Tuesday at the Sculpture Park

What a beautiful day it was today on the way to Wakefield and the Sculpture Park. .. blue skies and warm Sun all the way from Stanhope to South Yorkshire and the Sculpture Park in a park dominated by Henry Moore.

We wandered about admiring the artwork and picking apples and pears from the trees. After coffee and croissants we wandered some more before lunch of falafel and sea bass with chips to share. Another, longer walk revealed even more sculptures including Anthony Caro as well as more Moore, before returning to base having met Hilary Friend who lived there many years ago with her family.

A swift drive home along the M1 via Leeds included a stop at Piercebridge Garden Centre for tea, compost and a Buddha for the front garden. What a day eh dear readers. .. as for tomorrow who knows where we'll go ...?

Monday in Stanhope and Barney

So, dear readers of Wear and Dao,  another week begins in Stanhope with strong coffee and porage and a walk into the village for a haircut and a wet shave, followed by a visit to see Gillian the angel of Stanhope for a cup of tea and a chat about Wheels to Meals and other things.

Home for lunch then off to Barnard Castle via the travel shop all to sort the passport of the blogger's partner to enable the winter 3 week holiday in Cyprus in November. Then it was home again to Stanhope before popping over to see Julianne to sort out the details of the property transfer of the Retreat House at 5 Railway Terrace which is dragging on somewhat thanks to the solicitors.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the plan is to visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, South Yorkshire. Well that's the plan anyway, let's see how it pans out shall we dear readers! Anyway, the Sun continues to shine, so what could possibly go wrong ...

Sunday ending the weekend. ..

Well here we are dear readers of Wear and Dao, another weekend comes to an end as Monday looms on the horizon. An early wander around the village for some shopping was followed by cooking a lovely lunch of toad in the hole with strawberries to follow ... after which we headed up the Dale and over to Alston for a walk, rehearsing for a possible Camino de Santiago de Compostela!

We took the little steam train up to Slaggyford and walked back picking raspberries for tea. Now dear readers, who knows whether another Camino de Santiago de Compostela is possible, but the walk this afternoon was excellent fitness training anyway.

Tomorrow, Monday, there's things to do in the village, and with luck you'll hear about it tomorrow. Let's see shall we?!

Saturday shifting

Well here we are again dear readers, a warm Saturday in early August in Stanhope in Weardale and stuff to shift around to make life a little easier. It's often said by chaps with Luton vans: "No job too small", but surprisingly it was tricky find a man with a van prepared to shift a bed from Railway Terrace to Rose Terrace then pick up a couple of mattresses and take them to Bishop Auckland. Our saviour finally was found in Hope Street in Crook - Andy who had moved your old blogger into Wear View by the River Wear in Stanhope some years previously.

That was arranged yesterday when the morning included a trip up the Dale for a coffee and muffin at Chatterbox cafe in St John's Chapel followed by a walk up Slitts Wood collecting raspberries and blackberries for later use indoors, to combine with the apples and rhubarb scrumped from an empty house by the river in Stanhope.

After lunch of eggy bread with salad we spent some time moving furniture about upstairs to prepare for Andy's arrival today. Then we rang our solicitor in Crook to finalise the house sale and went shopping in Front Street for essential supplies for lunch today. So that's your update dear readers!

Stanhope into the weekend

Friday 5th August 2022 dear readers of Wear and Dao, and the weather continues dry and warm as the weekend approaches.

After the break in Bournemouth, Stanhope remains to be the place to be ... the seaside is great in the summer and also the hills of the North Pennines! Home is where the heart is after all ... and the heart is here now.

Where better to lounge about reading  ( Mark Haddon's amazing "The Porpoise") and writing the blog you see before you.

As for the weekend, well, we expect to complete the contract for the sale of 5 Railway Terrace very soon and bank the money enabling more holidays including Cyprus in November for 3 weeks. What a life eh dear readers!

The Royal Bath Hotel

Monday August 1st 2022 and it's off to Bournemouth for a short holiday down South at The Royal Bath Hotel. The traffic was remarkably light and your old blogger and his partner made the 350 miles in around 7 hours including one stop for fuel and picnic and pee.

Of course these parts are well known to your blogger, who spent his childhood hearabouts.

Bournemouth is a great tourist place and since it's the summer holidays where better to spend a couple of days before heading West to The Eden Project.

Bournemouth, Wimborne and back

The last day of the short break in the Royal  Bath Hotel entailed a trip on the upper deck of a bus to Wimborne.

Before that an early walk along the promenade saw old chaps prospecting for coins that dropped from the pockets of folks enjoying the golden sands the day before. Then came a full English breakfast to fill the tummies since breakfast was included in the price. The trip to Wimborne followed and was certainly a more relaxing way to see the countryside. .. have bus pass, will travel is the motto hereabouts!

Let's see what tomorrow brings shall we dear readers ...