a priory. The church has been in use for over 800 years and adjoining the priory is the Yorkshire home of the Duke of Devonshire. I believe that David Hockney did a famous photo collage of Bolton Abbey and his Mom; I once saw it an exhibit at art museum in Los Angeles. It's been done, so I wont even attempt to duplicate it with my mother.

Ilkley Moor and the cow and calf rocks. I think that religion takes a bit of a pounding with the old song "On Ilkley Moor Ba'Ta-at". This song recounts the circle of life and there's no shining light at the end of it.

Grassington a cute little village by the side of the River Wharfe whose fortunes were founded on the lead mining. According to some of its residents it is twinned with Paradise (from the Persian for pleasure ground). Hang-on a minute, isn't that Russell........

Harrogate a wonderful Victorian Spa town and home to Betty's famous Tea House. Also, a little blues bar where music is played most nights of the week. The place is tiny and the music is loud!!!!

Ripon and Thirsk, both market towns and worth a visit.

York, the city from which the county gets it's name, sits amidst fertile farmland and is dominated by its cathedral. York Minster, a Norman Cathedral of truly magnificent stature and built in the 1200's dominates the city. In the crypt are ruins that date back to Roman times; this is history at its best!!!! The old wall that surrounds the original town is mostly intact and you can still walk around it. I plan to do it the next time I am in town. However, the only way to drive in is through one of the four gates. In medieval times you would have entered the same way and been met by severed heads on pikes just to let you know what happens to traitors and enemies of the state.

I also joined the gym and have been going every couple of days. This is to try and keep the pounds or kilo's in check and to ensure that I still fit into my jeans at the end of the trip.

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