Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Days 5, 6 & 7 Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Days 20 and 21| Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24

Day 14 - Sunday 15th July

Today we headed off to Masham where we had arranged a cottage for a week. It was a lovely drive ... although halfway there I realised I had left my lovely stick behind and Wen had forgotten to borrow raincoats from Mandy. Luckily we did not need the raincoats, however, I was very cross I had forgotten my stick.

Where the Stable Cottage at Masham was located was just amazing. It is in the little backstreets behind the Market Square. The buildings go right up to the road and you have to drive very carefully around a couple of corners so you don't collect the sides of the buildings. It is very old - set out like old mews. Stable Cottage has been done up, but still had the exposed very old beams. As I found in most of the English places I visited there was nowhere to sit out and enjoy the great outdoors. If there is there is no shelter from the elements. This was a classic nowhere to sit out. However, the cottage was on a corner and we took over the corner where everybody threw their rubbish. We piled the rubbish into a corner. There was also a very old stone seat and a small stone flower garden ... all set. I don't know what people thought of the Aussie ladies sitting out on the corner every evening enjoying a couple of glasses of wine.

Being set right on the road, when you walk out of the door you need to look right and left!! However, it was not that bad as there was very little traffic.

It is now 3pm Sat and I am writing this. Wen has gone to see Gemma and Kelvin at Grewelthorpe which is about 3 miles away. We have been for a walk down to the River and I am having extreme issues with the combined washing machine/dryer. Later tonight we will watch videos from last night.

We have a really big week planned ... part of the Mosiac Walk, a Gallery Wen has been told about in a lovely area, Stathes on the coast and lots of other stuff, including going out with Mandy and Graham on Tuesday night to a Comedy show in Harrogate.

Earlier in the week Wen told me a story about how she was helping her Dad milk cows. He asked her to get or do something and she discovered these fingers in a jar. Turned out somebody had an accident and came down to the farm bleedking profusely and the farmer told him to just bide his time until he finished milking. The farmer's name was Longster. Well what a coincidence, the man over the road was the farmer's son, David Longster, who Wen had known as a child. Both David and Wen had scholarships to attend the Ripon Grammar School. They exchanged stories and it also turns out they are distantly related.

We are off to do part of the Mosiac Walk tomorrow.

Only a couple of photos today of David and Wen when they realised they knew each other from the past.

Click on the images below for larger images.