Saturday 11th December
On our way back from visiting family in Cheshire we called in at Tatton Park.


We enjoyed a walk around the gardens and were virtually the only people there.


The Japanese Garden is beautifully laid out and full of interest.


We accidentally discovered the warm palm house which is very well maintained and had some plants in bloom near the waterfall.

We found these very unusual begonias with spiral leaves by the side of the path.

Thursday 2nd December
This morning we put some more food out for the birds.



After clearing the drive we treated ourselves to a walk in the sun and snow down to the Ings.

Saturday 27th November
We celebrated Enid and John's 50th wedding anniversary with a lazy day followed by a delicious meal at a restaurant in Wetherby.

Sunday 21st November
The weather was set fair so we decided to go for a walk. We set off in the village of Whixley, following hedges dividing arable fields and disturbing lots of pheasants and grouse. The route then crossed the main road and led us through this archway in a hedge.

We visited the church in Allerton Mauleverer, parts of which date from the 14th Century. Inside there is a wonderful hammer beam roof.


We then crossed open fields on good paths which led to ancient tracks back to Whixley. The autumn colours and extensive views were stunning. Further on the Kilburn White Horse was just visible in the distance.

Monday 15th November
We travelled to North Greenwich on the tube which brought us directly to the O2 Arena, formerly known as the Millennium Dome. It was much bigger than we had appreciated.

The main reason for our visit was to see the Titanic Exhibition which features a wide range of artefacts found on the wreck site as well as mock ups of some areas of the ship. There was also lots of information about the ship, the voyage and about individual passengers. http://www.titaniclondon.co.uk/


We caught the boat from Greenwich Pier just as the sun was about to set and enjoyed a journey up to Westminster.

There was a great view from Westminster Bridge back down the Thames.

We then travelled to Knightsbridge to see the Christmas windows in Harrods and to shop in the food hall there.

Sunday 14th November
This morning we walked down a very wet Oxford Street to see the Christmas shops.

In the afternoon we headed for the Courtauld Gallery to see the Cezanne exhibition. It showed clearly how he had planned some of his more famous paintings and there were works there lent from Russia and the USA. We also took time seeing the rest of this lovely gallery once again, particularly the works by Renoir.
http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2010/cezanne/index.shtml

We enjoyed a walk along the embankment even in the rain.

We returned to Oxford Circus and walked up Regent Street past Broadcasting House before returning to our hotel via Heals and Habitat.

Saturday 14th November
This morning we visited the Welcome Collection, a museum 'for the incurably curious' and found it fascinating.
http://www.welcomecollection.org/

In the afternoon we went to Trafalgar Square to see exhibit on the fourth plinth. When we were here a year ago we cast our vote for this work.

We then crossed the road to The National Gallery to see the exhibition; "Venice: Canaletto and his rivals". We spent two hours admiring the paintings in the six rooms.

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/venice-canaletto-and-his-rivals

Unfortunately we could not take photographs.

Friday 5th November
We were due to meet at the bandstand but, because the river overflowed, we met at the Leisure Centre & walked to the bridge to see the extent of the flooding.


The walk was due to follow the river but, as the path was flooded, we took several detours on our way to Thorpe Arch via Flint Mill. The old railway route gave us a very pleasant walk back to Wetherby past the race course.

Wednesday 27th October
Moira came to stay overnight and so the three of us went to York to see "Illuminating York", a festival of digital artwork.
www.illuminatingyork.org
The south transept of York Minster was transformed by use of projected light which was accomapnied by music and voices.

MB

Sunday 24th October
Another sunny Sunday and another walk from Pateley Bridge. We followed the river until we reached this waterwheel which is thirty five feet in diameter and was restored in 1990.


We crossed several fields to the bridge across this lovely beck where the path turned up a green lane.


For a long way we followed a well engineered mine road, high above the beck, following Merryfield Gill.

We eventually reached the extensive remains of Merryfield lead mines.

After exploring the workings we looked back over the remains of an old chimney and the lovely view before crossing into the next valley.

We arrived at Brandstone Dub bridge which has an attractive waterfall just below it.

We continued to follow the stream and narrow lanes before crossing fields and descending back into Pateley Bridge.

Saturday 23rd October
Tonight we returned to Fountains Abbey. The Hall looked very dramatic in the clear moonlight.

The abbey was quieter than last week. We listened to Elland male voice choir in the undercroft.

Friday 22nd October
This afternoon we went to York to see the York Art Gallery's "Hats" exhibition of artwork featuring hats and real hats from the Catle Museum collection.
http://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/Page/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?ArticleId=37

Also we went to see the "Honest Pots" exhibition featuring large, striking everyday pots and an explanation of how they were made.
http://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/Page/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?ArticleId=39

Sunday 17th October
As the sky was blue we decided to try a walk we had seen that began in Pateley Bridge. We climbed fairly steeply out of town and were soon able to look back across the valley.


We took a slight detour to explore the roofless church of Saint Mary, which dates from the 13th century. It was saved from complete ruin in 1906.


The path that we were following is called the Panorama Walk because it leads to this viewing platform which was built by the Victorians.

At the bottom of the valley the route leads past this former 19th century flax mill.

We continued the walk along the banks of the river Nidd.

Just over a mile downstream we crossed the river at this wooden footbridge.

We walked back to Pateley Bridge passing the original mill pond which is a haven for bird life.

Saturday 16th October
This evening we went to Fountains Abbey to experience one of the floodlit nights.
www.fountainsabbey.org.uk

In the floodlit undercroft we were entertained for an hour by Boroughbridge Community Choir.