News from the North
I can hardly believe that it’s nearly three months since we finally took the plunge and moved up to East Yorkshire. It did feel a bit daunting as we sat in the van thinking we were moving into somewhere that we had only viewed for 15 minutes. Although we miss our friends in Sandhurst and our walks in the forest, I don’t think any of us regret the move now.
Ted has settled in to his new home and has an upstairs basket for night time and a downstairs basket so he can sit in his favourite window seat in the mornings enjoying the sunshine.
Reggie and Michael, the terrapins, have a very sunny spot for their boat and don’t seem too upset by the move either although they would have liked a slightly warmer May!
It took us a little while to discover the local walks but we now have several we take the dog on directly from home and of course we only have a short drive to be able to walk either in the Wolds with their beautiful hidden valleys or at the coast.
The house and garden are a work in progress. We are beginning to plan some changes to the very colourful decor we have inherited but it is lovely to see some of our old furniture in rooms that now suit it and to have some space. It’s exciting to see what plants are coming up in the garden and Charles has some ideas for changes he would like to make next year. We love our larch tree which has been here for over a hundred years.
Emily was lucky to find a new job up here before we left Sandhurst and she has been working at the Cayton Bay Parkdean holiday resort since April. She is on their activities team and in charge of the arts and crafts hub so spends her days running sessions for anything from painting pottery to tie dying T-shirts to making soft toys. She really appreciates being part of a friendly supportive team after a less favourable experience previously. Cayton Bay has views of Scarborough castle and is surrounded by wooded cliffs where she often goes to do her running training after work.
Heather is in the throes of her final exams which started on 1st June. She has 10 in total; five chemistry and five maths. All the exams are online but the chemistry ones are for 90 minutes and the maths for 23 hours. I don’t think she is expected to actually stay awake for 23 hours but it doesn’t sound great to me! She has applied for a number of graduate jobs in the Lancaster area after she graduates but hasn’t got anything confirmed yet. It was great to see her over Easter and I think she likes our new home.
It’s good to be close to my sister again and we see each other at least once a week. We have met our new neighbours and they are all very friendly. Driffield is the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone. Charles and I have joined the U3A but at the moment most activities are online so we have only taken part in a zoom quiz so far. I’m hoping to join a choir when they are allowed to meet again and have been attending the church in Hutton which is a short drive away from Driffield. I don’t feel a stranger at church because I attended regularly with my Mum when she was alive so have met up with some old friends.
You probably know that we had our first visitors in May when Alison and Jon came to stay in a B and B in Hutton. It was good to take them to Bridlington and Scarborough and to have a proper catch up. We look forward to welcoming anyone else who is coming our way as I believe Graham and Alison might be later in the year.
With love to you all, Julia