First Full Day (23.07.2024)

Tuesday was our first full day in Ripon. After the long journey, we both slept soundly in our familiar rooms, but not overly long.

The day was beautiful, sunny and relatively warm for North Yorkshire at 22C.

First things first: A trip to Aldi, which is about 15 minutes on foot from the cottage. My sister-in-law had put together a small hamper with local goodies for us, including a bag of muesli, and there were a few complimentary tea bags, instant coffee and sugar in the kitchen, but we had no milk for the muesli, no fresh fruit, no bread and nothing for any type of meal.

After having stocked up on basics, we enjoyed our first breakfast here.

We then walked the short distance to my mother-in-law‘s cottage and spent a pleasant hour sitting with her in her garden, chatting and catching up. Mary turned 90 in March and has her age-related health issues, but apart from her not hearing very well, conversation flows easily. She still takes an interest in current goings-on and has not lost her sense of humour.

Mary does not live far from the bottom of the hill with Ripon Cathedral on top.

For a late lunch, we went to our favourite eating out place in Ripon, Oliver‘s Pantry. They were busy but we still found a table in the sunny back yard. The food was as delicious and the service as friendly as always.

We then made our way back to the cottage at a leisurely pace, browsing three or four shops along the way. Coffee (me) and tea (my sister) on the bench in front of the cottage came next, and then a chat with our landlady who was just setting off for a walk.

view from the bench

A little later, we too went for a walk before I retreated to the kitchen and prepared a big bowl of salad, which we ate watching an episode of Midsomer Murders.