GRASSINGTON - MAY 2018

I've been very slack.

We've been home from our fabulous holiday for more than four months and I haven't recorded any of it here. 

Let's just say that the demands of home ( elderly parents to visit, Only grandchild's first birthday and a little illness ) have slowed the process down.

I usually post about our travels while we are away but am no longer able to work out how to post from my ipad ( don't you hate updates that change everything ??) and somehow you just lose the moment.

So here we go...….

After two days to recuperate from the long flights from Oz in the lovely Cotswolds we arrived in Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales for a week of sheer bliss.

This is my absolute favourite part of England and you'll easily be able to see why from all these photos. 

A delightful cottage through HomeAway ( click to view it. highly recommended) right in the centre of the village, cool temperatures and friendly locals made for a great stay.
Walks through green countryside were what we were looking for and we were not disappointed.
One walk took us down to the river - the Warfe - 

past the Linton Falls

and into the charming village of Linton






with it's inviting pub where we just had to stop off at the local pub for a hot chocolate !

This walk was the longest we attempted while here and ended up being 19+ kilometres !

 We took it easy, strolling through green fields, past the odd garden with daffodils

squeezing through narrow openings ( especially for people with short legs whose widest part is lower than other people with long legs !!)

and across the most beautiful, picturesque landscape you could ask for.

Sometimes we walked along narrow country lanes …

        through small, isolated villages...…



where hospitality was advertised for those looking for a bed …..

and always daffodils and primroses along the way.

The way was easy to follow.

Just look across the field to where the next style crossed over the rock wall

Gentle up and down. no steep climbs

But oh those styles are a killer on short legs and old knees

with huge step ups and downs.

There were so many of them !

Luckily the final 2 miles were along the river.

A wonderful Day1.

Cheers.

TRYING

Yes, very trying !

A recent 60th birthday had us dressing like we did in the 60s.

 The hippy look was as close as we could get !

They had a photo booth where you could use their props and pose for silly photos

So we did !

Now, if only I could work out how to change the size of all these photos instead of just one  ! !

I’ll just keep on trying. 

Be prepared for a few inane posts .

Cheers.

Testing

There are lots of things to organise before you go away for over a month.

Bills that will come up while yo are away. 

Mail to redirect

Garden to look after.

Then there’s your clothes to organise.

New undies 

Warm weather /  cool weather ?

Wet weather ?

Shoes.

But the thing that is giving me the most grief is trying to work out how to post a blog using my new iPad.

Adding photos that are stored on the iPad is the problem.

And what is a travel post without photos ?

So if you have any expertise in this PLEASE advise me.

Cheers.

LOOKING FORWARD

We are now counting down to our UK holiday.
Seven  weeks to go.

Hoping there will still be daffodils like this !

Looking forward to walking through Yorkshire countryside like this !

and visiting beautiful stately homes like this !

and natural wonder like this

and this !

before staying in lovely cities that have cathedrals like this !

How lucky are we ?
Can hardly wait .

Cheers.

* All photos from the Internet today

LITTLE STEP - A SPRUCE UP

Trying to keep to my motto I've been seized by the cleaning bug.
What's that?
You're feeling faint??

I know, I hate housework. Right ?
But I've sprung into action and have spent the last couple of days cleaning the shutters in my bedroom, lounge, dining and study.

Very loud applause required here !!

I won't lie and say I enjoyed it but they're done !

I'm on a roll and working my way around the house doing  a Spring clean in the heat of a Brisbane Summer ( the aircon makes it possible !)

I am only doing a little bit every day.

Little steps remember.

Cheers.

2018 BEGINS

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step”

Chinese Proverb We welcomed in the New Year with a quiet night at home. Can't be bothered with the crowds and inflated prices off a night out for New Year any more. Haven't decided on this year's resolution but last year's one to drink cocktails was quite a success and proved to be very enjoyable so perhaps another along those lines will do the trick. I'll give it some thought today before I decide. During 2017 I only managed 20 blogposts ! No wonder I have so few comments. I do miss the contact with bloggers I have enjoyed in the past so will try very hard to up my game. Cheers. PS. If you are wondering about the relevance of the proverb, I'm going to try to take more steps this year (lots of them in places I've never been before and  ) hoping to  get closer to a destination I need to achieve.

KONIGSEE

SALZBURG cont.

A bus from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden and another to Konigsee and we were off to cruise to the end of this pretty lake.

The weather was beautiful, the lake was calm and the scenery magnificent.  

 St Bartholoma Abbey comes into view and the boat makes a brief stop

  

before heading off towards the end of the lake.

where the boat sweeps around and finally pulls into a small jetty.

 The next section of this journey is a walk.

First along the lake 

turning to set off through the gap in the mountains towards another lake,

crossing a tiny stream 

and through a pretty wooded area

and finally you come upon another lake, famous for its reflections.

Ah yes, this is what we came for !

Out come the cameras

  No matter which direction you look

Wonderful !

There's a path that winds round the edge of the lake

and Tony heads off clicking away

But suddenly across the lake a breeze begins to ripple the water

and as the ripples come closer and closer

the beautiful reflections disappear !

Weren't we lucky ?

Cheers.