Musical Village

The wellies were donned en masse this weekend, but despite the rain and gales that descended upon the village, the first ever international music festival took place here, and was carried off very well. I of course, spent alot of my time chasing after my two year old daughter, rather than actually watching anything at all, but she did some dancing too, and there was a music creche set up for kids, which she really enjoyed.

The pub was packed out, and not just for the Uilean pipes! It was a very cosy place to escape the rain. Nevertheless, this is England and a little rain can't stop people from having a good time. My son probably enjoyed the chocolate fountain the best, as well as running amok with his friends and buying up every sweet he could get his hands on. Yesterday the pub hosted a bbq for those that helped out with organising and cleaning up, etc. after the festival, which we (well, hubby did) did, so that was great, with lots of veggie options too.

Sunny Monday

Summer seems to have arrived at last and I am hoping it remains as lovely as it has been this weekend. We had a great weekend at home! The kids enjoyed the annual village fayre, and we had a barbeque at a friends afterwards, and then yesterday in the park! Of course this meant we ended up feeding half the village kids, but we didn't mind, and they didn't seem to mind eating veggie burgers!

We set off yesterday for Shibden Park in Halifax, but couldn't get into the overflowing car park, so we ended up at Manor Heath also in Halifax, which I really like. The park has a great victorian paddling pool which unfortunately has not been filled so far this year, due to health and safety regs, which are really getting over the top and ruining much enjoyment in the process.

The kids did enjoy the indoor jungle experience (which is free, but sometimes boring), as the butterflies were a plenty, and the terrapins and fish were all making grand appearances. I really like this part of Halifax (Saville Park area) with its wide boulevards and victorian homes, it reminds me in some ways of areas of Chicago, that also have wide boulevards through the parks. And today, well the best part of today was that I passed my driving test! I am now the proud holder of a full UK driving license!! And the downside, my dd has a tummy bug that's been making the rounds!

Earthquaking Britain

I'm a pretty heavy sleeper and my son is a really heavy one, so he didn't wake up at all last night. But I woke up with my heart racing from an unknown adrenalin rush.. then my husband (who was still up anyway) came in and said "oh my god did you feel that, it was an earthquake". I didn't realise that was what had caused my adrenalin rush, but somewhere in deep sleep my body recognised something amiss.

I guess this is not the first time an earthquake has happened here, the last one being in 1984. We experienced one similar to this living outside of Chicago a few years ago. You can read this little news bit about it. Nothing broken in our house, but some folks faired a little worse, like the man in Barnsley, Yorkshire whose chimney fell in, on top of him! The island could be cracking up...

Local Babble

These here are the Mytholmroyd gorillas, the well-known, if not well-liked welcoming figures as you come into town from Hebden Bridge. It appears that one of the gorillas has been stolen, or decided it preferred Sowerby Bridge instead, as that is where it has been located. The funny thing is, these are 6 feet tall and heavy, I would think. Its not easy to stop a vehicle on the main road and hoist them into it, and Sowerby Bridge is fair good walk with a six foot gorilla in tow!!

The figures which are carved out of wood from felled trees from the area, have been in Mytholmroyd since about 2003 I think. Made by a local sculptor with the wood provided by the council. Vandalism seems to be on the rise in the area sadly, with our own nursery being hit by teenagers breaking up the toys left outside. I could get into a very long debate about the nature of the increase in vandals, but its far too depressing. Some folks though, don't want the gorilla to come back! So that's the local babble for now.

The snow comes at last

The snow has come at last to west yorkshire, although it may not last long, so we got out quickly!!

Washed Away

I suppose walking to school in the rain is hardly something to complain about when you consider that much of West Yorkshire has been flooded this week with the rain causing the rivers to burst their banks. Parts of Hebden Bridge and Armitage Bridge were under water (despite new flood defence systems), and in places like Walsden, the train station tracks were under water so many people were left without transport.

The centre of Mytholmroyd was flooded causing the main Burnley-Halifax road to be shut down for a good part of the day. This is the only main route through the valley so my husband couldn't actually get home from Todmorden on Monday, he waited at a friend's for a few hours.

The only other option is to go over the tops (the tops of the hills) which is slow, congested at times like these, and terribly out of the way.

These pictures are courtesy of Hebden Bridge Web as I could not get out to take them!!

This lorry driver should have stayed at home. Instead he backed into the River Calder.

Things have dried up today, and its colder.

Misty Cold Morning

Its nearly the solstice and surely getting darker, making me feel like staying in bed. The past week has been terrible for my husband in terms of getting any work done with the frost..not good working with stone when its freezing cold.

I know its not as cold though as the weather right now in Chicago and other parts of the midwest. Here in pennine England we've had frost, but no snow or biting wind chill factors, at least not where I'm at. Still the frosty slate roofs make it look more like Christmas.

We've got our Christmas/solstice selection of books out this week and have been reading Elsa Beskow's Peter and Lotta's Christmas and also a book about the Winter Solstice. But my son has discovered the Tao Te Ching and is fascinated with it. Not that he understands it, though some of it he does, he's more interested in the 'truth' that my husband told him it was about. My son was really upset by seeing something on the news about global warming.. we didn't get to turn off the tv in time, and they were using this image of the earth on fire throughout the report, and that really disturbed my son. So the line in the Tao Te Ching "Heaven and earth last forever. Why do heaven and earth last forever? They are unborn. So ever living" has given him real comfort.

Tropical Hebden Bridge?

Since I couldn't convince my husband to drive to Grassington this weekend to see people dressed up and the village transported back to Dickensian England, we settled for meandering around Hebden Bridge. Saturday was the opening of a new art exhibit at the ATC (alternative technology centre) situated rather hidden, along the canal.



The exhibit by local artist Jason Elliot was his vision of what Hebden Bridge might look like in the year 2032 after serious climate change. So the stone buildings are still standing, amidst a tropical rain forest. I thought my son might appreciate some of this, what with the Jurassic Park type feel to it. But as it turned out , it was these regular cardboard house installations that caught his attention.

One can look through the windows and find various things happening in the house, along with messeges about how to reduce energy usage, conserve and save the environment. To look into this particular window, you needed 20p and then the lights went on and these strange little people moved about and took a bath!
The idea being to save water by sharing the bath- having the whole family in there at the same time I guess, and brushing their teeth too!



They did look a bit shocked though... and wouldn't you? --having people pay to see you having your bathtime?!!

An all gray day

Its another very gray day here amidst the pennine hills and rainy, as it was yesterday as well (this photo though is from last week, late afternoon sun on the leaves). We just came back from the second hand market in Hebden Bridge which was good, my little one got a new outfit -designer to boot, and brand new wellies, her very first pair! I heard that snow is expected at the end of the week, as the other side of the peak district near Sheffield has just had two inches. This is exciting for me at least, as I like a bit of snow and its better than this misting-soak-you-through rain that's happening right now. I forgot my camera though, what a terrible blogger I am, so no pics from today...

To market, to market..

In our attempt to lower our overall outgoings, avoid big supermarket chains and rely more on local shops and produce, we went to the market today, in Hebden Bridge. Its not a big market, but has all the fruit and veg we need, plus a fabulous cheese stall where I can now get a spicy mexicana cheese. I couldn't get motivated though to carry around a pumpkin for the rest of the day.. so maybe next week.

The rest of the day involved a visit to Flying Saucers paint/pottery cafe. This was our first visit, mainly to design some Christmas presents for the grandparents. I have to say it was an expensive outing that we won't be doing again for awhile. It was fun though, and my son did a mug for his grandma and an alien for himself. I did a mug with my daughter's handprint on it. She mostly wandered around 'chatting' to everyone. And although its meant to be relaxing, I would say that with a 21 month old toddler in tow, its a little nerve-wracking with all the breakable and expensive pottery on display. We pick up our treasures next week after they have been fired in the kiln.

The Best and Worst of Britain

I admit, I have been watching alot of channel 4 lately.. their programming can be quite interesting, or can be of the car crash variety. Last night it was the best of Location, Location, Location focusing on the top 20 best and worst places to live in Britain. The list was compiled based on statistics gathered for general health of the area, income/economy, school performance, quality of life (culture, restaurants, shops), environment (both green areas and carbon emissions), crime/drugs/binge drinking, and housing prices. I think that was all of it, or at least those are the major factors most of us seem to consider when moving.

I have probably been to more places in Scotland than in England, and I find this type of info informative for a foreigner of sorts! Surrey seems to be the place to live in England, as six towns in the county figured in the top ten, but its also the most expensive. Many of the worst places were middle or northern England unfortunately. Some of the top areas had downsides like high carbon emissions from all the expensive suvs, or lack of very much entertainment. Our area didn't rate either way, with the exception of Manchester (25 miles away tho') which was in the top worst due to its crime rate, with gun crime in particular.

So where was the worst place to live? Middlesbrough. High rates of obesity and poor health combined with high crime and low income made it finish above Hull, which was first last year. Middlesbrough is the first place in the UK to have talking CCTV installed!

And the best? Edinburgh -Scotland. I felt a sense of pride or at least pleasure when that came up! I feel much the same affection and 'home' feelings about it as I do Chicago. Having lived there and my son being born there, I still feel connected. And sometimes really want to move back! Of course it can be cold and grey, but as noted on the show, its beautiful with its Georgian New Town, the castle on the hill, Arthurs seat, and all the restaurants, shops and museums. Its also very cosmopolitan, so an american ex-pat fits in nicely.

Milling around..

Over the weekend we took our mooney heads out for a walk at the local nature spot, Hardcastle Crags. What's a mooney head???
Our word, or perhaps someone else out there uses it too.. it is a crabby/cranky/grouchy/tired/sluggish/unmotivated feeling in your head/body around the time of the new moon and/or full moon, hence 'you have a moon head on'..

The best cure for it is either to a) go back to bed, b) go off somewhere on your own-not really an option when you have kids or c) go out for a walk in nature. So we went to the Crags and for a two mile walk up to Gibson Mill. The mill was a new venture for us and even though we endured some whining along the way, it was a good walk and a perfect day for it.

Hardcastle Crags is known as Britains 'little switzerland' which I only just learned today... it is a beautiful wooded valley which is owned by the National Trust. Gibson Mill was built in 1800 for the textile industry which ended in 1890. Since then it has been among other fascinating things, a roller skating rink (in the middle of the woods!!!), a dance hall and a tea room. It then lay derelict for years, and now has become the National Trust's flagship environmental showcase as a model of self-sustainability. It has been renovated and has no mains electricity, water or sewer. There are water powered turbines which generate electricity, photo-voltaic solar panels which also convert sunlight into electricity, and solar hot water panels. They also use local wood as part of the forest managment for some heating. Despite all the educational opportunities, my son did enjoy it.. and especially looked forward to the food in the cafe (naturally)! There was also a supply of bird watching books, tree-identification books, and other National Trust info laying around that provided an interesting read while enjoying coffee and biscuits.

Art attack..

The local fairs were skipped this weekend, in favour of a more artful outing. We wanted to take our friends from Chicago to Yorkshire Sculpture Park while they were here, but instead found ourselves in more north Yorkshire. So this weekend we headed to Wakefield, south of Leeds and got some culture!


The main motivation was to see the Andy Goldsworthy exhibitions, including the summer snowballs which the kiddies really enjoyed (no kicking it -that's art!!) I like Andy's work as it is so organic and earth based. Yorkshire Sculpture Park is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is an international gallery for modern and contemporary sculpture. The walk around the fabulous 500 acre Bretton Estate with over 40 sculptures throughout was a wonderful way to spend a sunny day and with many sculptures being 'interactive' for kids (i.e. they could climb on them, in them), it meant all of us could appreciate the art.

We will need to go back again as I know we didn't see everything (that's the thing with kids... its their time schedule).. Some of the best sculptures were created by nature herself including this several hundred year old yew tree, not for climbing.

Mes Amies

I have been reminded this past week of how I miss having my friends around. I mean having good friends that you have known for years, that you are completely at ease with, that you can sit comfortably in silence with, or equally engage in lively debate with. Two and half years distance was closed instantly.

With my friends visiting from Chicago, we have enjoyed sharing good food, having dinners at our house and at thier rented cottage and it was so nice to be around other foodies! Its such a pleasure sharing food and low key evenings. I also played my first pub quiz and overindulged the wine, naturally...

We've also done loads of walking and I feel that I may even give mushrooms another try, and take up running, thanks to an inspiring conversation with Kathie. And now the dear friends are on their way to Manchester while we try and resume some sort of routine, sort through the photos, and wind down the summer with some local fairs this weekend. And since its Friday.. the photo..

Whirlwind weekend

With Nikki and Kathie arriving from Chicago on Friday, we've had a whirlwind weekend of sightseeing, mainly because of our fancy 7-seater rental car. Since we could only rent it for Sat.& Sun. we took in some of the most scenic areas of Yorkshire.


Our weekend started in nearby Haworth, home of the Bronte family and the Bronte Parsonage museum. Unfortunately, it just rained and rained, but in-between, we walked (Alot!)..

Knaresborough, home of Mother Shiptons cave and petrifying well was the next stop.. and I'll have to give more details about this later on. The last stop was York and on a late, rainy, Sunday afternoon, we really did just walk.. but we also had something to eat in the oldest pub in York, climbed the roman wall, and popped in to the Minster as well.

I think we are all just resting and recovering today --well all except dear husband who was the chauffeur for the weekend and is now working hard!!

More from MOSI [part 3]

There is of course more to the museum than this one exhibit... we did explore the tranport areas including the engines, trains, and the space and flight area which my husband particularly enjoyed.

Getting up close to the monsters of Doctor who was really thrilling though, and even I could see how as a kid I would've loved it (as it was, I didn't mind it now either). This one was not my favourite though, a giant talking spider.


Also known as the Empress of Racnoss.

The only queue was the one to get inside the Dalek and have your voice come out sounding like one.

One of my favourites was the Face of Boe, it was just so huge.. it scared my son at first, even in the television episode as it is rather freaky looking, but its one of the most peaceful characters, he's the wisdom keeper, the singer of ancient songs as it said at the exhibit.

The cybercontroller, the leader of the cybermen.

And then we found this guy hanging out at the restaurant?!! The Abzorbaloff (he eats/absorbs people), just enough to put you off your dinner...

A weekend in Manchester part 1

Our journey into Manchester this weekend was to MOSI, the museum of Science and Industry to see the special Doctor Who exhibit.

We arrived early enough, it wasn't crowded yet, making photo taking and kid control alot easier. The streets were eerily quiet as well, except for the booming bass coming from the park nearby, which added a sense of energy and excitement to being in the city. There was a music festival getting started but we didn't go, as it was far too loud for the kids ears, and there was just too much going on, but fun listening from a few blocks away.

The museum is located in the Castlefield area which is part of a regeneration project, with many sustainable and innovative building designs going on. The area is near the canal and had we not had so many little legs with us, I would have liked to explore the area more.

But back to the museum.. It was also Transport Weekend, and a few participants were arriving as we did.

The museum is free with the exception of special exhibits, like Doctor Who. At £5.00 a ticket for a family it wasn't outrageous, but the exhibit was disappointingly small. Nevertheless, the kids loved it, especially getting inside the dalek with the voice changer. The restaurant and gift shop was overpriced as usual.

I have so many pics from inside the exhibit, so they will appear this week in other posts. Daleks, Cyberman, Slitheen, Clockwork men, oh my...

Halifax on Sea??

As there was a break from the torrential rain that has been pounding this island, we ventured into Halifax for this 'Halifax on Sea' event, where it was advertised as a beach in the middle of Piece Hall.

I suppose our expectations were a bit high, as what it really seemed like was a couple of big sand boxes, rather than a beach. Chicago with its miles of sandy beaches has spoiled us in a way.. my niece here in England can't believe that Lake Michigan is really not a sea.. anyway, I digress..

One has to enjoy the sun while we can still call it summer, and with the kids now out of school for six weeks, the buses and everything else was pretty much packed to gills.

We did enjoy a bit of a peaceful walk along the canal, and as you can see, the water wasn't too high, as we seem to have been lucky to escape flooding in our little section of the country.
wipe out....

Hebden Bridge Kids Artfest

This was the last weekend of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival and Saturday was the kids artfest. Holme street art centre was the venue for the creative expression, or chaos, however you want to put it.

It was nice to see that in this age of increasingly complicated technology, the kids could be completely enthralled by a very simple stage performance. The performance of Storm in a Teacup done with two guys, a couple of masks and a seagull puppet, combined with music, sounds and of course humour, was very entertaining.


In the centre of the big room was a pile of dirt and plants and pots for the kids to experience a bit of gardening... and there was face painting, all manner of craft making, including tile work, and a wall mural [a piece of you] that was created by everyone attending that day.


It did get a bit stuffy inside though, and thankfully a sunny spell lasted long enough to go for a walk along the canal. My daughter enjoyed seeing the canalboats and watching them manually open the slip.

Next month when my friends (Nikki and Kathie!!) from Chicago come to visit, we may actually get a ride on one of these, which would be great considering I've been here nearly three years and have yet to do it!