Saturday 30th July

We started a walk in Tadcaster following the river to Newton Kyme. This is part of the Ebor Way.

Our destination was the church at Newton Kyme.

On our return we spent 20 minutes watching the sand martins catching insects & returning to feed their young in their riverbank nests.

Friday 22nd July
Rachael joined us for a day at the 'Society of All Artists' event at the Design Centre in Islington. We enjoyed workshops and demonstrations in the large Victorian exhibition hall.
http://www.saa.co.uk/

In the evening we walked from London Bridge to Westminster Bridge enjoying the lively atmosphere.



Saturday 23rd July.
This morning we visited the National Portrait Gallery to see the BP Portrait Exhibition and afterwards looked around St Martin-in-the-Fields church which was very peaceful compared with the noise and bustle of the large crowds in Trafalgar Square outside.
http://www.npg.org.uk/

This green wall was outside the National Gallery and is based on a painting by Van Gogh.

 In the centre of Trafalgar Square is the Countdown Clock for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

 In the afternoon Rachael and Mike joined us to view the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy.
http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/summer-exhibition-2011/

Sunday 24th July
We took the tube to Kew Gardens where we enjoyed exploring the grounds in beautiful weather.
http://www.kew.org/

 The first place that we visited was the recently constructed Treetop Walkway that brings you up close to the large trees.

This Chelsea show garden was relocated here very recently. It was lovely to walk through and features useful plants.

The Japanese Garden felt very cool and serene in the middle of the day.

We returned to Westminster on the river, passing many interesting sights and buildings.

Friday 15th July

After we had arrived at the hotel in Reading, we went out for a stroll by the river nearby.

Saturday 16th July Carolyn and Matt's wedding day at Greyfriars Church in Reading.

After a rainy morning the weather improved for the photos outside the church.

The reception was at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club in Wokingham.

Sunday 17th July.

After catching up over a long lazy breakfast we had a photograph taken of the immediate family.

In the afternoon we visited Grey's Court near Henley-on-Thames.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-greyscourt

There were lots of small impressive gardens which were all different and well cared for.

Tuesday 12th July

We spent the day at the Great Yorkshire Show

http://www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/html/home/

First of all we went to the cattle ring to see Uncle George & cousin David's Dairy shorthorns. They won one class with this cow & an honourable mention in the overall championship.

In the Garden Show this display received a gold medal.

We attended a watercolour demonstration by Robert Brindley who explained what he was doing very clearly as he worked.

In the main ring we watched exciting scurry racing where pairs of small ponies competed against the clock.

The final event that we saw in the main ring was the single heavy horse competition.

We rounded off our day by shopping in the food show.

Friday 8th July

After lunch with Sharon, we visited the newly opened Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

www.hepworthwakefield.org/

The setting is interesting as it is built beside a weir on the River Calder.

Gallery 5 contains an impressive collection of Hepworth's surviving working models.

In the Gallery Garden is a piece of art work which is called 'The Black Cloud' and behind it are some of the old warehouses.

Wednesday 6th July

As we had travelled up to Kirkby Stephen for a funeral tomorrow we walked down to Stenkrith. The water was very low and the vegetation quite overgrown but it is still beautiful.

This evening we went for dinner at The Fat Lamb in Ravenstonedale. After the meal we strolled to the nature reserve to enjoy the stunning views over the fells.

Thursday 7th July

After the funeral, when we caught up with family news, we visited St Mary's Church in Mallerstang to look for old family gravestones. We found several, one of which provided some new information for the family tree.

Friday 1st July

We visited Brodsworth Hall and Gardens near Doncaster today.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/brodsworth-hall-and-gardens/

We strolled down to the rose garden with its unusual edging of segmented beds of perennials.

It was hot in the sunshine as we walked up the long lawn towards the summer house.

This led us to the grotto which was filled with many different types of fern.

As we walked back towards the house we enjoyed the colour and symmetry of the formal flower garden.

The inside of the house has been preserved as it was left with all the original furniture and bric-a-brac. We were not allowed to take photographs there.