Worin

A Day in Worin

 
I had a really interesting day in Worin today. Where is it? Drive from Berlin east towards the Polish border and stop just before the border and head north, drive for five minutes and stop. You will be in Worin with its 400 inhabitants.

Why today? Because Marita wanted to visit Bärbel who is facing a difficult operation and Marita is on holiday this week because the kids have a weeks holiday from school. She called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to go with her. I answered, 'Of course', so she picked me up and off we went.

It is at least five years since I saw Bärbel in her wonderful old Brandenburg village house. If only this house was in Berlin I would buy it somehow. Bärbel and her husband have a two storey barn as big as the house which they have converted into a huge  workroom with a guest room in the top floor and a workshop in the bottom floor. There are books everywhere and I counted at least three workrooms with computers.

Marita wanted to visit Bärbel because of her illness and just to relax in the country. We were warmly greeted and then had a light lunch of green bean soup with a dry white wine and fresh fruit salad to follow. Later we went for a walk and then I took these photos of the village and area. One is of a house in the village, the local church with its wooden spire and finally the local lake.

Back in the house we enjoyed fresh ground coffee and apple cake and lots more talking until I had to drag Marita towards her car for she wanted to be in Berlin to pick something up from a bookshop she had ordered. We hit Berlin and the bookshop a few minutes after it had closed. Ah ...well....at least it was a special day with Bärbel in her village and perhaps we'll meet there again next summer.

News from Oviedo

News from Oviedo

Endlich etwas aus Oviedo von Jan zu lesen.  At last news from Jan in Ovieda. He wrote a round robin e-mail in German to all his friends,  then one in English with almost the same news in it. I got both. Nice to be honoured.  He included some nice photographs.

He ended his German report with the following words to explain why he had sent us his new telephone number. " Außerdem bin ich nicht so der Freund des geschrieben Wortes." That must be the understatement of the year, mein lieber Jan! That has a special meaning for me - oder? At least he is using das Genitiv in his German. Nice!

He later forwarded a photo of his old football club in Rhode Island. They had contacted him and so he forwarded it to me. Nice memory of seeing him play with the team on my first Sunday in Rhode Island. His team won then. I hope they are still winning.

He wrote that both he and Arancha are well and happy to be living in her parent's old flat in Orviedo. He is busy learning Spanish each day and struggling to learn the grammar and has been offered jobs but in exciting places in Africa.

Of course he turned them down for he wants to be in Spain with Arancha, which we can all understand. He is optimistic that it is only a matter of time before he gets the right offer, and I agree with him.  Watch this space for more news!

Bateson News

Bateson News!

Just got an e-mail from Alan and Lynne with a photograph. Wonderful photo and had to share for many of you know Alan and Lynne.

They left to visit family just after I spent my first weekend with them in Cas. I got an e-mail when I was in the UK saying they were okay, had an interesting stop-over in Bangkok and were on route to see Paul and Beth in New Zealand. This they did and then flew to Sydney to see Daniel and then to Melbourne.

They are staying in Melbourne in St. Kilda near the beach. They are near to Peter and Rebecca and to the latest Bateson.......roll of drums, spotlight and enter.....Jake!  Here you can see him in the tender hands of Lynne while Opa Alan plays with one of his toys. Great .... now put the toy down Alan!

They said the weather is better in Melbourne than in NZ or Sydney (time to move Daniel!) they are having a great time and then Alan added he had been to the Yarra Valley Wineries but didn't drink anything. What! You could have told them to ship me something, Alan!  Now to the photo. More please.

Silsden

Views of Silsden

I spent more time on this holiday in Silsden than I have for nearly 50 years. Fran and Geoff were very tolerant in letting me just move into their house and do my own thing hopefully without disturbing their routine too much. I took a number of photos of the town as I wandered around. Most, however, were taken on a long walk with Warren. We wandered along the valley bottom on lanes crossing, or parallel to, the canal.

I thought of my Friday Photoshop group in Berlin and our new theme which is 'gardens'. Although they are not of a garden they could form a background, or be used to cut out plants etc. and transfer to another background. Playing with layers, Geoff - as you showed me! Some of the photos are reproduced here and if you really want to see more of the area, look at the local web page. Type the usual 3w's into your search engine window followed by Silsden.Net  and you will get there in seconds.

 I know I made the right decision to spend extra time  in the North and not run around the country as I did years ago trying to see many people and places. No more. I was happy to say my goodbyes to Fran and Geoff at Liverpool airport and fly back to Berlin. I don't think England ever was  my home. I know where it is and it's not Berlin, but that is another story. Now to the photos. 

Andrew-Adele

Andrew and Adele

My last Saturday I spent with my nephew Andrew and his wife Adele. Also in the act were Olivia, Scarlett, James and Paula. A very pleasant evening indeed.

We started with a visit to Ilkley which is not far from where they live. I got to walk along The Grove with the lovely Olivia on my arm. She tried to help me with Spanish for she has it at school. We forgot the word for 'where/is' ... all my brain threw up were the German(wo ist) and Hindi(kahan:) words. We were just outside my favorite bookshop so we dashed in and consulted a Spanish dictionary. Donde/de donde es. We exited the shop much to the confused looks of the assistants, and resumed our jaunt with more Spanish. Thanks Olivia, I really enjoyed my saunter on The Grove with you!

Adele wanted me to try some 'Fat Rascals', only obtainable at Betty's, so we all squeezed into the shop section and she bought some for later with tea/coffee. That was the first thing we did on our return. Their friends James and Paula then arrived and we gathered in the drive to admire Paula's one week old Alfa Romea. That done it was time to start early evening drinks. I did the honours by producing my mix of G&T, which I had brought with me. The mix was clearly a success judging by all the 'Oooohs' and 'Aaaahs' after the first mouthful.

Andrew then retired to the kitchen to cook a delicious evening meal (a la Spain), while everyone chatted away and sipped another of my popular G&T. It is also popular with friends in Berlin in summer who always ask me to mix it. The secret is the amount of ice and lemon. A good time was had by all. I got into my taxi rather late and thought of all the things I had heard and seen - and tasted - as I was driven back to Silsden.

Harrogate

A day in Harrogate

On the last Friday of my stay, I went to Harrogate with Fran and cousin Barbara. I hadn't been there for more years than I wanted to know and Barbara's mum, my aunt Ethel, always had a soft spot for the town. I had almost forgotten the lay out of the centre but then I remembered it lay close to a large park and garden area.

The town owes its fame and building expansion to the post 1850's, which saw the advent of railways and brought the 'Victorian Gentry' there to drink and bathe in the sulphurous water.

It became a fashionable Yorkshire spa town. New hotels, shops and restaurants were built to cater for the increase in visitors and their needs.

There is also a 'Betty's Traditional Tea Rooms' on a prominent corner opposite the park and large hotels. We went there for 'Traditional Afternoon Tea' and I was sure I heard a smiling Aunt Ethel whisper in my ear, "Don't forget to stick your little finger out when you raise your tea cup"! A very nice day with some photos to remind me of the jokes and fun we had discovering new places and things to buy - or not!

Nick and Julie

Evening with Nick and Julie

Spending an evening with Nick and Julie is one of the nice events I look forward to on my visits to Silsden and area. Nicholas Bolton is the second son of Ian and Dianne Bolton (who some of you know or have heard a lot about) and there is no secret that he is the son I wanted to have. He married the delightful Julie fifteen years ago and I went to their wedding. They then begat Laura and Matthew!

Julie qualified as a teacher at the end of last year and now teaches maths and sciences at a local elementary school - the perfect person for such work. Dianne also ended up as a maths and science teacher. becoming head of department at a grammar school in Bradford, and son number three ended up as a teacher. Clearly a talent in the family.

Dianne was waiting for me when I arrived. We hadn't seen each other for fifteen years. She took early retirement last July and was having a problem to adjust. I had the same last year so we talked about that and agreed to meet up for a longer talk about events in out lives over the missing years. Some days later we met in Keighley and had a nice long chat, over tea and cakes of course.

She left early so I had time to talk to Laura and Matthew. We had a meal together, with a nice glass of wine, and the chat continued. Being a photographic family I had to take a few photos and both Laura and Matthew love to pose. A really happy family evening spent with no radio or tv droning in the background.

Ilkley

Days in Ilkley

I had a number of days in Ilkey with family or on my own. It is on the other side of 'Nab End' mountain in the River Wharfe valley. Silden is on the other side of the mountain in the River Aire valley. Ilkley had a lot to do with my mother's family for hundreds of years. Between Ilkley and Harrogate were the farms and land owned by her mother's family for hundreds of years. The family grave is also in Ilkley, near the curve in the river in the valley bottom.

My mother always liked going there with friends, or with her sisters. It was something special. Visits ended with tea and cakes in 'Betty's Traditional Tea Rooms' on The Grove. The family jewellers, Phillips & Son, was near to Betty's and it was there that my mother and grandmother had my signet ring made for my 16th birthday. Ah....memories!

When I was 16 and studied at Leeds I would sometimes spend Saturdays in Ilkley. This included going to the local Picture Palace and buying my first posy outfit of tight on the leg Italian trousers, shoes with pointed toes, a short brown raincoat with belt and a short brim trilby hat! It was very 'in' then! It still didn't manage to get me a date with Vera Potter at college, with whom I was madly in love.

My visit with Fran and Geoff was interesting for they took me to the relatively new Senior Citizens Centre  overlooking the central car park.

We had a light lunch and I wondered around. It reminded me of the 'Oldie' Centre I go to each Friday afternoon for my Photoshop course led by Stefan. If I lived in Silsden I would certainly go to activities at he new centre at least three times a week.

I bought some books at a shop on The Grove and a copy of Private Eye and was pleased to see it hasn't changed over the years. One of my later visits was with Andrew and family. Always nice to return to Ilkley. I took photos of the centre including the railway station, town hall and library and The Grove.

Warren

Warren

Fran and Geoff have two sons and the younger is Warren. We celebrated his 33rd birthday just before I returned to Berlin. I saw his new house, used his internet link and he acted as my chauffeur on a number of days out.

He is very busy with some new jobs, meeting friends and catching up on the latest about computers from Alex, with whom  I also had an informative chat. Thanks for all you help Warren!

Now a couple of photos of him in front of the new house with his cark parked upfront. The other is of him posing in his outfit just after he had returned from work.


         

Skipton

Day in Skipton

After adjusting to life in Silsden with Fran and Geoff, I set off for a day in Skipton. It is called The Gateway to the Dales in all the tourist literature. I have always liked the centre with its church and castle at the top of the main street which is flanked by cobblestones. It also has the Leeds and Liverpool canal near the centre. All part of the Industrial Revolution which brought the raw material to the area for its textile mills and engineering factories. Skipton somehow escaped that, as did Ilkley, and were always known as the more 'genteel' towns in the area.

For me, the main attraction  is the bookshop opposite the bus stop and Co-op store. I can spend hours there just going through the stock. I bought seven books and all for about a third of the full price for the shop only sells surplus discounted books. I wandered along the main street looking at the market stalls, and smiling at the exchanges between customers and sellers in the broadest of Yorkshire accents and thinking that no matter how long I lived in Berlin I would never be able to understand the Berlinisch banter in the same way.

I found a butcher's selling fresh Pork Pies and bought two. I took them to the church garden and found a bench overlooking the street where I slowly ate a succulent freshly baked pork pie as the sun set over the town. Mmmm .. I could eat one now! Here are a few views of the town centre.

Alan and Lynne

Alan and Lynne

I cannot imagine ever going to Yorkshire without seeing Alan and Lynne in their house so full of memories. Each time I enter I am back again in the wonderful world of a happy growing family, sport, music, piano, singing, drawing, painting, doing homework in the dining room when the table was not used for meals, and wondering how Lynne coped with so many males around her with their demands and interests, and last but not least wondering  how on earth Lynne did all the washing (mountains of football clothes!) , ironing and  preparing so many meals. The perfect world to drop Jan into when he was 11 and had to learn English. What an investment that was!

And so I walked through the back door again into the kitchen and saw the famous 'Office Table and Chair' next to the telephone in the large entrance hall. It doesn't ring now to deliver bakery orders but calls from sons, daughter, grandchildren, in-laws and sometimes someone from Berlin!  They made us all welcome in their usual friendly way and within a few minutes I noticed how Pam and Barry were talking with them as if they had known each other for years rather than for a few minutes.

Later that evening I had another interesting experience. Although they know I am an atheist I usually go to their church just to see and hear how a group of people communicate with each other. A north of England church gathering is like a social club with more or less rules and rituals and that goes for all religious gatherings. This time it was to celebrate a couple's 50th wedding anniversary. I wouldn't have missed it for the moon. It was truly a one-off experience. The atmosphere was happy with lots of humour and jokes. We played some interesting games and won prizes  - even I won one! And the food was home made with a variety and quality that would put all the TV chefs to shame. I had left my camera at their house for I didn't want to be intrusive. What a pity for our hosts would have welcomed more photos.

Next day I talked to Paul in New Zealand then we went out for lunch in village pub offering a carvery. It was excellent. After, we had a lazy drive to Silsden. Tea and chat  with Fran and Geoff before they set off on the return journey via the scenic route over Ilkley. Next day Alan and Lynne flew to New Zealand and Australia to see sons No. 3,4,5 and son No. 4's new son. They are still there as I write this note. No doubt enjoying time with all the family there. These photos were taken in the living room. I have a copy of the photo they are pointing to. Its of the last Bateson Gathering!

Barry and Pam

Barry and Pam

They picked me up at Liverpool Airport and that was a lesson in communication. I had sent out an e-mail to all family and friends about my travel details and included my UK mobile phone number. They recorded everything - unlike some others! There was an accident in the Mersey Tunnel which delayed them so Pam sent an sms. I got it a few minutes after landing and opening the UK phone so was able to call back, and keep up to date on progress.

I really like their house and garden so took a lot of photos from which I selected a few for this report. I spent a day with Pam mainly shopping and just seeing something of the area after dropping Barry off at work. I bought lots of clothes to leave at Fran and Geoff's so I don't have to carry so much on further visits. At my request we ate fish n chips on my first evening. No surprise there!

On Saturday they decided to drive me to Castleford rather than let me take the train. They said they also wanted to see Fran and Geoff and Barry's mother's grave at Ilkley. So I readily agreed. On the way we stopped at a new shopping centre near the Mersey and found the Apple shop. I had discovered there wasn't an Apple shop anywhere in the north, where I was heading, so we galloped into the Liverpool store so I could buy the new update for my macBook operating system called Snow Leopard.

I took my macBook with me to work on the Photoshop program in the laptop with Goeff. Barry and Pam are solid Window fans and were amused by my little Apple toy. You can see this from the photos. After buying the update, and seeing a little more of the new prestige shopping centre, we returned to the car and hit the starter button. In a few hours we were in Castleford having tea with Alan and Lynne before Barry and Pam set off for Silsden and Ilkley.  A great start to my UK holiday.

Back in Berlin

Back in Berlin

I had a really interesting time in England with friends and family and did not run around as usual. I took time to wander around the area and even saw places I had last seen 50 years ago!

Spent most of the time in Silsden with sister Frances and my brother-in-law, Geoff -- and their dogs Danny and Rosie of course. I shall post short reports with photos over the next few days.

I have slipped back into life in Berlin including meeting my old Friday gang at an 'Oldie' Centre where we learn about working on photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, under the guiding hand of Stefan the course leader. I also got some tips about using layers from Geoff for he is something of an expert on this programme.