Thank God for a bus

One of the memorable things about my recent holiday was something that happened on the second morning there.

Living in Norfolk we have few, if any steep hills around where I live, so although I had been to North Yorkshire several years ago, I`d forgotten quite how steep some of those hills were.

When I arrived I safely navigated my way down steep hills to the flat where I was staying.  The next morning deciding to go out for the day, I ofcourse had to drive up the hill, so knowing the road I had come down was steep and twisty I decided to try the other one out of the village.   But, that was just as steep and I found myself stalling the car and struggling to get up it.

So, the next morning I was very apprehensive about going out with the car, as which ever way I went I had to go up a steep twisting narrow road.   I knew I couldn`t stay in the small village for every day of my holiday, for one thing there was no grocers or butchers and I needed some food!  And common sense said to me, you`ll have to go up the hill when you leave on Saturday and the longer you wait the worse you`ll get about it.

I got into the car, praying that I`d get up the hill ok.  

As I left the driveway of the flats, a bus was just pulling away from the bus-stop in the road, `Oh, no`, I thought `I`ve got to follow that bus I just hope he doesn`t have to stop at a bus-stop on the hill`.   But, as we began the ascent of the hill, I found myself thinking `Well, if he can get that bus safely up the hill, and he`s much bigger and heavier than me, I must be able to do it`.   And I did, very easily!     I found myself then thanking God for sending that bus to guide me up the hill that morning. I think it`s something I shall always remember of God answering prayer.

Holiday favourites

Here are a few of my favourite scenes from my holiday

Yes, the sky really was that colour, and shortly a heavy shower fell!

Memories of bygone days

An old village street.....

An old village store and post office.... 

....inside the village store......

....what memories it even brought to me of some of the items on the shelves. It made me feel quite old!  All the village from the chemist shop with all its wooden drawers and glass fronted cabinets full of pills, potions and equipment, the dairy with its churns and butter pats, to the wash-house with its old mangle and dolly tub was an intersting insight into how different life was years ago. How much harder even the ordinary everyday tasks were.

And, at the bottom of the garden was ....Lila Cottage.....

So named, it was said, as lilac bushes used to be grown all beside it, to try and mask the smell !

No. I don`t remember using one of those!  



To see more of this fascinating place click here

Steps and more steps

One thing that came to me during my holiday was a great admiration for the people of past generations, for how fit and active they must have been, to have lived daily climbing all the hills and steps of this small village. 

And, as to the workmen who had built all the cottages and houses in such a hilly location, bringing their materials up and down the hills and the narrow passageways, what muscles they must have had.  Or, did they bring the stones, tiles, wood and other materials by sea to build with.   Yet, either way they would have needed to either go up or down the steep slopes.




What, I wonder made them decide to build where they did.  And to build such tall thin houses.   No planning rules and regulations in those days! 

It was a lovely, quaintly beautiful place to stay for a holiday and to explore with all it`s nooks and crannies - but would I want to live there all year, especially in the winter, with snow and ice on those hills - no thank you!

I`m Back

I`m back, and once I got used to driving up and down lots of hills and climbing steps and hills (!) I had a great holiday.

On arrival at the place where I`d booked a flat to stay in for the week, I opened the downstairs outside door, and immediately wondered if I`d done the right thing, it smelt musty and was rather dark.  I couldn`t see a light switch (and never did the whole week!), but I climbed up the twisting carpeted stairs to find the door of the flat, opened it very dubiously.  On entering I was faced with four closed doors, again it didn`t feel welcoming and my immediate thoughts were, I want to go home.   But I opened the doors one at a time, and found the rooms to actually be light, bright and big and airy.  I propped all the doors open and immediately it felt better.

I enjoyed the freedom of staying in a flat as opposed to a B&B or hotel, which I`d always done in the past, especially on one morning when it was very windy and rainy, so I just stayed in and relaxed with a book and didn`t fell obliged to go out, in the way I would have done in more formal places.  The whole holiday was very relaxing and just what I needed. (except for all the many, many phone calls from my mother!, but more of that another day)


I kept my camera busy all the holiday and have taken lots and lots of photos - will post some in the next few days. 

Just One Day to go!

Just one more day, and I shall be off on holiday.   

I eventually plucked up enough courage on Sunday afternoon to tell my Mother - at first I thought she hadn`t taken it too badly, she seemed interested and asked me several questions, but as I left her that evening she began to get tearful.

After getting home, she rang me full of tears and full of "reasons" why she didn`t want me to go - didn`t want me driving all that way on my own, and couldn`t I at least not go so far;   who was going to look after my little pet bird (I`d already arranged for a friend to do that!) etc...etc...

Monday was much about the same with her.   On Tuesday I went over to see her, and she seemed more like her normal self.   That`s good, I thought, she`s accepted it.

But, come Wednesday morning I had her on the phone early in the morning full in tears again, this time I think a combination of worry about me, and also her carers had told her that a blood test and water test which she`d had taken a week of two ago had got lost so the needed to do it again.   She ofcourse didn`t think that they`d lost them, but that something was wrong with her so they needed another one.     I tried to convince her that it was probably right that they`d mislaid them, but she was full of "I`ll be in hospital when you`re away, and you`ll be a long way away....." etc.  
She still sounds weepy today.

I`m not looking forward to having to go and see her tomorrow and especially of the reaction I`ll get when I come away.    I`ve promised her that I`ll ring her every day while I`m away, but have warned her that because it will be mobile phone, she must realise that in some area`s of the country there isn`t a good signal.

So wish me luck!