Sunday 1 April 2018

All Good Things Must Come To An End

We've all had a lovely week. The family arrived home safe and sound a week last Friday and though Eleanor had to go back to university on the Monday, she was back home again on Thursday.

Daniel and his girlfriend enjoyed some days out in Leeds and York, catching up with people they'd met there at university and visiting old haunts, and with Mick having the week off work we also managed some nice days out despite the weather not being too good.

We had another trip to Lotherton, somewhere we visit regularly, but this time we got to see Arthur the tapir out and about in his enclosure, which he shares with the capybaras.


The flamingos have now arrived at Lotherton too, along with some Visayan Warty Pigs, an animal I've never heard of before, probably because they're one of the rarest pigs in the world. It's believed that only 200 remain in the wild.


Haworth, known for its association with the Bronte sisters, is another regular haunt, though I've never seen it as quiet there as it was this time. It was a drizzly day and many of the shops which line the steep cobbled hill were closed and I realised that we've never really visited out of season before. It did make such a difference.


Oakworth Station, just outside Haworth, shot to fame in the 1970s when it was used in the film The Railway Children. The station is still much as it was in the early twentieth century and still lit by gas lights both inside the buildings and on the platform.


We were silly to trust the decent weather forecast when we set off for Whitby, it started to rain as soon as we arrived and got steadily worse throughout the day. We still managed to have a wander round though, ducking into little shops as and when the rain got worse.


Along with the days out we spent plenty of time together at home chatting, playing games and generally enjoying each others company. It's not very often that we're all together these days so it's extra special when we are.

Mick's now on his way down to Surrey taking Daniel and his girlfriend home before turning round and coming all the way back to Leeds again, it's going to be a long day for him, though I'm hoping that the traffic isn't too bad with it being Easter Sunday. It's always sad to wave either of my children off but Eleanor's home from university now for the Easter holidays so we've still got her here for another fortnight.

Wishing you all a very happy Easter.

38 comments:

  1. Being together as a family is always an enjoyable occasion. I love it when we have a family day. I love the Yorkshire coast and country side. Have a good Easter.

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    1. The Yorkshire coast is such a familiar place to me, I learnt to walk on the beach at Bridlington, it's somewhere I've been visiting for nearly fifty years yet I still love it there.

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  2. Good to see that you enjoyed yourselves despite the weather.
    Thanks, and to you too. xx

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    1. The weather wasn't quite as bad as it could have been, at least we did manage a few days out. It's absolutely pouring today, though we were forecast snow so at least that hasn't materialised.

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  3. It sounds like you've really made the most of your time and thoroughly enjoyed your week. Happy Easter Jo. X

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    1. I like to pack plenty in when we're all home so that we make the most of the time we have together. It was a really enjoyable week.

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  4. It sounds like such a nice week together! I'm sorry you have to send them back but they'll be home again soon. Happy Easter to you and your family!

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    1. It's always sad when they leave again but we soon get back to being just the two of us. I'm sure it won't be long until we see them again.

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  5. I love to read about families getting together, takes me back to when all of mine were at home.
    Briony
    x

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    1. It's such a strange feeling when they leave home, I'm always pleased to have them here again, though of course we end up with an even bigger family now they both have partners.

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  6. Sounds lovely the time you have had with your family. Enjoy the rest of your days with Eleanor.

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    1. Eleanor's here for another fortnight so it will be nice to have some one on one time with her before she's back at uni, I'm planning a girly day out shopping before she goes back.

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  7. Nice days out, I do love Whitby.
    Happy Easter x

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    1. We love Whitby too. We usually finish the day off just along the coast at Sandsend, it's a lovely beach for Archie to have a run but the tide was right in when we went last week so Archie missed out.

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  8. What a lovely time you all had despite the beastly rain! 🐰🐰🐣🐣

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    1. We had a lovely week. The best part was just being together as a family, I do miss it as we're not often together these days.

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  9. I'm so glad that you had such a wonderful time with your family and Mick, despite the weather. That old train station is just fascinating to me & I can well imagine it being a bustling place, full of top hats and long dresses, with a crackling log keeping the staff warm (I always notice chimneys as not many houses have real fireplaces anymore).

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    1. Oakworth is a wonderful station. It's so easy to step back in time when you look at it as it's been preserved so well with original features. I loved The Railway Children when I was young and I can still imagine the characters chatting to the station master.

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  10. How lovely you got to spend time with your family - I'm hoping to come over to the U.K. this month with my daughter to visit my other daughter so looking forward to that. I hope you are continuing to enjoy the Easter break and it's not too chilly (or rainy) where you are today.

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    1. Being together with the family is my most treasured time, it doesn't happen anywhere near as often as I'd like these days but it makes it all the more special when we are all together. It's pouring down here today, typical bank holiday weather.

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  11. That all sounds great & although I've never been to Lotherton, the others are familiar to me, even the station at Oakworth as I saw the Railway Children & have also read the book (long time ago). Enjoy the rest of Eleanor's break & take care.

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    1. We had a lovely week, it's just a shame that it comes to an end all too soon. We have some lovely places in Yorkshire to visit, we're quite spoilt.

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  12. I have very fond memories of visiting Haworth in my teens, but Oakworth wasn't famous at that time. My dad always made sure that the family had an outing at the weekends so the moors and coast were regular spots as well. Hope the traffic is okay for your husband; it's a long drive to/from Leeds - I'll next be doing it in September to take my son back up to uni but I try to stay overnight. The last time I did the trip, the M1 was closed at Sheffield - it took us over 7 hours from London to Leeds! Never was a cup of tea more welcome!

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    1. We visit Haworth quite regularly as it's a lovely day out and there's a great mill shop which sells yarn close by, though I didn't buy anything on this trip. Mick did really well time wise yesterday, he said there was hardly any traffic with it being Easter Sunday, he got there and back in less than eight hours, though like your experience, it's taken him that long one way on some occasions.

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  13. Hope all the travel plans are going well, we have quite a bit of snow this morning, Easter Monday.

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    1. The forecast snow hasn't materialised here, we've got torrential rain instead. The journey back to Surrey went well yesterday, Mick was there and back in the same time it sometimes takes just one way, the roads were clear with it being Easter Sunday.

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  14. It looks like you've managed to see some wonderful sights, despite the weather (I woke up to a sea of white again this morning, but it's been rained away again). Those flamingos look quite a sight!

    Happy Easter :)

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    1. It was good to be able to get out a bit, the rain wasn't too bad so we didn't get wet but the days were quite dull. The rain is much worse today but we hadn't planned to go anywhere so I don't really mind.

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  15. Hasn't the weather been abysmal ........ it has been snowing here for about 9 hours now!

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    1. It's been typical bank holiday weather, though I'm not complaining too loudly as we had snow forecast but we got rain instead.

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  16. Some lovely special times together, that's what it's all about. I would love to get to visit Haworth one day. And maybe I'll wear my cherry scarf there too!
    Hope you have a lovely time with Eleanor still home.
    Lisa x

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    1. You'd love Haworth, perhaps we could visit together one day. I'm enjoying having Eleanor home still, it's good having time to spend together.

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  17. How wonderful enjoying such lovely family time, despite the weather!I would love to see Oakworth station one day, lucky you! Arthur is wonderful, now you have have me going off to google warty pigs, I've never heard of them! xxx

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    1. Arthur is so cute, I believe they're going to bring a lady tapir to keep him company soon. I'd never heard of Visayan Warty Pigs before either. I shall have to get a photo of them the next time we go to Lotherton.

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  18. Glad you all had a nice time together. Your photos look good, the flamingos really do look pink close up. Cx

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    1. The flamingos are the latest addition to Lotherton, though they had some before, they've now got a new enclosure. They really are very pink.

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  19. It's always lovely to spend time with family, I'm so pleased you had a good time together.
    Loved seeing your photographs, I do like those flamingos.

    All the best Jan

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    1. I'm enjoying this last week I've got with Eleanor now, we've got a shopping day planned and a meal out, but my favourite bit is just the time we're together.

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