Bits and Pieces and Out and About

We have just got back from visiting friends for a couple of days. Apart from the lovely time we had, we also acquired a few kilos of fabulous cherries from their tree. We received bounteous amounts from them last year as well and it inspired us to plant a cherry tree in our yard. There are fourteen cherries on it. One branch has half of them and I nearly pruned it off! It stuck out a bit and I will need to espalier the tree as it grows. This branch will now be carefully trained.

Yesterday we went to a Country show at Raby Castle. These lovely alpacas were first past the entrance gate and stopped us all in our tracks. The Suri at the front has just been shorn and their babies are so very adorable. There was plenty on to do with "Huntin', Shootin' & Fishin'" and almost every dog in Durham was there on a lead. We watched the Springer Spaniels and Labradors find, fetch and retrieve, all with their tails wagging non stop and enjoying it so much.

Then the Scurrie racing was more exciting to watch than I had expected and the beautifully matched pairs of ponies a delight to see.

Last week we went to Binchester with P and M. They were up north for a week and Sunday was so lovely we needed an excursion. Binchester is the remains of one of the Roman Settlements on the Roman road from York to Hadrians Wall and it is just up the road from us. These remains have only recently been exposed.

The main dwelling on the site had a bath house with under floor heating as shown here.

And last but not least this is Tittybottle Park in Bishop Auckland. It is a short walk from the hospital and was used in the "old days" by the midwives from the hospital who took the babies out for some air and sat here to give them their bottles. The old double ended glass feeding bottles gave their nick-name to the park.
The weather is still mild but unexciting so the next good day will be a day out in the campervan. I hear Sandsend near Whitby has fossils on the beach at low tide.

Cheers Gillian