The latest news is that Daniel and I (and our two cats) are moving to York before Christmas. Very exciting! The other day we both went to York to see what it's like and I instantly fell in love with it. It reminds me of Winchester but larger and, dare I say it, nicer. Although I did love the St Catherine's hill walk in Winchester and the walk to our favourite pub in Shawford called The Bridge. I do occasionally have pangs for Winchester. But anyway, here are some photos I took.
Yorkshire wheel, right by the train station. It was the first observation wheel of its kind in North Yorkshire, and was inspired by the London Eye which opened a few years earlier. At 54 metres (177 ft), it was somewhat smaller than the 135 metres (443 ft) of the London Eye, but could be no higher than York Minster, York's skyline height limit.
Rowing on the River Ouse which runs through York. The Ouse is partly formed from the River Ure and the combined Ure/Ouse river is about 208 km (129 mi) making it the sixth longest river in the UK.
There were lots of very friendly squirrels in the Yorkshire Museum Gardens.
York Minster. I just couldn't get far out enough to get all of it. It's pretty impressive and one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. It clearly charts the development of English Gothic architecture from Early English through to the Perpendicular Period. The present building was begun in about 1230 and completed in 1472. It has a cruciform plan with an octagonal chapter house attached to the north transept, a central tower and two towers at the west front. The stone used for the building is magnesian limestone, a creamy-white coloured rock that was quarried in nearby Tadcaster. The Minster is 158 metres (518 ft) long and each of its three towers are 60 metres (200 ft) high. The choir has an interior height of 31 metres (102 ft). I think that's about enough info you'll need.
All in all, York seems lovely and I am especially pleased because it has about five decent craft shops which suits me just fine. I didn't see many charity shops which is a shame as I acquire much of my craft material from charity shops and freecycle. Maybe I just needed to look harder for them instead of spending hours in cute little gift shops. I particularly liked the Shambles, an old street in York lined with shops selling all sorts of lovely stuff. I had to restrain myself in the Peter Rabbit shop. I could have so easily walked out with tons of stuff having spent tons of money.
On the whole, I think we'll really enjoy living in York and it will certainly make a big change from living in Stoke-on-Trent which is decidedly lacklustre. Although I will miss my allotment and leaving Flossy's patch will be hard.
Signpost marking the Shambles.
The ruins of York's medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's Tower. Built originally on the orders of William I to dominate the former Viking city of York, the castle suffered a tumultuous early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. After a major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defences uninhabitable, York Castle continued to be used as a jail and prison until 1929.
It will be good living in a place that has 2 veggie/vegan restaurants (Stoke has none!). I really loved El Piano. It is completely vegan and the owners are absolutely amazing. They also do weddings there. Worth keeping that in mind as I would actually like to get married in an unconventional place. I'd love to get married in the woods but in England it's not possible to get a license to do that.
Anyway, back to crafts. Here are some ideas:
Owl mobile. Enough said.
Painted stones. I have tons of stones at home. I have often thought about painting them with chalkboard paint and using them as place cards for a rustic wedding. You could write the guest's name with chalk.
I think these earrings are made from bicycle inner tubes. I have been meaning to make crafts using bicycle parts since I collected a bike advertised on freecycle. It's still in the shed. My PhD is preventing me from crafting at the moment. Grr...
Wood glorious wood. I have enough wood to build me a house! This reclaimed wooden coat hook is so pretty and rustic.
Have you guessed yet that I am obsessed with squirrels? I found these squirrely handing decorations in the Cath Kidston store. So pretty. They're made of felt and would be so easy to make.
I was going to make bunting with my second hand copy of Peter Rabbit but greetings cards would work just as well.
Dried rose buds heart wreath. These are so sweet and I know just the shop in Manchester that sells dried rose buds. It's a Chinese supermarket and the rose buds are actually for making tea!
Small houses made from cardboard and covered in fabric. Again, I have been planning these for ages now. I have been saving cardboard from cereal boxes for about a year and have tons of different fabric, just need the time to make these!!
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