Yorkshire Holiday 2019 - My Birthday

Our first full day in Yorkshire was also my birthday, the 22nd of March. Now I'd already had some birthday cards arriving back home - those of my readers and friends who sent me one (you know who you are!), thank you very, very much for them! They now share the space on the sideboard in my living room along with the cards I received on my birthday and found in the mailbox when I arrived home yesterday.

It felt good waking up in my cosy room upstairs in Matchbox Cottage, and even better to come downstairs to the dining room to find this:

My sister said she had been very, very tired the evening of our arrival, and could not wait for me to finally go to bed so that she could prepare the table :-)

The parcel contained a hand-knitted scarf/shoulder wrap made by my Mum out of the softest kid mohair, in my favourite colours yellow and grey. The card contained the token for yet another birthday present: an armchair I had seen at IKEA's months ago, and want for my living room to replace the original 1950s armchair that has been passed down to me from my grandparents' house. I love that armchair, but it really has become rather shabby and rickety, and to have it restored would cost a fortune.

View from my preferred armchair near the window

Anyway - we had our first breakfast at the cottage and then spent the morning leisurely reading and writing emails, talking to our parents on facetime and getting dressed for the champagne afternoon tea I had booked for us as my birthday treat at Swinton Park. 

My sister-in-law arrived to pick us up a little after 12:00, and it was good that we left plenty of time to drive the 12 miles or so to Swinton, as there was an unexpected road closure and we had to take a detour. All went well, though, and we arrived for our booking with no rush.

Entrance to Swinton Park Hotel

Everything at Swinton Park was as beautiful and the staff as friendly and welcoming as we remembered it from our first visit in 2017. We enjoyed our champagne, tea, sandwiches, scones and cakes very much, and of course also the conversation. There was so much of everything we could not eat it all up! The leftovers were packed for us to take home.

A quick look round the newly built spa and shop afterwards, before we got back in the car and drove to nearby Masham for a stroll around this picturesque little market town with its beautiful church.

Back in Ripon, we went to see Mary (my mother-in-law), and afterwards had a very light meal at the cottage, watching some TV and having the leftover cakes for desserts.

Another view of the cathedral, on our way home from Mary's.

It had been a really good birthday - very different from last year's big event, but equally enjoyable. Of coursed I missed being with my parents and O.K., but there will be a small catching up party at my place the week after next.