It's bad when the high point of the day is hitting another car

It's not good when driving a car and bumping into someone is the best part of a bad day. I have now survived three days at a uk school and only cried after two of them. Thesd kids are HORRIBLE! They are like nothing I have ever come across before. They are rude, constantly disrespectful, mean, swear, shout, throw things and talk like they are hot shit. They talk like adults in prison movied and to be fair that is kind of what they are like. I feel like I am looking at the furture penile system inmates. Arghhhh! You know those films wherd there is choas everywhere, a sort of apocolypse and there is that one person stood still in the middle of it,watching the madness in a sort of slow motion... That is me. I am that open-mouthed, wide-eyed girl standing there going what the hell am I doing!!! I am exhausted and a bit dis-heartened at the moment but I will persevere! I have 8 days left and I need to think mercenary thoughts. I am here for the money and that is it. Then I am going travelling. So pep talk to self! I will survive! Deep breaths and steady voice... and neurofen for the cracking headache that has arrived!

Beatrix Potter

Today was a fantastic day for indoor activities as the sun had chosen to retreat behind a layer of thick cloud and cool winds. Uncle Ian, Aunty Pauline and I were up and out the door by 9am for the drive down to Windemere to visit Hill Top House, the home of Beatrix Potter and William Heelis. The drive down was stunning, filled with mountain ranges and lakes on either side before nipping in and out of forests where hikers were beginning their trails. I have never really felt car sick before but I came close on the drive down as the roads were windy and dipped down suddenly making me loose my stomach somewhere at the top of it. A few deep breathing exercises and I was able to survive but I was grateful when we finally arrive at the ticket office. Again, being a National Trust member paid off - woohoo on free entry!
They do timed entries into the house, I guess to stagger the tourists given the size of the house. We
were set to head into Hill Top house at 10.55am, so we walked over to the gardens first where Peter Rabbit would have stolen the vegetables in Mr McGregor's garden. There was even the spade that is used in the pictures that has the red robin sitting on top of it. Everything was as it was in the books. It is amazing the ideas that she drew out of such simple settings.

The whole area was very peaceful and the people running the house were full of knowledge and very genuine in helping to answer questions. It was a bit of a shame that you couldn't take photos inside the house. I managed to get a cheeky one on my phone but the information officers were in every room so I gave up. I even got one of Mr McGregor and me hanging out.

We headed over to the café for a cuppa to warm the blood and hands before jumping in the car and heading into Hawkeshead where the Beatrix Potter Gallery is.
The National Trust is currently celebrating 100 years since Beatrix Potter had gotten married to William Heelis (1913) and also her finishing the Tale of Piglingbland. The gallery was set in the building that Heelis had donated to the Trust on his death and had once been his accounting house. Inside was a range of original artworks of Potter and at the moment also had the marriage certificate. It was funny to look at it as there was a space for each of them to write their age (Heelis wrote 42 and 'Bachelor' - Potter wrote 'Full' for age - she was 47 but maybe they didn't have to write their age after a certain time, and beside that wrote 'Spinster'). What a horrible thing to have to write on your marriage certificate! When I think that if I had lived then I would be considered a spinster at 27, well over the hill and on the way out the door! There was also a section for their fathers' occupation of which apparently being a 'Gentleman' (Potters dad) was actually an occupation.
Inside the gallery was also a space to try on replica hats of what Beatrix Potter would have worn. Her hat was very heavy but I tried it on. Possibly not something I would get a way with today but I am sure would have been a roaring success back in the day!

We headed back to Cockermouth after that and to tell the truth I am knackered. I was very grateful that Aunty Pauline didn't mind swapping seats with me for the journey home. I am not sure I would have managed in the back seat again. I still feel a bit queasy thinking about all of those twists and turns!

I am heading back over the Consett tomorrow, but I am going via Hadrian's Wall which I passed on the way over. It is an English Heritage site so I will see if my National Trust membership will hold up to them. I hope it does. Fingers crossed!

Kayaking on Derwent Waters

The words that I can use to explain the views I saw on the lake will not do it near enough justice, but I will do my best to paint a picture of my few hours out on the lake...

The sun was shining brightly down as I opened my bedroom curtains. I had been hoping for a sunny day as my foray into Keswick the day before had revealed no sun but some sweeties from Ye Olde Sweete Shoppe and a hot mocha made with Belgian chocolate. But this day, with the sun already warming up the air, I drove to the Derwent Water Marina with a dry change of clothes in the car just in case things went belly up, so to speak.

The kayak was cheap enough to hire for two hours at 16 pounds and I just knew that once I got on

 
the lake I the views would be worth it. I paid up and threw on my waterproof pants (best buy ever) and I was ready. I clipped the lifejacket on, grabbed the oar and with no fear (I am proud to say) I jumped into the kayak. I was pushed out from the pier by an attendant and then began to paddle out to the lake itself, making my way around the buoys. It was quite fun but in my head kayaking was a lot easier than it turned out to be. I haven’t been kayaking in years, but I do recall it not being that difficult to go in a straight line. Apparently I was wrong. Within two minutes of pushing off, I was heading towards some buoys – not around them, but at them. It took much manoeuvring not to hit the boats parked in the marina too. Not sure my insurance covers that.

I made my way around the marina opening and out into the lake and it was from there that I had my first views. Of course, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate them as I was trying my best not to paddle in circles. I was also reminding myself not to look down into the water. The water was shallow and clear. I could see right down to the mud and pebbles and bits of trees which made me a bit uneasy. However, I am proud to say that I ignored it and kept right on paddling.

As soon as I was a bit further out from the shore I stopped and using my superior, and obviously natural, skills of being able to paddle in circles did a great 360 degree turn.

The waters were like glass with barely a ripple and very few boats. The sun shone down and the skies were bare of all but a few clouds. The blue of the sky was reflected down onto the water giving it a vibrant colour and the stillness of the lake acted as a mirror, the mountains looking as if they grew out of the waters and climbed up to the heavens. It was quiet and with barely a whisper of wind, it was incredibly tranquil. The waters were cold but that didn’t bother me as I was warming up under the persistence of the sun and my poor kayaking skills (which meant I had to do twice as much work as I should have).

I kayaked out and around part of the lake for the first hour before making my way back. I had booked for two hours but I knew it would take me a while to make my way back to the marina given my awesome paddle-in-circles skills. I was also starting to feel like my legs had seized up. The kayak had knee-restraints that you basically tucked your knee under and then foot plates. By the time I had been out there for 3o minutes my legs were cramping; after an hour they were agony. For the paddle back to the marina I pulled them out of the restraints, to try and release some of the tension.

I got back to the marina and got awkwardly out of the kayak, partially because of still being in the water, but mostly because my hips and upper leg muscles had fully shut down. I shuffled up the steps with a limp, returned the paddle and lifejacket then tried to stretch out my legs. It was so painful that I gave up and slowly made my way to the car.

I got back to Cockermouth just after 1230 then went for a walk into town, desperate to stretch my legs. I headed into a charity shop in the off chance that they would have cassettes and I found BBC’s Black Adder the Third on tape – almost three hours of quality listening for the car. I was stoked.

 
Jill, Andrew and the kids arrived around 2.30pm. That was really special. The kids, Joe and Ethan, are as gorgeous as ever and Joseph is really growing into his own with the cheekiest grin and calculating eyes I have ever seen. Once the kids were in bed, Jill, Andrew and I went out for Indian as it was Jill’s birthday. I always feel so relaxed around Jill. She is such a calming influence and I really find the time I get to spend with her incredibly special. The three of us spent a few hours eating, drinking and sharing stories before heading back to the house.

Today was a relaxed day. The kids made playdough in the morning, we went to a farm for ice cream and to look at the cows that make the milk, before heading to the park. Jill left with the kids in the afternoon. Andrew having left in the morning for a footy match.

Tomorrow we are heading to the Beatrix Potter house. I am looking forward to that quite a bit.

Driving down to Cockermouth

I am so proud of myself. I went on my first solo drive across the UK from Consett in Durham to Cockermouth in Cumbria. It wasn’t as bad as I thought and everyone seemed quite happy to overtake me as I pootled along in the slow lane. I had done much research into the speeding laws before I left, so at least I didn’t speed. It was also my first chance to really try out the GPS on my phone. It was great! That was so helpful in not getting lost. The drive itself was pleasant and would have been more so if my shoulders hadn’t been up around my neck with the tension of driving on unfamiliar roads. I had a cracking headache by the time I arrived at Aunty Pauline’s.

I got in just after midday. Before I had left Consett I had tried to go to the post shop to post Cherie’s pressie but the line was out the door with all of the pensioners collecting their pension so I went to the post office in Cockermouth. It was much quicker and I got to have a walk out and a stretch. I was surprised at the cost to send the package to NZ. I really thought it was going to be around 20 pounds but it ended up only being 10.40.

Castlerigg Standing Stones

It was so lovely to see Aunty Pauline and Uncle Ian. I got a huge hug which I absorbed heartily. It was just what I needed and I almost cried. I never thought of myself as a touchy person but I think travelling has limited the human contact, the touch of family and friends, and I realised that it was something I was missing. Not the quick hug of awkwardness, but the prolonged hug where you absorb another person’s aura.

Anyway, Tuesday evening had my tasting the most epic roast. It was duck, goose, turkey and chicken, rolled together and wrapped in bacon. Droooool. When I finally went to bed I was exhausted and full and the bed was exceedingly soft and comfortable.

Wednesday morning Aunty Pauline and I had made plans to go for a walk. So we packed a lunch and headed out. I really wanted to see the stone circle of Castlerrig. I can now tick that off. Every set of stones that I have visited so far have been awe-inspiring, and this one was no different. There were around 40 stones in a circle, all of differing size and shape. The sit on the very top of the hill, on a flat top and around the outside, looking down on them is a 360 degree vista of snow-capped hills and mountain ranges. As you can imagine, it leant a certain tranquillity to the area, marking it as a sacred space. And the knowledge that it is somewhere between 3000 and 4000 years old is mind-boggling. Aunty Pauline told me there is a rule about hugging the stones - I am not sure how much truth there was too it, but when have I ever passed up the opportunity to hug 4000 year old anything!



Ashness Bridge

From the stone circle we made our way back down to the launch on Derwent Waters where we caught a ferry around to Ashness Gate. From there we hopped off and began a long climb up and up and up. The sun shone down and the skies were clear all the way up the hill. When we arrived at the Ashness bridge we stopped for lunch. The bridge crosses a babbling river that makes its way down to the lake and is surrounded on both sides by stones and rocks which make great spots to sit and picnic. The bridge is an original horse and donkey bridge made of stone. What amazes me about this little arched bridge is that it now carries cars across it as the ascend to the top of the hill. This tiny bridge that was built before cars is more than able to not only hold up under the weight but looks the same as it did when it was built hundreds of years earlier. Amazing.

So, as I said, we stopped and had our lunch beside the water, the sun beating down and taking some of the chill out of the air. I think it got up to 8 degrees and as we sat we enjoyed the scenery and philosophised. Aunty Pauline said that her mum would always encourage them as children to study the world around them, to marvel at the beauty of what was before them. We spoke of how people today are so much more busy, that so many people rush through life without stopping to enjoy what is right before them. I am quite happy just sitting in one place, letting the world move around me. I could have spent the whole of that day beside that river and been happy that I had spent the day well.


View from Surprise View Point

After lunch we kept heading up the hill. We ended up at Surprise View Point from which you can look back over to the launch, across the entire of the lake which on a clear day like it was, was even more spectacular. The blue of the sky was reflected down onto the water, making it a brilliant, deep azure colour surrounded by mountains and green trees.
We headed back down the hill to the lake and walked back around the lakeshore to the launch. I think we must have walked around 10km. By the time we got back we were knackered and more than ready for bed. Except it was only 4pm! When I went to bed I lay there, my body aching but I fell asleep fairly quickly after that.

Today (Thursday) was an entirely different day. I really wanted to go to the Wordsworth house, what with Cockermouth being his birthplace. I finally got to use my National Trust of NZ membership too! It was free to go in and Aunty Pauline signed up for one too so that she could get into the UK ones and the NZ ones when they arrive at the end of the year. Because she signed up for the UK one she got a free parking for National Trust car parks sticker and she got me one too. Even better.

The Wordsworth house was great fun. There is lots to look at and the volunteers are well-informed

and really happy to talk to you about the house and the history. I even tried on the good ol' tri-cornered hat. We went to the Lakes cafe afterwards, feeling a smite peckish from all that history before making our way back via a circuitous route along the old railway line and the river, all the while having my personal tour guide (aka Aunty Pauline) giving me a run down on the flood devastation, the rebuilding and the history of the town. It was another good walk out and my calves are killing me today.

Tomorrow, if the weather holds out, I am going to head back into the Keswick for a bit of kayaking on the lake. The view will be breath-taking and I am keen to see the mountains from the middle of the lake.