A Weak Week

I've had a quiet and relaxing week.  It's been my first half term where I didn't go anywhere.  I've baked and had a couple day trips but mostly did a lot of sketching and thinking.  Here's what I've done.

Butter tarts on Monday, Red Lobster tea biscuits on Tuesday, Apple cake on Friday.

Earlier in the week I did all my laundry and hung it out to dry in the beautiful sun, then it rained and that was followed with hail.  So I brought my laundry in and then took it out a few minutes later when it cleared up and then brought it in again and again.

On Wednesday, Graham took me to Horncastle to see the remains of a Roman wall and then to Coningsby to see the Lancaster and the Battle of Britain museum.  These are the planes that fly in the yearly memorial.  This is just regular maintenance.

A Hurricane

Spitfire, MK2 I think.

Spitfire, MK5 I think.

And the Lancaster.  I feel close to dad at times like this.  He was a ground mechanic for the Lancaster during the war and eventually was an ammunition technician.  He received commendation for a design change in the bomb dropping mechanism. I am very proud of him.  Who knows, maybe he worked on this one.

Then on Thursday I walked over to Burger King for lunch.  Then this floated by from across the street. A giant ship, loaded with cars from the dock.

On friday we went to the camera club.  Diane showed us how to paint with light.  She used a light stick programmed with the images you see here.  The stick flashes a red/blue/green light just like an ink jet but with light.  The camera is on the longest exposure and she walked across a blacked out room and this is what you get.

 

Then today I went to Barton Agnes Hall to see the snowdrops.  Below is a farm, their buildings are so different from ours.

The beautiful home which is still lived in but the family.  The original home was built in 1187AD and the property has never been sold.  This part was built in 1601/02/03

Brussel Sprouts.

This is the original building from 1187.

And this guy was guarding the cottage next door.

Does Ontario or even Canada in general have anything this old?

This is The Island Life

Sometimes I need to pinch myself and remember that England is an Island and I live on the coast.  When I walk out my front door this is what I see.

A pretty park where dogs run and poop at their own will.  A river/overflow creek this side of the embankment. Not so bad.

Then I walk through the park across a small bridge and then once on the other side this is what I see.

I walk about half way down and now you can see the top of the cargo ship in the docks.

Then I walk a bit more, about 10 minutes in total, and this is what I see.

As Gwen from our camera club called a similar picture "A Sea of Cars".

I walk up the highway for a minute and the fishing trawlers are docked. right in front of a local shopping mall.

Not to mention, the whether. Today it was beautiful when I woke up and I decided that I could do my laundry and hang it out.  Ten minutes later, the rain came down then we had snow and then hail.  "No bother" (that's British) I'll hang them inside to dry.  Then it was sunny again so out I went with my laundry, then in it came, then back out then back in.  You get the idea.

The whether changes in seconds and the wind is like nothing we experience in Ontario, yet every time I think about leaving I begin to cry.  I love it here so very much, because of moments like leaving school and seeing a beautiful sunset with a windmill in the background.  And in my time off I love to watch programs about the English countryside, the canals, the shoreline, the history and the villages.

Then I remember, my family and friends at home and I smile.  You are the reasons I came here, thanks for allowing me this opportunity.  I may need a shoulder to cry on when I get back but it's not because I don't want to be there, it's just that I love it here too.