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Published: September 15th 2013
I enjoyed my little exploration, both of Durham Cathedral, the surrounding area, the town centre and the Saturday markets before catching the 3.31pm train to Northallerton where I was met by my cousin Val and Will, the son-in-law of my cousin Lorna.
I wasn't actually staying at Northallerton but the village of North Cowton, not far from the town of Northallerton but much smaller; there are about 200 people in the village. When we arrived at Val & Keith's - AKA the Birthday Boy - there was a party going on. My cousin Lorna, her husband Kevin, their daughter Sarah, her husband Will & their son Noah, Val & Keith's son Paul, Paul's girlfriend Sacha, my cousin David, his wife Jill & friends Frank & Vicky made up those of us helping Keith to celebrate his 60th birthday! But just because it was Keith's birthday didn't mean that he was able to get away with doing nothing; it was Keiths job to BBQ the beef, sausages and chicken which went to make up the scrumptious meal we all enjoyed. All that is except David & Jill who had to leave early so thank you both for staying until I arrived!
After eating way too much (too much of a temptation not to) and Lorna & Kevin had departed, eventually Val, Keith, Paul, Sacha, Frank, Vicky & I went to a local pub "The Blacksmiths Arms" for a drink to top of what had been a great day!
Sunday was a wet windy day although the sun did come out later in the afternoon. Not that it stopped us going walking after we'd dropped Paul off at Sacha's place with many of the belongings he'd packed earlier. Sacha and Paul were heading off to Bath in Somerset where Paul starts a new job on Monday while Sacha will look for permanent accommodation and then work on finding herself a job. So it was both exciting, daunting and a bit sad for Val & Keith since their other son Martin is now living in Brisbane; at least Paul is not moving to Australia!
After saying our goodbyes to Sacha & Paul, Keith drove us to Richmond where we walked to Easby Abbey and St Agatha's Church, much of it in the rain. It was a walk of around three miles but we were equipped with umbrellas and waterproof coats
so that helped. We even managed to pick some blackberries during the walk to go with the apples Val had been given earlier.
Returning to Val & Keith's place, after dinner we returned to Richmond where we attended The Georgian Theatre Royal for an evening of jazz; guitarist John Etheridge and violinist Chris Garrick who performed in the style of Django Reinhardt as part of the Richmond Jazz Festival. Quite enjoyable, some pieces more than others.
I'll be up early in the morning to pack. Then Val & Keith will drive me to Northallerton Railway Station where I'll be catching a train to Leeds, then a plane to Murcia, Spain. It has been a privilege to help Keith celebrate his birthday; many thanks to you & Val for your wonderful hospitality! Here's to the next time we meet, hopefully in Sydney.
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