The Voyage Home, and First Weekend Back

As the bells from the church up the road from where I live rang 10:00 on Friday night, I rounded the corner to my house and was inside my flat a minute later. Phew!

To rewind: Getting up on Friday morning at 7:00, we were ready well before my sister-in-law arrived at 20 to 9:00 to drive us to Harrogate Station. 

There, we took the 9:36 LNER Azuma train directly to London, no change necessary. It was a comfortable journey of just under 3 hours.

In London, we quickly walked across the street to St. Pancras, and unlike last year, we breezed through luggage and border control in less than 15 minutes.

The Eurostar left St. Pancras almost on time, but even a minor delay would not have worried us, since we had more than an hour in Paris. We arrived at Gare du Nord at about 1/4 to 5 pm. That station is not only huge and crowded, it is also dirty and VERY smelly - not exactly a great arrival point for tourists who are looking forward to a holiday in Paris. But this was not what we were here for, of course, and we walked the 10 minutes or so to Gare de L'Est without further ado.

That walk is, as I have mentioned before, very impractical and not at all tourist-friendly. It lacks good signposting, plus there are steep, long steps to manage - no elevator/lift, no ramps. I wonder what people with prams, pushchairs or in a wheelchair do.

Of course we made it, and Gare de L'Est is so much nicer than its northern neighbour - cleaner, well organised, not smelly at all. 

Our TGV to Stuttgart was delayed by half an hour. We were not exactly happy about it (there comes a time during a long voyage when all you really want is GET HOME), but we used the time to buy food for the evening on the train, and do some people-watching. And believe me, there was plenty to watch!

Finally on the TGV, we watched the sun set over the French (and later German) countryside and arrived in Stuttgart just past 9:30 pm. 

No detour via Esslingen was necessary, which was a big relief. We caught a local train with only a few minutes to spare, and arrived in Ludwigsburg at 9:55 pm.

- - -

Saturday: The original plan was that O.K. and I would spend the weekend separately; the village band were to perform in a nearby village, and I was going to do all the usual stuff that needs doing after a holiday, shopping, washing etc.

But the village fest was cancelled due to bad weather, and so O.K. drove up late afternoon to spend the rest of the weekend with me.

Of course I went to see my Mum early afternoon; with my sister, the three of us had coffee and cake on Mum's lovely balcony, surrounded by summer flowers at their best.

Later, O.K. and I went into town to have a meal at the Turkish grill/bar/restaurant where I had been not long ago with my girlfriends. We enjoyed our food but stayed longer than intended, as it began to rain - actually, it was pouring - and we waited for it to let up a bit before walking home.

Sunday was very wet - and very windy! - with only about an hour early afternoon when it was not raining. We dashed out for a quick walk; for the last quarter the rain started again. Never mind; I had ironing to do, and we finally settled on a place for our September holiday (more about that in another post).

As usual, O.K. had to leave not long after our evening meal. My holiday was now well and truly over. 

Another photo-less post, but I did not feel like taking pictures of my food (or the ironing :-D).

The Last Two Days

Wednesday and Thursday (2nd and 3rd of August) were our last two days in Ripon. No photographs exist of these two days, so you will have to rely on my words only.

Wednesday was the only one of the ten full days we spent in Yorkshire that saw wall to wall rain and was no warmer than 14-16 C (57-60 F). Not being forced to stay in a tiny hotel room all day, but instead having an entire cottage at our disposition as well has being equipped with enough books, games, TV and other entertainment, we did not mind the wet day at all.

It also seemed a good day to go back to the Workhouse Museum, where we had not been since 2017 (our then visit is described here). It has since been enlarged, and the way the exhibits and rooms are presented gives you a fairly good idea of what it must have been like back in the day. It also makes you glad you live now and not then. Being poor was never fun, but it was a lot worse back then than it is now, at least in our part of the world.

Back at the cottage, we had a light lunch of cheese, toast and salad. The afternoon was spent resting, reading, playing. 

For the evening, we met up with our former landlady who retired from running Box Tree Cottages and Matchbox Cottage a few years ago. She suggested a meal at The Storehouse, a relatively new eating place in a former wine depot not far from our cottage. Their website is here if you want to take a look. We enjoyed the food, drinks and above all the company.

Thursday started sunny and was much warmer at 20-21 C (68-69 F), only bringing some rain at night. 

We paid a last brief visit to the cathedral on our way to say good-bye to Mary, my mother-in-law who will be 90 next year. 

For 2:30 pm, we were expected at a friend's garden for tea/coffee. Sheila used to work at Ripon's tourist information where we met and befriended her. She retired last year but, as is so often the case when people retire, is busier than ever with various activities, such as helping her daughter and sister with their shop, running an AirBnB and keeping her own house and garden in shape. 

Her husband is a railway enthusiast and has set up their garden with a light railway - complete with a mini "station", where we sat for our coffee/tea. He later joined us, giving us a tour not only of the garden but even opening his museum for us and showing us the many artefacts speaking of Ripon's rich industrial history. It was utterly fascinating, and I am glad we had this unique chance - it is a private museum and not generally open. You can find out more here  (that's Neill, Sheila's husband, in the photo) and here, for instance.

We were really glad that Sheila had taken time out of her busy week to welcome us at their home before we were to go back to Germany the next day.

At home, we had just started to pack when our landlady (who lives next door) suggested we join her for a glass of wine and a chat, knowing of course it was our last evening. We spent a pleasant hour or two in her beautiful and cosy kitchen, chatting and being once more so glad for the cottages having been taken over by such lovely people as Julia and Stephen.

Once back in our cottage, we finished packing and for our evening meal, prepared everything that was left in the fridge, a meal of samosas, salad and finished with lemon cheesecake.

Such last evenings always feel a bit strange, I find. While regretting that the holiday has come to an end, I also look forward to my own place, the life I have there and the people I love.

Yorkshire Day

The 1st of August is Yorkshire Day, as some of you will know from other blogs, such as Neil's. This year, we were of course still in Ripon on that day, which turned out to be very windy but mostly sunny at 21C (69.8F).

We needed some groceries for the rest of the week, so our first outing was to Aldi's, followed by one last lunch at Oliver's Pantry, taken in their sunny back garden.

Back at the cottage, we rested for a while before having coffee/tea on the bench in front of the house. Next was a quick trip to the bookshop, where my sister bought two more books she had seen there before but had not yet decided on buying.

Shortly before 5:00 pm, we walked to Littlethorpe where my sister-in-law A and her family live. It is only about 35 minutes on foot from our cottage, and much of it is rather pleasant, through Ripon first and then across the bypass and along fields.

A is a childminder, and by 5:00 her young charges were all gone. She was expecting us for a cup of tea, and we were joined by her daughter and her (the daughter's) boyfriend. Her dog was also with us - Ruby never barks, looks at you adoringly whenever you pet her, and is no trouble at all.

A's husband was still out working (he and his brothers have a dairy farm, looking after 500 cows if I remember correctly), and we never got a chance to see him during this year's stay.

Eventually, we walked back to the cottage for our evening meal. I also chatted to O.K. via facetime for a while. 

So far, this year I had not yet been to watch the Hornblower. I won't go into detail of the ceremony - you can read that here when I first wrote about in 2012. Maybe you remember that my sister and I were friends with George Pickles, former Hornblower, who sadly and unexpectedly died last year (only about 4 weeks after we'd met up with him and his wife).

Anyway, I knew that tonight was my last chance to see the Setting of the Watch, and so I quickly walked to the market square a few minutes before 9:00 pm.

A surprisingly large number of people was gathering around the obelisk; maybe not so surprising considering that it was a) Yorkshire Day and b) some people were probably still in town from the weekend, which had seen the St. Wilfrid's Parade and other festivities.

The bells from the cathedral announced 9:00 pm, and a bearded, dignified man in the familiar Hornblower uniform stepped across the square towards the obelisk. He looked at the group, made a tiny bow and introduced himself: "Hello, my name is Patricio, and I am your Hornblower tonight." That was unexpected - but in this day and age, the Hornblower does not necessarily have to be a Yorkshire man (or woman).

His English was flawless; only with certain words one could detect a hint of what I took for a Spanish accent. He performed the Setting of the Watch just how it should be done, and very briefly recounted the history of this tradition.

Then he announced that he was now going to leave the "stage" for the Mummers who had been standing nearby. They were still in town from the weekend (St. Wilfrid's Parade, again), and I remembered them from 2016, when I posted about them. I am no fan of Mummers and would have preferred the Hornblower to say more; usually, the Hornblowers ask the crowd where they are from, and stand ready for photographs etc. But in this case, the Mummers had precedence, and I went home only 10 minutes or so after I had come.

Never mind - I did get to see the Hornblower, and in this small way, marked the day as Yorkshire Day for me.

Read in 2023 - 21: Beyond the Wand

Beyond the Wand

Tom Felton

Some of you may know Tom Felton as an actor in other roles, some of you may not know him at all, but those of you who are familiar with the Harry Potter universe know of course that he played Draco Malfoy, a co-student at Hogwarts and enemy of Harry and his friends, through all the films.

When browsing the book shops in Ripon last week, I came across his autobiography, and since I am currently reading the Alan Rickman diaries (Alan Rickman starred in all the HP films, too, in case you didn't know), I thought this paperback would make a nice tie-in read.

And it did! One might argue that a person as young as Tom Felton (in his mid-thirties) has no business writing an autobiography. But he does have a lot to tell. His story is not the classic "child star rises to fame only to fall the deeper for it when turning the corner to adulthood". He wasn't a huge celebrity as a child, since during the years when the films were made, most of the attention went to the three main characters of Harry, Ron and Hermione - those three kids had no chance at a normal childhood or adolescence from the moment they were cast for their roles.

Tom, on the other hand, still went to a regular school when not filming. He also emphasizes how having three older brothers putting him in his place helped him to stay grounded, as well as having parents and a grandfather who supported him throughout without ever pushing him for more roles, more work, more fame.

And yet he DID fall, so to speak. It had less to do with his early rise to fame and more with his move to the US, where problems arose which he was unable to solve without professional help (I am deliberately not telling you too much here).

He came through and now lives in London.

The blurb at the back of the book sums it up nicely: "Speaking with candour and his own trademark humour, Tom shares his experience of growing up on screen and as part of the wizarding world for the very first time."

I would not exactly say it is a must read for Harry Potter fans, but it does give a lot of insight - not only into the making of those films in particular, but in the making of films in general. Oh, and Emma Watson wrote the foreword :-)

Fountains Abbey Again

On Monday, we decided on a second visit to Fountains Abbey. We love the place, can easily reach it on foot, and had our short term passes for the National Trust so did not have to pay admission.

The sky was grey and it was not exactly warm at 19 C, but not cold, either.

We reached the visitor centre around lunch time and found a table at the restaurant to enjoy a meal (Cornish pasty for me this time) before entering the grounds once more.

You already know quite well what Fountains Hall, Fountains Mill, the ruins of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal water garden look like - they have appeared often enough on my blog. Still, you have to bear with me for a few more photos of this wonderful place.

This time, we chose not to walk through the abbey but follow one of the upper paths that take you through woodland and past several follies, such as the octagonal tower.

The tearoom on Studley lake was our next stop, but we only had coffee/tea, no cakes or anything else. From there, it is just a short way around the lake to the start of Seven Bridges valley, the „rougher“ end of the deer park.

It is possible to walk at the bottom of the valley, leave the Studley Royal estate through a gate and walk across fields and past farms back into Ripon. But a drizzle had set in by now, and we simply went back on the same route we had come.

Back in town, we stopped at Booths supermarket to get just the few things we needed for the evening. At the cottage, we had quiche and salad for our tea. Later, we watched an episode of Brokenwood Mysteries, a series unknown to us but one I may look for on my streaming services back home.

A Quiet Sunday

After Saturday‘s family gathering, we opted for a quiet day on Sunday, not going anywhere in particular.

The weather looked unsettled, and while we did go for a walk along Ripon canal, we cut it short when light rain started to make it a bit unfriendly.

Instead, we went for a late-ish light lunch at Oliver‘s Pantry again, and had a good rest at the cottage afterwards, followed by coffee/tea on the bench in front of the house - yes, the sun was out again, but it was very windy, and we retreated inside after only half a mug to finish our drinks without being blown about.

Still, we wanted to make up for the morning’s abandoned walk and went in the opposite direction, to where we knew the cemetery is. Years ago, we came across it quite by accident and found several graves of German soldiers from WWII, all of them having died a few years after the war ended, so we assume hey were POWs in Ripon. You can see photos of our 2016 visit here.

Early evening, I was on my way to Mary‘s for another visit. It is really not far to walk from our cottage to hers, and sometimes I vary the route and make it a bit longer on purpose, as I did this time.

A bit more than an hour spent chatting, showing Mary the photos from the family gathering (she can‘t/won‘t go anymore, for health reasons), and I walked back to our place where my sister was getting our evening meal ready.

Family Gathering

At 10:30 on Saturday morning, my sister-in-law picked us up for the drive to South Yorkshire, where a family gathering had been arranged at Cannon Hall Farm.

On the motorway, we enountered plenty of traffic - thankfully, the standstill we passed was in the opposite direction. We drove through at least three showers, but in between the sun shone, and as we arrived at the farm around noon, the sunshine was there to stay.

Fifteen of us got together, plus two dogs: Sisters-in-law, aunts and uncles, cousins and nieces and their respective partners. 

We enjoyed our food (well, most of us did) and even sang Happy Birthday for cousin Rob who turned 55 that day.

Not only the dogs wanted to stretch their legs afterwards, and so some of our group went into the farm shop while others stayed in the gardens, to be joined by the shoppers later. 

It is just across a bit of grass to Cannon Hall from where the farm, café, shops etc. are, and it was around the Hall and gardens where I took the following pictures.

Teas and coffees were taken at a kiosk down the hill before we all headed back up towards the car park and said our good-byes. 

After an uneventful drive, my sil dropped us off at the cottage at 6:00 pm. We started the washing machine and had another coffee/tea on the bench in front of the house. It was such a beautiful evening that I could not resist going for a walk, during which I took the next set of photos.

View from our front door

somewhere in Ripon

Victorian clock tower

Almshouses near the Leper Chapel

Leper Chapel

The cathedral’s west front is especially beautiful bathed in golden evening light.

Ripon was pleasantly busy with people going out for drinks and meals, and live music playing at various venues. It was the day of the traditional St Wilfrid‘s parade - we missed it in favour of the family gathering, and that was the right choice for us.

After I was back at the cottage and we put our washing up to dry, we settled in the front room with crackers and a creamy cheese dip - today‘s lunch had been big enough for us not to want a proper meal that evening.

We‘d not seen some of the family since 2019 or longer, and it was so good to catch up with (almost) everybody.

PS: Happy Yorkshire Day!