It's half term for our school boys this week and so we are away in a lovely wee place for the holiday.
We have come to a tiny village in Cumbria, in the north west of England, where we have rented a beautiful holiday cottage along with my parents in law and sister in law.
The holiday is really part of the celebrations of the the birthday year, with my mother in law turning 70 in the summer and my father in law turning 80 last month.
The holiday kick started on Saturday with a trip to see an old steam train in action at a nearby station.
It's so very British of me to talk about the weather yet again, but, yet again, it is continuing to be so beautiful! Usually by this stage of October the winter coats are out but on Sunday we headed out to the hills in tshirts and still found ourselves a little too warm!
Rather than our usual Sunday afternoon stroll around our woods and the duck pond, yesterday we headed out on the Pennine Way. The older three boys and Auntie Anna did the full 3 1/2 miles to the top of the hill and then back again. Hubs, Ally, myself and Fraser (in the sling) accompanied them for about 1 1/2 miles before turning back. I should say that we had no intention of doing the full seven mile walk and that we didn't just give up!
The sky was a beautiful blue colour and the countryside rich in its autumn colours.
My parents in law joined us for about the first 1/4 of a mile. My mother in law had a knee replacement at the beginning of the year so hill climbing isn't really her thing just yet!
Do you see David (8) below? And the kicking action? He doesn't need a football, just anything kickable!
Today we headed across to the Lake District and had a picnic, by a lake of course. Isn't this a beautiful spot for lunch?
The Lake District boasts many beautiful lakes, mountains and outdoor shops! Calum (12) was delighted to spend some of his birthday money on some proper walking boots and plans to head up a hill early tomorrow morning with Auntie Anna to try them out.
The Lake District is also where Beatrix Potter, creator of Peter Rabbit, lived and so of course no trip to the Lakes can be complete without a wee visit to a Peter Rabbit shop and a new cuddly toy for a Peter Rabbit fan.
The weather forecast (there I go again) is for yet another dry couple of days ahead of us, so I foresee plenty more outdoorsy things ahead of us too!
Got to cram them in while we can before the season hits us properly!
Wow! What a wonderful holiday!! Our four sons cut their teeth (literally, too) on trains with the Rev. W. Audrey's railway series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Looks like James the Red Engine! The books, never mind the diecast engines, were soooo difficult to find here in America! Two of our sons, oldest Henry and youngest Ben, share their Dad's train passion and built N and HO gauge set ups in our basement! As for my passion for Beatrix Potter, our middle sons Charlie and Sam, came home from the hospital to a Peter Rabbit-themed nursery! Just this past spring, I unpacked ceramic collectibles of Peter, mostly, from those baby days to set the table for a girlfriends's tea time!! These two "boys" were home from college over this past Christopher Columbus day weekend to catch up with family, friends, sleep, some laundry, and taking their places around the dining table to enjoy a Sunday dinner ! Happy, happy Autumn from my family to yours, Kirsteen!!! Such joy oozes from your blog's photos and writing!!!
ReplyDeleteBeatrix Potter has always been one of my favorite authors and illustrators. There is something special about her
ReplyDeletelittle books that you don't get over even as an adult. What wonderful holiday. I love seeing all of the pictures and hearing of your adventures.
Love and Blessings,
Pam