Project Completed!

Before I left for England I took a look at the huge pile of Volleyball jerseys I've collected over the years and decided that I wanted to make a T-Shirt Quilt.  So I cut the backs and some fronts off my shirts and moved them to England.  This Spring I finally got around to completing the project.  It only took me a couple of months.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, but I'm not exactly sure hwat we'll do with it!  It could be a picnic blanket, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get it dirty yet...

Anyway, so I got on of my projects done.  Next....use up as much scrapbooking supplies as possible so that I don't bring many craft supplies home next year.  I'm also considering making some tea cozies (keep the tea in the tea pot warm)....

Chatsworth with the Belangers

We take all our visitors to Chatworth.  We had a beautiful Monday to tour the house and gardens.

New Yorkers visit York

Last weekend Sean's sister and parents arrived for their visit.  One of the things we did with them on their first weekend here was take them to York.  We hadn't really seen most of the city yet, and it was a beautiful day to walk around and see the old world town.  York is a city that dates back to 71 A.D. when it was founded by the Romans, but also has a rich Viking and Norman history. 

The streets in York are called Gates.  The picture above shows one of the funny named streets in York Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate.  York has a very large walking district which is fabulous for shopping.  We really enjoyed walking around town and checking out all the shops.

 We stopped at Betty's, a famous tea house where we enjoyed a traditional afternoon tea.

Then we went over to the York Minster to relax in the yard outside and then attend an Evensong service.

Field Trip with Alexa

Recently, I was able to chaperone a field trip with Alexa's class. This is the first time I've been asked to do this, so I was very excited. First we went to a local greenhouse and the children learned how to plant hanging baskets. Then we went to a local church that is nearly 1000 years old! Part of the trip included a walk past gorgeous fields of Rapeseed. This is the time of year that Rapeseed is in bloom and the fields are brilliant. Imagine a whole field painted in bright yellow. Just gorgeous.

This was a medieval cross that was found on the property.  I think I was told that it is 700-800 years old.  I guess the monks back then believed that the cross looked like this, very different from our image of the cross now.  It was found in 1919 and mounted on the stone as it is today. Pretty neat.

Castleton

A couple weekends ago we took a drive up to Castleton, home of Blue John. It's always such a beautiful drive. The rocky hills covered with green and sheep are breathtaking. We had a nice lunch in town and explored the village a bit.  Then we took a short walk into the hills. 

We didn't make it very far on the trail we were on.  It was quite cold and windy.  But we definitely want to return and do a complete hike.

This was one of the excursions that Cooper was able to come with us.  He had a great time as always!

Palma de Mallorca

Earlier in the week we spent a few hours in Palma but hadn't gotten to see as much as we wanted. So on our last morning, we checked out of the resort and headed back to Palma, a lovely city that I'm told resembles Barcelona.  There we enjoyed the beautiful scenery, shopping in the charming alleyways, and took a tour of the amazing Cathedral. 

In front of the La Seu Cathedral, a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral built in 1229 (finished in 1601) on the site of a pre-existing Arab Mosque.

 The enormous stained glass window that 2 days each year projects colors on the opposing wall of the cathedral.

The kids at the harbor in Palma. 

Our last day in Palma was just delightful.  We spent 6 days in Mallorca and got a well deserved break from our routine and some wonderful relaxation.  

Spain, here we come!

After putting my parents on a plane Saturday morning, we packed up and got on a plane ourselves...to Mallorca, Spain. Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands of Spain. We arrived late at night on Saturday at our resort at Cala Pi. Cala Pi is a remote area of the island with a few small businesses and houses. The resort had two beautiful pools and stairs down the side of a cliff down to a nice beach nestled in one of the island's many coves.

We enjoyed lots of time at the beach, relaxing time at the pool, many sandcastles were built, and the kids even made some friends. 

We did some walking around the coast and found a tower at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea.  This was a 17th century watch tower used for watching out for pirate attacks.

Most evenings were spent by the pool, Sean enjoying his wine, the kids swimming in the water that was too cold for most adults.

It was also really interesting experiencing Spanish culture a bit.  About 20 years ago, I took Spanish in high school.  I was amazed at how much of it came back to me.  I had lots of fun trying to speak and understand the language.

Our last day was spent in the capital city Palma....more details in the next post.