A Week in North Yorkshire

We have just returned from a lovely week, camping in North Yorkshire. We jumped up and down in the River Swale and caught stones in our fishing nets. We watched the birds of prey fly at Thorpe Perrow and meandered amongst the trees. We went back in time to meet the Vikings of York and explored the National Railway Museum. We headed out on a real steam train to Leyburn for a picnic and a visit to the sweet shop. We survived the Forbidden Corner and took some time to meet the deer and enjoy the walled herb garden in the Tupgill Estate. Then finally we met up with family to stroll around the beautiful water gardens and abbey ruins at Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.

Garden Girl and Garden Boy were happy and energetic. Uncle H joined us for much of the week and made Garden Girl's holiday by agreeing to do 'One, Two, Three. Jump' at her every request. She also loved it at Thorpe Perrow arboretum where the tree canopies became ceilings for her play houses. Garden Boy loved the Railway Museum. He didn't know which train to look at first. But he was most excited by the train ride. He jumped up and down with excitement for the whole trip, pointing to things out of the window and providing us all with wonderful train sound effects.

Despite all the late nights our two little garden helpers seemed to have a surplus of energy all week and Garden Dad and I returned yesterday, exhausted but with very happy memories. Today I have been unpacking and wading through a pile of washing almost bigger than the pile of runner beans Garden Dad picked. Garden Girl went to investigate the garden and was delighted to find a handful of blueberries waiting for her. There were courgettes, marrows, cucumbers and tomatoes desperate to be picked and a little repair work needed on the runner beans where one of the strings had collapsed. The peas have been growing and are now in need of support so I will be heading out to get some bamboo poles this week and the weeds are back so there will be a busy week ahead.