What I did on my Summer Holidays, the final Chapter

Most of the time we were on holiday, we spent each day taking easy drives, and trying to cram as much of the Cumbrian experience into our days as possible. Really, a week is not long enough to do all that there is to do up there, or to see all that there is to see . . . which is the perfect excuse for us to make repeat trips. We both love that area of the country so very much, it is not hard to imagine ourselves living there one day. I expect though, that it can be a very hostile environment in the winter when the winds blow and the snow falls soft and deep . . . but in the summertime . . . it is heaven on earth.

We spent each day driving down winding narrow roads, flanked on either side by stone walls and wild flowers . . . tall trees, dark and green . . . and sometimes dark tunnels as they met and joined together over our heads. The scenery is spectacular, no matter where you go and we are mesmerized by the beauty of the rolling hillsides, dotted with cotton boll sheep . . . the fields broken into quilt-like squares, bordered by the ever present and wandering stone walls . . . the clouds making patterns of shadow upon the velveteen surface of the sloping soft landscape, dappled with sunlight here and there. It is so quiet and peaceful. Gone is the hustle and bustle of South East roads.



One day we took a small ferry across the tip of Lake Windemere to get to Hill Top Farm, which was the home of Beatrix Potter. Slow and silent the ferry cut it's way across the water to the other side . . . and then it was only a short journey in the car up a winding hillside . . . disappointment, the car park was full and so we could not go in. We, then drove on instead to the town of Hawkeshead, a beautiful little town nestled in a hillside a little ways down the road. It was a beautiful town and has a wonderful history, for, not only was it the home of the Beatrix Potter Museum and Gallery, but also the town where the writer William Wordsworth lived and received his early education.



The town was full of shops peddling Beatrix Potter memorabilia . . . but we are not there for modern day trinkets . . . we seek the artist and her history. We had a lovely time going through the museum and gallery. We learned ever so much more about her life, and it was fascinating to see her early sketches . . . even some that I had not seen before. Delightful and inspiring . . . my talents pale in comparison and I am humbled in their presence . . . and then . . . I remember that I am not a pale imitation of someone else's artistry . . . I am me and only me . . . and the best possible me.



We had lunch in the village at the Kings Head Inn. White and black beamed on the outside, and decorated with lovely hanging baskets of flowers, it beckoned us inside. Todd dined on roast lamb that was served along side of the most gigantic Yorkshire pudding I have ever seen, and I feasted on a perfectly cooked piece of haddock, moist and tender inside an airy, crispy batter . . . it lay on my plate alongside of brown and crisp hand cut chips, and the most delicious bowl of home cooked mushy peas, all minty and green, that I have ever tasted in my life . . . perfection. I wanted to take a photo, but Todd wouldn't let me embarrass him so . . .



We were delighted to be able to go through the grammar school that William Wordsworth had attended. Our host inside was very charming and funny, and full of all sorts of information about the school and it's history, and indeed about Wordsworth himself. We were told that the boys attended school for 11 hours a day, 6 days a week. Since there were very few books, most of the learning was done by rote and repetition . . . the classrooms must have been very noisy indeed. Every desktop and wooden surface lay covered in the graffiti of several hundred years, each schoolboy having made their mark . . . names and initials scarring the wood . . . thousands of names and even that of Wordsworth himself. It was fascinating.



After that we went on to Grasmere, home of the famous gingercake and Wordsworth's beloved Dove Cottage. The museum itself was fascinating, steeped with the history and poetry of this talented and inspired man, and many of his friends, which included Coleridge and Keats. I thoroughly enjoyed our tour through the cottage itself. It was awesome to be able to walk on these same floors, floors that this brilliant writer himself had trod upon . . . to look out the window at the same lake and hills that had inspired his words and thoughts . . . to walk through his garden and ponder upon the many times his feet had walked upon the very same ground and on the same stone slates . . .

Oh England I love you so . . . where every blade of grass and every stone cries out with the history of the past . . .



That night, back at our holiday cottage, we sat and watched the Beatrix Potter movie, which I had brought up with us . . . (just in case, you know how it is!) and it was just as wonderful as the first time I had seen it . . . not to mention the many times since. Ten to be exact, not that I'm counting. Todd endures it, but secretly, I think he loves it too. . . he just won't say so. Really though, how could one not watch it after having spent a most delightful day perusing her history in person . . .



Another day, we drove through the Yorkshire Dales National Park to visit a lovely little village named Sedberg. Down a winding, twisting road that led us through some of the most spectacular scenery ever, it was one of the loveliest villages I have ever seen. Known as the book town, it is full of lovely old stone buildings, winding cobbled streets, and wonderful little shops full of antiquities and old books. We spent a lovely couple of hours there just ambling and browsing. We fell in love with this sleepy little village . . . and romanticized living there one day, while we sat in a little tea room and feasted on fresh fruit scones and butter.



After that we waved goodbye and drove on to Hawes, which is the home of the Wensleydale Creamery. We didn't take that in this time, having already done so on our last visit to Cumbria. Instead, we just walked the sleepy streets and wandered . . .



Another day we took a coach trip across the dales again . . . this time to the Market town of Barnard Castle.



Not just any coach though . . . a classic coach from the 1950's, which had the most charming conductor. All the passengers seemed to be in a jolly holiday mood and full of festivity as we set off. There was even a little dog on board, sleeping away in his little carrier.

We crossed some really spectacular views as we made our way across the Dales, and were really up quite high at some points. Other parts were very bleak and barren, and I remarked to Todd how I thought a body could probably lay there for days hurt and injured before help would come along. It was so much fun seeing it all from this quaint old coach and listening to the other passengers chatter along the way, not to mention it's grinding motor and the smell of leather seats and motor oil. One felt almost transported back in time, and we were not in modern day Yorkshire . . . but an episode of Heartbeat instead . . .



One day we went down to the southern part of the Lake District and visited Sizerg Castle, a large and imposing Medieval house, which is still lived in by the same family as has always done so . . . it had some of the most spectacular gardens I have seen. We took a lovely walk through them while we were waiting for the house proper to open. There were beautiful little ponds secreted here and there, and a lovely herbaceous border full of beautiful flowers.



I loved the kitchen garden which was just the sort one dreams of having for themselves. The gardens were very wild and unkempt, in the Victorian manner, perfect and un-contrived . . . well cared for and yet seemingly not.



There were beautiful ferns everywhere, some of them very rare, and I was totally enthralled by a wonderful stone staircase that had been taken over completely by wild daisies . . .



Our last day there we decided we were going to do something different. and so we took the Settle Carlisle railway up to Carlisle. The station just outside of Kirkby Stephen was beautifully kept and so quaint and picturesque and we passed through some gorgeous countryside on our 45 minute journey.



Carlisle itself, while quite a large town, had its interesting features. There is a huge area that is totally pedestrianized and easy to walk through. Although it is mainly shops, and much the same shops that you would see on any high street, there were also buskers entertaining the shoppers with their music and talents, as well as a huge carousel for the kiddies. We discovered a lovely museum of Victorian Childhood life and spent an hour or so in there, with great interest.



The really exciting part of our day in Carlisle came when we went to catch the train back to Kirkby Stephen. We walked back into the station in good time so that we would not be in a rush and perhaps miss the train and we saw it sitting there waiting already, so we both looked at each other and thought, why not get on it early and get a good seat?? That's just what we did, only a few minutes after we settled in to our comfy and well situated seats, the train started to move . . . a full 20 minutes before it should have done!!

I remarked to Todd . . . "Is it usual for a train to leave so early and before schedule?" "Not really!"was his reply as he got up to go and find the conductor . . . Sure enough, we had boarded the wrong train, and were now on our way to Newcastle, completely across the country. Oh dear! We had to sit on the train until it stopped at the first station on it's schedule, and then cross over and catch another train back into Carlisle, and then the right one back (a much later one of course!) to Kirkby Stephen . . . We thought the train was never going to stop as it raced through town after town, tooting it's horn and speeding up along the way . . . it was a good 45 minutes before we were able to get off and turn ourselves around. Never mind though, it was an extra bonus and we got to see some more beautiful scenery that we had never seen before!



I am sure you are quite tired now of reading about all our holiday adventures, and I thank you for your patience in reading along with what I've written. It really was a lovely week and it was so nice to get away and relax in a quiet beautiful place. We were largely cut off from everyone while we were there, as our cell phones would not work for most of the time and there was no sky television to intrude upon our days and nights . . . it was very peaceful and relaxing and, well . . . like any holiday, it was sad to see it end . . . the saddest part of any holiday is feeling it come to the end, but, then again . . . it's always nice to arrive home at the end, because . . . after all, as we all know, there really is no place like home!

It was a bit cooler here yesterday, with a lovely breeze blowing throughout most of the afternoon. It kept blowing our plant pots over, but it was a lot cooler, so no complaints here! I made us a simple supper when I got home from work of a delicious Chicken Caesar Salad. One of my favourite meals! I added some chunky baked chips on the side for Todd. It's an easy meal and a delicious meal and so very nice after a hard day at work.



*Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad*
Serves 4

This is one of my favourite meals in the summer. I just love it!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
garlic powder
1 head of Cos lettuce (romaine) broken into pieces
(Yesterday I used ruby coloured baby gems, which were lovely)
2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of croutons (I make my own, see below)
1/2 cup of prepared Caesar Salad dressing (again I make my own, see below)

Fire up your grill. You can use a gas grill or like me, an indoor grill. I use my George Foreman lean mean grilling machine. It's quick and I can have them cooked in about 5 to 6 minutes. Rub your chicken breasts all over with the salt and black pepper and some garlic powder and grill them in which ever method you prefer until they are just cooked, but still juicy and not dried out. (Just make sure the juices run clear when you prick them with a fork) When they are done, remove them from the grill and set aside to rest while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Break the romaine into pieces and divide it amongst 4 chilled plates. Drizzle with a bit of the salad dressing. Slice the chicken into pieces diagonally and lay them across the salad. Drizzle with some more dressing and then sprinkle the top with some Parmesan Cheese and the croutons. Serve. Place the remaining dressing on the table so that people can add more if they wish.



*Creamy Caesar Dressing*
Makes approximately 1 cup

3 (oil-packed) anchovies, rinsed and patted dry
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
1 large egg yolk
2 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Put all the ingredients with the exception of the oil in a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil in a slow stream through the hole in the top of the lid, until completely emulsified. Store, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.



*Toasted Garlic Croutons*
Makes 2 cups

1 small ciabatta loaf, cut into cubes (I like to use the olive one!)
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and squashed

Put the olive oil in a skillet and heat it slowly along with the clove of garlic. When it becomes very fragrant add the cubes of ciabatta and cook, tossing and stirring, over medium high heat until they are toasted on all sides and crisp. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.