April showers bring May flowers, right? Well not really here... or at least not really this year. ha! It barely rained this last month here in the North East but we did have LOADS of sunshine. Oh, pure golden vitamin D and it did our hearts and souls good. I've really been missing the southern sunshine and warmth so this last month of golden light has been a true gift. We enjoyed many picnics, hikes, parks, and some fun tea times with the neighborhood kids. It was little taste of summertime!
We celebrated Tim at the beginning of the month and spent an afternoon walking around Durham. WOW! Incredible. I can't wait till the museum and cathedral are open again!!! It's definitely on our "go back to" list. Such amazing talent in the buildings. It's amazing to stand and think how truly old the stone is!!! And how amazing the structure is to still be standing after all it's seen and been through! Just wow!
While we had so much sunshine, we took to the hills and country and did a lot of footpath walks. And we spent a few days doing field trips to Hadrian's Wall and Whitby Abbey.
April has been my favorite month in England so far!! We've met more folks, been able to attend an in person church gathering, had a few dinners and lunches with church family in gardens, met with new homeschool friends to play at parks for picnics, and have just been able to be out more! It's been great!
Our prayer for the coming month is to get into the new community garden area and begin work and clean up so we can continue loving on Mill Lane. <3
As always.... here's some (ok, A LOT) of pics. There's just SO many good places and things to show! :)
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| The kids decided Dad needed a little added decore for his bday cake |
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| Durham Cathedral - absolutely breathtaking |
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| the size alone is something to marvel at, let alone the history and story behind it |
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| an afternoon well spent |
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this kid loves reading ... and he finished his biggest book yet!
Little Women. It's a family favorite. |
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| Taking in the sights (and smells) of sheep country sides |
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| the views were breathtaking |
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| my favorite way to spend an afternoon ... |
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this picture is one of my favorites!
Such peace.
I'm reminded of so many bible passages when I'm out in the country |
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| just a picnic at an old roman fort ... |
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M is our total historian -
so trips like these are such a treasure to him.
He just lingers and has to touch it all. Every stone. haha |
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such incredible history and what a sight to behold with our own eyes.
Seriously, I could have stayed all day just dreaming about what it was like WAY back when |
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most adventures include our pup - he's gonna be a well traveled dog
They are all sitting on top of Hadrian's Wall! |
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| An old Roman Bath House - one of the best preserved and found ones yet! |
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| just taking in some steam - in the steam room! haha |
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the remains from the Roman's raised flooring.
They did this in order to heat the floors... and on a day like the one we visited on, I understand why! |
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| Love seeing history with him - Hadrian's Wall is behind us. :) |
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Taking our afternoon break in a nearby field -
FREEDOM to roam and run in green grass. |
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E read his first book this month!!!
SO proud of him. He has practically taught himself,
just by watching the others. Kinda crazy! |
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Another afternoon spent at our nearby tree, "Winnifred".
We enjoyed the warm sun, blew bubbles into the wind to see whose went the farthest,
and traced our shadows with sidewalk chalk. |
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Whitby Abbey - made mostly famous through the old book, Dracula
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But the inside put me in awe!
Man, what it would have been like to actually worship there!!!
WOW! |
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such a lovely view for our picnic - the sea was on the other side too!
Just beautiful |
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And again ... our good boy, Schafer, enjoyed the trip with us.
He like this one cause it involved the seaside as well. |
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a true Wallflower. I've never seen them before ...
but they are breathtakingly gorgeous and just seem to grow out of anywhere! |
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Down the famous 199 steps to Whitby ...
we ended up finding a nice ice cream shop ;) |
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| Definitely coming back again! <3 |
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| beach time! searching for shells, beach glass, and beach wood |
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| nearby at Ropner park, the ducks really give ya a good view! |
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This is another of the kids' favorite trees.
It has a self made fort under it's branches and they spent lots of time climbing
and setting up camp under there. Meanwhile I soak in the sun and read or play ball with the dog. |
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The house is still a work in progress and we figure out what works or doesn't work ...
this month I've been working hard in our back garden area. We still have a lot of painting to do and we hope to add a worm compost and some hanging planters on the walls, but for now we are enjoying our picnic table, flower bed, seating and grill area! |
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