What happened to the warm weather?

The weather has been great here for over a week.  It was actually hot last week, in the 80's. When  I went out at lunch today, it was only 46.  This weather here is really reminding me of home, with the exception of tornadoes.  Thank God.  Everyone that has been affected by the storms have been in my prayers!

Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales

My hotel in Harrogate, Hotel St. George, built in 1778.




This roundabout in Harrogate may have taken over the award for the prettiest roundabout.

 


Beautiful flowers in Pateley Bridge




Pateley Bridge, United Kingdom



Yorkshire Dales

Yorkshire Dales

When I left the base Thursday afternoon, I went driving around through the Yorkshire Dales.  It is really very pretty with rolling hills and green fields.  The road are winding - it reminds me a lot of Fayetteville, Berryville area.  It was hazy so the view was not near as nice as it could have been. I stopped at Pateley Bridge which is a really nice village on a river.  One of my customers told me that he likes to go there and go fly fishing.

Turkish Baths at Harrogate

Looking through the frigidarium (relaxation) room to the plunge pool

Last Wednesday I went to Harrogate to work at  RAF Menwith Hill Thursday and Friday.  Harrogate is a really nice spa town.  I went to the Turkish Baths, someone told me that is where they really scrub you.  Well, that is not what this Turkish Bath turned out to be! You first go into a eucalyptus steam room, then you take a plunge in a really cold pool, from there you go to the following rooms; tepidarium (warm), calidarium (hot) and laconium (hottest) that cleanse, relax and boost circulation. The session is rounded off in the frigidarium (relaxation room).  Temperatures in the baths’ hottest room (laconium) reach 66ºC (150ºF).  Let me tell you it was hot and the plunge pool was cold, but is sure felt great!  You couldn't have camera's there, so I was only able to sneak one picture!

It's hot!

I guess spring has officially arrived in the United Kingdom!  It was 26 degrees C at lunch today, that equals 78.8 F.  Seems like weather at home.  Fortunately no storms!  I am going to have to find some cooler clothes.  I packed for cold weather! 

I just found out this morning that a service member from here at Mildenhall that was due to retire on May 31st, was at his parents home in Alabama on leave prior to retirement when he and his father and his sister were killed by a tornado, his mother and wife are in critical condition and his two daughters are in very serious condition.  Everyone that has been affected by the storms all across the US are in my prayers!

FYI - 22 days until Stephen arrives and 40 days til I get home!  I can't wait!

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle, taken from the street in Windsor

The Kings Bedroom

Saturday I spent the day at Windsor, including a tour of Windsor Castle.  I love Windsor, there are so many little shops, cafes and pubs all along the streets.  I kept my eye out for William and Kate, but I never saw them!  It is hard the believe that the castle is the true residence of the Queen.  The tour said that she spends most weekends there.  The tour included the state apartments, which were out of this world, you couldn't take pictures, so I don't have much to show for that part.  I did sneak one picture of the kings bedroom, don't tell anyone!  I would love to see the part that they actually live in, I can't imagine it being as grand as the state apartments, but you never know.  It would be amazing to live there with children, they could literally get lost!  Of course I am sure that they had two or three nanny's looking after each child!  Anyway, enjoy the pictures. 

Lion King

I went last night to see Lion King.  It was amazing!  The costumes are unbelievable!  If any of you ever have the chance to go see it, I highly recommend.  It is Thursday and I am wondering what I am going to do this weekend, but right now I am so tired, I am thinking just to hang out and rest sounds so good.  But, I really can't waste a weekend doing that!  I almost have all my weekends planned from next weekend until I go home! Yall have a great weekend and I will keep you posted on my adventures!

Bath

Bath Abbey, built in 1499 on the site of an earlier cathedral that was built in the 8th century.



Roman Baths



Head of Minerva was found in 1727.

The Circus, built in 1754.

The Pulteney Bridge, construction was completed in 1773.

Bath is a beautiful city.  The Roman Baths are so awesome.  There are so many Roman ruins there.  I am sure that Bath was spectacular in Roman times! I was almost ready to give up when I finally found a parking place!  I kept telling myself that I had driven four hours; I was not leaving until I got to go exploring!  It was such a beautiful day; I guess everyone had the same idea!  I had written down all of the Post codes for all of the park and rides in the city, so I checked all of them out, the very last one on the list had some parking places, all the others were full!

Stonehenge

I went to Stonehenge and Bath this past weekend.  You will not believe what I did!  I was driving this little country road and came over the top of a hill and looked across the field, there was Stonehenge.  I reached out for my camera and at that very moment remembered that I forgot to get the battery off the charger!  Three and a half hours I had driven...Fortunately, I had my little camera in my purse, which had not been charged so I got about 40 pictures of Stonehenge and Bath before the battery died!

Lion King

I am so excited, ITT had a cancellation, so I get to go on the tour tonight to London to see the Lion King!

Rapeseed fields

There are beautiful yellow fields in every direction.  I thought the beautiful yellow fields were full of weeds, but I was wrong.  The fields of beautiful yellow flowers are rapeseed.  The rapeseed is made into oil, which is like a canola oil and is used like olive oil.  These pictures don't give justice to these beautiful fields.

Government shut down?

Who knows? I am not as concerned about whether I report to work as I am about the possibility of going home early.  We have been getting messages from our Program Manager in DC all week, everything from we could be "excepted" which means we will work and then after everything is over the excepted employees will get paid.  Or, we will stay at our home installation and not work and not get paid, or worse, be sent home - back to the States.  I can't come home yet, Stephen is coming here in 32 days!  I still have a lot of the United Kingdom to see!

Oh well, things always turn out the way they are supposed to!  In the mean time, I am getting up early in the morning and going to Bath.  I will probably stop by Stonehenge on the way.  I am taking my swimsuit just in case I decide to take a bath while I am visiting the Roman Baths!  Pictures to come!  Have a great weekend.

It's a beautiful day in the UK!

Wow, what a beautiful day!  It was 73 degrees when I took a late lunch this afternoon.  It was all I could do to go back to the office.  The one thing this base needs is some picnic tables.  Outside the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Menwith Hill, they have several picnic tables.  My back is feeling much better.  I am thinking that if I had a kidney stone, I have passed it.  I am scheduled next week for a CT scan, but if my back continues to feel good through the weekend, I am going to cancel the appointment.

I met another service member that will be getting out and going home to Arkansas!  He was stationed at LRAFB and bought a house in Cabot.  A month after he closed on his house, he got orders to come to RAF Mildenhall.  He is disappointed that he is being medically discharged after 13 years, but he is glad to be headed back to Arkansas.

The question of the government shut down is on every one's mind.  Will we go to work Monday is the big question.  I am thinking about going to Bath this weekend or maybe to Wales.  I don't have many weekends left and still so much to see!  I am supposed to be at RAF Alconbury Monday and Tuesday.  I had planned to meet up with Debra and Michael, but since I lost two weekends due to my back, I think I am going to have to travel while I can!  I will be going home in 53 days.  Which also means that Stephen will be here in 35 days!  YEAH!

One more thing to share, driving over here in the springtime is really hard.  There are just too many little lamb in the field.  I have a hard time driving by them and paying attention to the road.  I just want to look at the little lamb in the fields.  I don't think I mentioned before, there are pheasant all over the place around here.  They are in the fields and running across the road.  Thanks to Mary and Joel, I recognize them as pheasants and they really are beautiful birds.

Lavenham

No, I am not holding the camera crooked. 

Lavenham is such an interesting little village.  It certainly will remind you of the story of the crooked little man that lived int eh crooked little house!  The village is known for its half timbered medieval cottages.  In the medieval period, it was one of the 20 wealthiest settlements in England.

Kentwell Hall Gardens and Farm

This picture makes me think of candyland with all the shrubs shaped like suckers, or lollipops.



It's that time of the year, there are little lamb everywhere you look! 



The moat was lined with beautiful jonquils.



Poitou Donkey, originated in the Poitou area of France.  It shaggy coat is called cadanette.  The animals with the greatest cadanette - the most matted and tangled, the more valuable the animal.






The Sculptured Tree

  I love Kentwell, it is like a working farm.  They have horses, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, rabbits and other animals.  I kept seeing signs that said "lambing at Kentwell", I had no idea what that meant!  Actually, when the sheep are getting very close to giving birth, they are kept in special pens and visitors could be luckily enough to be there to experience the birth of the little lamb so that is what they meant by "lambing".  When the lambs are born, they are moved with their mother into another pen to graze in front of the hall.

Trinity Church, Long Melford, UK

Long Melford is a beautiful little village that is very close to Lavenham which was a very prosperous cloth city in the 1300 and 1400's.  They  made a cloth called Lavenham blue.  It eventually became obsolete when other parts of Europe started producing a thinner cloth.  The church was completed in 1484, during a time of great prosperity in the cloth market.  The church sits on top of a hill and can be seen from miles away.

Just across the field from the church is Melford Hall, which is a 17th century Banqueting House.  I wasn't able to get a good picture of Melford Hall, the picture I got was from the side and it really doesn't do it justice.

Ickworth House

Ickworth House was built in 1795 an Italianate house and gardens.  The house was full of beautiful Italian art.  The gardens were filled with jonquils in every shape, size and color of yellow. Adjoining the house is a hotel named Ickworth House - West Wing, the opposite wing has a restaurant.  It looked and smelled very good, but with it being Mother's Day in the UK, it was pretty crowded!