Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.
Rabrindranath Tagore
8 Comments CherryPie on Feb 24th 2020
Today there was a brief sunny interlude between the awful gales and rain we have been experiencing lately.
There were some things that I needed to do regarding my late aunts estate but I was able to factor in a short walk along my local pathways. I chose a circular route, starting off on the most scenic pathway.
I was confronted by an unexpected pooling of water. As I approached the water to see if I could walk around it I noticed a dead frog. It was lying on its back with a leg missing. Not the most promising start to walk.
I tiptoed round the water and walked along the pathway to one of my favourite benches to sit and rest a while. The ‘rest a while’ moment didn’t disappoint. I was treated to delightful birdsong and the warmth of the sun on my face.
I continued on my walk and found other watery patches along with delightful signs of spring emerging.
As I completed my full circuit I notice a cat near to the pooling of water at the start of my walk. He looked at me, then made a beeline for me before hopping over a fence to the side of the pathway.
I suspect that he had something to do with the dead frog…
Comments Off CherryPie on Feb 23rd 2020
My walk around the ice trail was split between two days. As walking goes it was unsatisfactory there were far to many people around.
The ice sculptures were fabulous and after a walk what could be better than cake in Bettys Cafe Tea rooms .
4 Comments CherryPie on Feb 22nd 2020
I was subliminally aware as I drifted in and out of sleep that there was a lot of activity going on in the hotel rooms and corridors. After a while I found my glasses and a torch (the room was dark) and looked at my watch to see what time it was. It was 8.15, the alarm hadn’t gone off! We had a mad rush round, arriving only slightly later than intended for breakfast. For a change, I chose a blueberry and maple syrup pancake stack. When it arrived the pancake stack was enormous with an equal-and-opposite tiny portion of blueberry compote. It was delicious but there were too many pancakes and not enough compote.
After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and headed back to the Nuclear bunker to take photos of the exterior. We had forgotten to do this when we tried to visit and found it closed on our arrival in York.
We programmed the SatNav on a course for the Winter Gardens in Sheffield. The garden was not quite as described to me by Mr C and not what he expected. The gardens were lovely but brief. Whilst we were there we visited the adjoining Millenium Gallery, viewing the Ruskin collection and the Sykes Gallery metalwork collections. The latter was especially fascinating, showcasing the products of the industry that Sheffield is famous for.
We left the garden and gallery via the Peace Gardens and made our way to Sheffield Cathedral where we had lunch in the delightful 1554 coffee shop before visiting the Cathedral. There is something about the Cathedral that gave a special feel to it.
All too soon it was time for us to continue on our journey homeward. We stopped off on the way to pick up some items for dinner. It was a good job that we did, we arrived home to find that some of the electrics had tripped taking out the heating and the fridge/freezer. Mr C reset the switch, everything stayed stable and we were able to dine before the circuit tripped out a few more times before bed time. In addition to this, the house was unexpectedly cold!
PS: I explained what happened next in my blog post ‘The Wanderer Returns’:
http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2020/02/05/the-wanderer-returns-9/
A couple of days after the electrician and engineer visited, the house was still cold. I decided to check the thermostat which I had reset to 21 (where the dial needs to be for our house to be warm) after the engineer had told me had set it to 20 after setting it to full on to do his tests. On checking the thermostat I found that it was now set at 18, no wonder the house was cold!
16 Comments CherryPie on Feb 19th 2020
Time expands, then contracts, and in tune with the stirrings of the heart .
Haruki Murakami
16 Comments CherryPie on Feb 16th 2020
Feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep, it was time for breakfast. The cooked-to-order breakfast was delicious although I missed my fresh fruit options for a pre-breakfast starter.
After breakfast Mr C attended Vapnartak 2020 (a wargames show). It was my plan to walk York City walls whilst he was enjoying his hobby and despite the mizzly weather, I set off on a walk around the walls starting at Bootham Gate. I managed to get off track on a couple of occasions (most notably by Clifford’s Tower) when there were breaks in the wall and the trail markers were either confusing or absent. However I got there in the end and was quite chuffed that I had negotiated the walls on my own.
As I arrived back at York Minster at the end of my walk of the walls Mr C texted to say that he was on his way back to the hotel from the wargames show. Whilst he made his way back to the Minster I enjoyed a pleasant walk around Dean’s Park Garden viewing the war memorial, the garden, the Deanery garden and the Dean’s chapel.
When he arrived we went for lunch at Happy Days cafe where we had also eaten on our previous visit to York. I opted for the plum frangipane.
Afterwards we walked around York taking in a few more ice sculptures along the way including Harry Potter and a fine carving of Hedwig at Middleton’s Hotel. There was also an ice wall filled with chocolates that children were busy hacking away at to obtain a chocolaty delight. It was nice being in that part of the city again, having stayed there on previous visits. We had walked up an appetite and paid a second visit to Betty’s tea room. On this occasion I chose cherry and chocolate cake with cherry liqueur.
After this indulgence it was time to return to the hotel to freshen up before dinner in the hotel, a red letter day gift of a three course meal and prosecco. The food and service were excellent.
8 Comments CherryPie on Feb 15th 2020
Valentines menus in local restaurants did not inspire Mr C and I. Instead we opted for fine dining in Chez Nous.
Starter – Melba toast with smoked salmon and cream cheese
Main – Melt in the middle fish cakes
Dessert – Warmed apricots with honey, yogurt and toasted almonds
Served with a sprinkle of Valentines fun 
8 Comments CherryPie on Feb 14th 2020
