Hello from Merry ‘Ol England

I left a rather chilly but sunny Mexico City and winged my way to Dallas, then Heathrow, finally landing in Newcastle-on-Tyne, the main city of Northumberland, UK. As you can see from the map, I am in the North country, close to the Scottish border.

I arrived, and it was raining. I have been here for almost 4 weeks, and it’s still raining! It even snowed!!! But it sure is green. The daffodils are popping up through the grass, and my skin has never been so dewy and moisturized! There have been moments of sunshine – notice I did not say days – as that would be totally incorrect. But you learn to really appreciate those moments and take as many photos as you can!

I am house and kitty-sitting for Craig and Angela, one of the nicest and most welcoming homeowners I have met in my 14+ years of housesitting. They live at The Lodge, the original gatekeeper’s cottage of Wylam Manor (which has been turned into lovely, upscale condos, is gated, so can’t just walk in and look around!). Like so many places here, both the Manor and The Lodge are several centuries old, and have been lovingly updated!!

The Lodge is warm, cozy, and so comfortable. My furry charges are adorable and fun, and the view of the surrounding countryside is peaceful and calm, with, yes, horses in the backyard. (Remember, you can click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Craig and Angela invited me to arrive a few days before they headed for the warmth and sunshine in Mexico. They took me on a wet and windy tour of the coast, a stop at their local pub for a pint, while making me feel so very welcome, and ‘at home.’

One of the places we stopped was the famous Barter Books in Alnwick, the largest second-hand bookstore in Britain. Be sure to click the link to read the truly interesting history of the bookstore and its fabulous location. It’s in the Victorian train station that served Alnwick for years. They have a delightful luncheonette in what was the Waiting Room. We had a yummy sandwich before doing some book shopping of our own.

The weather has managed to keep me inside most days, as my most logical mode of transport is my two feet. There is a bus that goes into Wylam once-an-hour, so it’s really much quicker and easier to walk when it isn’t raining.  

I did find a dry day to venture out and explore a bit of Newcastle-on-Tyne (the Tyne is the river that runs through it, and yes, they did bring ‘coals to Newcastle’). Click the link to read how and why.

To get to Newcastle, I walked 10-minutes down the road to the Wylam train station. It is one of the very few ‘manned’ train stations still in existence. A gentleman is actually up in the tower at all times, lowering and raising the gates on the main road whenever a train stops or passes through Wylam on the way East or West.

My day in Newcastle was highlighted by meeting up with Craig and Angela’s sister-in-law, Julia. I got a great view of Newcastle from the train as we came into the station while crossing the River Tyne.

We met up for tea at The Claremont Tea House on the campus of the University of Newcastle. (Love the little cream pitcher that comes with your pot of tea.) We then did a wander around the town, being sure to see the monument dedicated to Earl Grey (of tea fame), which is located in the square where daily speeches and protests for whatever cause are always ongoing. (That day it was Gaza and the Ukraine); took a walk down the High Street; over to Chinatown for a delicious lunch, which allowed a quick view of the Newcastle United football stadium, located right behind the Chinatown Gate.

With only a few days left, I must say this has been one of the most relaxing house sits I have ever experienced. The weather was the perfect excuse to start a fire in the fireplace, curl up on the sofa to read a good book, which inevitably leads to a lovely nap with two purring kittens joining me.

I caught up with some of my favorite streaming shows – The Pitt, Shetland, Shrinking, Will Trent, and High Potential. (Yes, I travel with my Amazon Firestick.) And of course, I had 2 weeks of live Winter Olympic events. I knew who won any event 6 hours before anyone back in the States! But good grief, do they ever love curling in Great Britain!

Up next is a quick stop in Brighton-by-the-Sea to visit with a dear friend from Chicago who has a family condo there. Then it’s off to London, where I’ll catch the Eurostar to Paris. Three days in Momartre before training on to Verona, with stops to see friends in Florence and Siena. I’ll catch my flight to Crete from Rome, which is where I’ll start my 6-week Greek adventure.

I haven’t a clue when I will have the time to write again – maybe not until I return to Chicago the first week in May to kitty sit for my friend, Laurie. But I promise to take lots of photos, eat lots of delicious food, meet fascinating people, and have grand adventures to share when I find the time to once again post on this blog site.

PS: I forgot to mention that homeowner Craig has recently been awarded a knighthood by King Charles for the work he did. I am totally impressed!! Unfortunately, he doesn’t walk around the house in a suit of shining armor, nor could I find his sword anywhere in the house!

And now a bit of British trivia. In the US, Ruffles potato chips have ridges. In the UK, their crisps have furrows! And I am going to try to get into Wylam tomorrow for a traditional Sunday Roast lunch at one of the four pubs in town – if it isn’t raining!

Cherrio! Until next time….