The Spa

Went to the spa this past weekend…. well Woodall Spa that is.  Graham and I went to Kinema in the Woods in Woodall Spa.  The place got its name from a spa that has now fallen into ruin.  But the original cinema which opened in 1922 is still in operation and offers current movies.  We saw Dad's Army.  I enjoyed it but I think if you grew up watching the original TV series you may get even more out of it. It was more about the entire experience that I will remember.  The town is charming and the setting of the theatre is beautiful, it's set back in the woods.

The drive into the Kinema.

Spring has sprung despite the chilling temperatures.

Below, some of the shops, and below that is a postcard inside the cinema which shows the original shops with the train running behind. (The train has since been removed.)

Inside the cinema. There are two theatres and this is the full size of the theatre.

Our side had a piano and the other had an old pipe organ.  They offered an intermission and entertainment during the break.

On the way back we stopped for some pictures.

This is zoomed in from the above shot.  There is a tiny steeple on the horizon, that is Lincoln Cathedral.

I was checking my flight for returning home and received this little memo.  I am looking forward to returning.  Every day since deciding to return has been a little easier to accept.

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.

I'm Still Here

I've been quiet lately.  Saving money for my next adventure and planning ones I did not expect.
I've been back in the UK for three weeks now and it seems like yesterday I flew in.  The jet lag was non existent this time, either I am getting used to this flying thing or the sleeping pills Danny gave me before I left really helped.  I slept for 5 hours during the return trip, waking up in time for breakfast.  The flight home was a challenging one, I first had to fly to Dublin, then Munich and then on to Toronto.  Once I got home, Leah wanted us to go to the park to see the Christmas lights and ride a horse drawn wagon through the park.  Her reason seemed sound enough, "there might not be more snow and it makes everything so much better".  After almost forty hours of consciousness my head finally hit the pillows.
Christmas was wonderful with all our usual traditions.  We had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve (that was new). We had our gingerbread decorating contest, Christmas breakfast, another Christmas dinner with Jim's family and my mom (that was new too), I made Chocolate Crinkles and then New years with wonderful friends.  With only two weeks to enjoy I kept a low profile and visited only with my family.
It was hard to say goodbye once again but this time I have the knowledge that it is the last time.
The thought of leaving here is killing me.  I have a great job.  I've had the pleasure to get to know my family, and my friendships that I've made mean so much to me.

Leah had my big tree up with all her decorations and I have to say it looked beautiful.

Amy joined us.

Off to Waterloo park to see the lights in the snow.

Ohhhh Canada.

Leah and Matt.

Leah had my little tree set up in the house too but when we were leaving one night I stole it.  I won this one from the Maycourt Ladies one year and I love it.  It looked like the perfect tree for my Welsh decoration, the Welsh dragon wishing you a Merry Christmas in Welsh of course.

I forgot how much I missed the little things like my stained glass snowman.

This is what I live for, my family altogether.  This is our gingerbread decorating contest.   The shops were sold out of houses by the time I got home so we made do with trains.

Andrew's girlfriend Meghn.

Stepdaughter Jen and son Lucas.  Lucas ate the roof before we had a chance to join it to the building. Not sure if he's a good competitor or not but he did add Cheerios, something I had not thought of.

Andrew and Meghn's train.

So luck would have it we had a giant snowfall on New Year's Day.  I insisted we go for a walk.  Funny thing…. everyone else in Waterloo was inside staying warm.  Once we were out in it for a few minutes I realized how ridiculous my idea was.  When we got into the bush a bit we were protected from the wind and it was beautiful.

I entered this one and the one below in a competition at the camera club and this one placed 8 out of 50.  I called it Stumped, it is the bottom of Laurel Creek.

We only got in one skating session.  I can't wait to make this a regular thing once again with Lexi.

Always looking forward.