GRUMPY SISTERS' INK

Quite a surreal day today really. We went over to Helmsley on the bus, and spent money at the Jet shop( jet being one of the local stones) and then rendezvous with Lyndsay whom we had previously met in Taupo. She whisked us off over the hills, through Thirsk, past the James Herriot centre and out to her Mother and stepfathers house. A rather splendid Georgian house, with an amazing garden...covering acres, with peacocks roaming around. The house itself has huge rooms,decorated in the most vibrant colours, with large cellars for the wine, a fantastical attic, countless bathrooms, a garden room that was converted from stables, study and offices. It was a wonderful visit with Sandra, Lyndsay and Kevin so welcoming. I wish I had pictures to show you, but we felt it would be impolite to be snap happy. Might have not ask L to do some photos for us. It truly was magnificent. And so home on the bus, our last day in Yorkshire, and so we greeted ourselves to a meal out at the Bay Horse, which was very pleasant.

We could not get a taxi for love nor money and so friday saw us trundling our large suitcases along the road to the bus stop. Didn't seem so bad as when had arrived, and we had plenty of time. The bus came, we got on, it proceeded to York, stopping at every corner it seemed to load a gazillion passengers on. Had a train to catch!!! We made it to the station with 10 minutes to spare and breathed a sigh of relief to be on the train bound for King Cross. We had great instructions to get to St Pancras for a train to Brighton which did away with a cross London trip. Brother John had had a hand in the design of the station which cleverly integrates the old station with the new.

So, we were met by brother Bob and deposited at the Hove residence. Later that evening we joined family at Stanmer House,for a family meal. Stanmer House was a large home set in a woodland that was our childhood playground, the woods not the house. Many a Sunday we would walk though the woods, down to the village, looking at the animals in the pens, having an ice cream at the shop. Much of the woodland was decimated in the hurricane of '87 , but now th re growth is obvious. Unhappily the village is dilapidated now, and while Stanmer house is refurbished and grandly so, the farm buildings and the Sty are sad, grass growing through the cracks, very forlorn. I remembered the donkey wheel, which I am sure was used for grinding corn, but M seemed to think that it was used to pull up water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanmer_Park I