Anyone want to play?

So, Swatchy and I will be in southern Ontario for the labour day weekend. We arrive in Toronto Saturday, August 30 at 9:20 am (leaving at a horribly early hour in order to do so... but that's what was available to fly with points). Sunday we'll be in St Catherine's for the wedding, and then we leave Toronto at 4:15 on Tuesday. Other than the wedding, arrival, and departure, I think we're pretty flexible, limited only by what our mooched rides and accommodations dictate. (So if you can provide cat-free and cigarette-free travel and/or couch for sleeping, our flexibility increases beyond what my family will provide.) Anyone interested in hanging out and/or visiting yarn shops with us? Or doing other things with Swatchy so Knittah can travel-by-proxy? I think my dad and his fiancee are planning on spending Monday in Niagara Falls, so get-togethers around there are possible too.

My motivations:
1. I can't stay and/or visit with one branch of the family, because there's apparently a feud going on. (I'm only involved by proxy, but since the wedding is on the other side of the dispute, I'm thinking I should avoid causing the two sides to come into contact.)
2. The side of the family on the wedding side of the feud that is in Toronto has severe mildew problems in the house, so my health dictates that I don't sleep with them, but I can spend time with them.
3. The third option is staying in the camper with my dad and his fiancee... and frankly, the more privacy I can give them, I think, the better. ;)
4. Visiting yarn shops and/or doing other touristy stuff is fun.
5. I imagine my dad and his fiancee would prefer to see "romantic" places like Niagara Falls alone, rather than me hanging on as a third wheel.
6. I imagine my Toronto family that is on the wedding side will have wedding stuff (prep before, or clean-up after) to do, and I'd probably be in the way again.

Anyway, if you think you might be interested, send me an e-mail, and we can discuss details.

PS: I'll be out of e-mail contact (and pretty much any other form of contact) August 9-28, so we should arrange details soon.

Grasmere, Rydal, and Ambleside...and there-abouts

OK, so apparently Eliza did a crappy job on the photography. We don't have much in the way of photos from Days 4 and 5 (we're really not sure what happened there, because we remember taking lots of photos...). On Day 4, we took the bus up from Windermere to Dove Cottage (Wordsworth's former home) outside of Grasmere, and hiked up to the Alcock Tarn, which was a relatively short, somewhat steep climb up to a lovely view west over Grasmere, south across Rydal and down towards Windermere. (Not that you'd know it due to the darth of photos...) We had grand ambitions of climbing back up and continuing on to Great Rigg, further north, but our legs didn't cooperate (literally--right leg kept collapsing). So we opted for a stroll around Grasmere village, and then continued on around Grasmere and down around Rydal Water.



So the next day we took the bus up to Ambleside and trekked up to Trout Beck. The cows were a bonus:


To our great disappointment, we didn't see a single one. (where were they?!)

But it was a pretty hike up:



And a nice view down to the valley:





We walked through some lovely farms on the way down, passing a couple of wells like this:



Here's our hotel in Windermere, the very lovely (inside and out) Applegarth Hotel (we recommend it):

Day 3, going to Windermere

On day 3, we were tired. A couple from the hotel (Eliza stupidly didn't get photos...) graciously dropped us in Windermere where we were to stay for the next 3 nights. We opted for a lake cruise and lazy day. It was overcast and threatening but never rained.



We sailed to the north end of the lake and had lunch at a lakeside pub before catching the boat back. We enjoyed the scenery. A swan:



Ah yes, such graceful creatures.

And a cowboy family:



Pink cowboy hats and butterfly nets? Must be an English thing.

Walking through Windermere, we passed the local Italian restaurant. Too bad we were going to miss Frank Sinatra night, I was really disappointed:



Windermere boasts its own cross stitch and Christmas shop (ye old shoppe, I should say).



We walked out of the hotel to find dinner on the first night and stumbled upon a spectacle in the square. We had to run back to the hotel for the camera but managed to capture the last few minutes of what, it turns out, was a group of Morris (sp?)dancers. With pipe and squeeze organ and fiddle and...lots of bells...





But the juxtaposition of the Morris dancers with the Disaffected Youth was priceless:

Coniston Part 2

On Day 2, we opted for long and flat(ter). We walked the length of the lake and around the hills and farms near the sound end of the lake before making our way back. Another beautiful day in the Lake District.... A perfect day for a lake cruise (which we didn't do):



At various points we could see down and back up the lake. We could see where we'd hiked yesterday:



...and were happy we'd done it, and were happy we were doing something else today.

We found happy, peaceful goats:



and sheep of course:



Lovely valleys and farms:





And the view we enjoyed back up the lake:

The Lake District: Coniston

Eliza and I took the train up to the Lake District, staying the first 3 days at a country house hotel by Lake Coniston. Monk Coniston turns out to be a National Trust property let and managed by a vacation company that organizes group holidays around different activities. We arrived on a Friday afternoon as the odd chicks out amidst the ballroom dancers, the digital scrapbookers, and the afficionados of the Scenic Railways of the Lake District (yes, apparently there are multiple railways, and yes, many are tres scenic). It proved to be a colorful weekend.

Here are the grounds:



And looking out towards the lake:



We went to the Lake District to hike and researched the Ordinance Survey maps to select hikes. Eliza and I decided to do a challenging hike first: the Old Man of Coniston, an 800-meter climb above Lake Coniston, with 360-degree views around the lakes, south to Morecambe Bay. Like several of the days in the lakes, it began sunny and then gradually clouded over. We hiked up through farms:



Up where the real climb started, we encountered a small group of school kids on some sort of outing (on a Saturday). About a dozen 11-12 year olds, a teacher, and a professional guide. The teacher and guide were clearly Very Brave Men. And it turns out Eliza has the stamina of a 12-year-old--which is either a very good thing or a very bad thing. It was a Slow Climb. But we made it:



At the top, we asked one of the students for a photo--she wasn't too thrilled, but she complied:



Here's the valley below:



And another:



This is one of many abandoned slate quarries in the area. We couldn't figure out what the tunnel/cave was for:



And then we stumbled down the mountain. A good first day: dramatic scenery, good weather, no falls!

It's a Purl Man Podcast!

Not So Swatchy was interviewed on the It's a Purl Man Podcast during World Wide Knit in Public Day in Boston! Vicki translated, although it sounds like Not So Swatchy made a grab for the microphone. There's also an unfortunate story about bird, erm, droppings. Anyway, check out our fabulous podcast debut on Episode 52!

Sunny London Part 2

Hi Knittah!

I begged and pleaded with Eliza, so we had lunch at the Tate Modern (lovely restaurant--and got to watch the graffiti artist paint the glass--from inside the glass) before proceeding.

We caught the "Tate Boat" down the river--it runs between the Tate Modern and Tate Britain (think JMW Turner!!), stopping at the London Eye en route. So of course, we stopped off. Daunted by the long line, we sat in the park and watched people until a later boat arrived.

Here's the Eye:



And the park alongside:



The ride along the river was gorgeous. I wish we'd had time for a longer one, like up to Greenwich or something. As it was, we saw some pretty and funny sights.

Eliza liked the Lifeboat Pier: she could picture someone like John Cleese running up to it in a panic to rent (let?) a lifeboat for some crisis. It just seemed very...English and orderly...



Here's the King's Reach. (don't ask me--that's what it says)



I love all the bridges:



and more:



Lots of development along the river. Here's a quasi-Dubai-on-Thames:



The boat arrived at Tate Britain at about closing time, unfortunately, so no Turner this visit. (I know--it's like sacriledge or something.) So then we walked. And walked some more. Around Westminster. Buckingham. Green Park and St James' Park and White Hall.

So I saw the sights. And the pigeons. And the results of the pigeons:



Damn pigeons.

But then we got to Buckingham Palace...



and the lovely Queen Victoria's Memorial: (well, the Memorial, at least)



But then we got to Parliament:



And here I am with beloved Big Ben:



At this point, we were pretty much on fumes, looking for a) a Waterstone's (bookstore) and b) a restaurant. Please. And as we wandered almost deliriously, we saw this stunning bus:



Then we stumbled across this memorial:



...which I'm not really sure what to make of, as the women of WWII are all apparently disembodied uniforms...?

and tripped down the street and had a fright:



Is there no escape???

I was sort of relieved when I realized it's just (?) a restaurant.

And then we found a thai restaurant. And there was much rejoicing.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the main lifts weren't working properly, and we noticed this on our way up and down the stairs:



Isn't that backwards? I mean, the opposite of how it works here? One of the fascinating things about travel is all the opposites. Like, going through security at Heathrow, your laptop must be left INSIDE the case, not outside like here (they have better equipment). In Norway, the dial telephones start with 0 and work their way counterclockwise around the dial down to 1, the opposite of the US. And in the UK, apparently, some lifts only work in fires--again, the opposite of the US. I think a time-motion study is required. Or something. Maybe they're on to something and this would account for the weakness of the dollar...?

Anyway. Stay tuned.

Love, Swatchy C

Sunshine in London

Really. I know. But there was lots to be had.

On the first night we went to Kensington to Mr. Tumblyday's favorite Persian restaurant. We sat outside next to this lovely family:



The next day, Eliza and I walked for hours. Really. My feet were killing me. First we walked from the City to the Tower of London. Here's me:



And me again, a different angle:



One of the many great things about London is the juxtaposition of new with Olde (the official term) development. Look what's on either side of the Tower:





I made Eliza take this photo of the weather vane. I particularly like the fish gargoyles... ??



We continued down the Thames and crossed the Millenium Bridge, with a view back towards St. Paul's:



The Bridge crosses the Thames to the Tate Modern, which was the scene of some fairly, erm, large graffiti-in-progress:





I love that they have their priorities straight:



The artist at work:



And the resulting foot:



And it's not even lunch-time yet...Phew. Stay tuned...