Burnsall

Yesterday two fantastic things happened. 1) We finally had daylight savings so the sun now sets at 7:30 2) We actually had decent weather so we got out for a 4 mile walk.

For the walk we went to Burnsall, a tiny town nestled in the Yorkshire Dales. Pat found it when he had to go to a company retreat there. It's so isolated you can't even get cellphone reception everywhere, but I doubt the sheep mind that. The natural beauty of the place is impressive and peaceful.








Along the way, we encountered the usual footpath obstacle course—all manner of bridges, gates, and ladders to get over, or through, the many walls sub-dividing the fields.


The rain we'd had for the past few days made it muddy, but not as bad as I expected. Conquering the obstacles just proves you're smarter or more physically adept than the sheep.

It's an artform requiring grace...


and balance...


and is in need of a little more work :)


On the way back, we got a bonus—a close encounter with the ewes and lambs. They usually stay far away from the footpaths, but were congregating close by for some unknown reason. So new to the world, one lamb was slightly curious...

...but decided hanging out with mom was a better bet.

random fact

A recent BBC headline stated that "Nottingham has the worst burglary rates in the UK, according to research by a national insurer."

While the Nottingham police and the insurance company argue the semantics and legitimacy of this claim, I find it hilarious considering the one thing I know about Nottingham–Robin Hood. Fact or fiction, apparently he's still very active although I doubt he's giving all of his proceeds to the poor.

Coincidently, the town of Swindon is the 5th LEAST likely to be burglarized.

fancy bricks

Bricks are something I take for granted in the states as being ugly. I know. I have a 1/2 brick house and I'm ok with that now. My first impulse was to paint the brick, but was convinced not to because of the increased upkeep. I've come to terms with our creamy yellow brick.

Over here, it's inescapable. The Great Fire of London in 1666 definitely seemed to influence this. At the time of the fire, the over-populated city of London was combustible despite laws that had been put in place to prevent it. As one website describes,

The city's architecture had changed little from the Middle Ages. Narrow, cobble-stoned, foul-smelling streets doubled as the city's sewers. Many of the streets were lined with homes made of wood and pitch, some four stories high. The upper stories of these homes overhung the lower ones and projected into the street, effectively blocking the sun and decreasing the distance between the buildings. [Like the York Shambles] This typical construction and London's uncontrolled growth had created a fireman's nightmare: a city dominated by old, dry, wooden structures, tightly packed into a confined space just waiting for a spark to ignite disaster.

The Great Fire left a huge impact on the city and country, leaving in its wake death, destruction, refugees, and fear. When Charles II rebuilt the city, it included "...improvements in hygiene and fire safety: wider streets, open and accessible wharves along the length of the Thames, with no houses obstructing access to the river, and, most importantly, buildings constructed of brick and stone, not wood."

Even today, you just don't see many wood buildings, especially in cities. Thatched roofs are rare and are, for the most part, relegated to rural areas. However, I have to say, with the restrictions in place, the British have done some remarkable things with brick that make the buildings more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.



















Even with brick buildings, the threat of fire was still top of mind for the British. In York, you could buy fire insurance and the company would give you a plaque to attach to the exterior of your home showing you paid. The insurance company would employ firefighters to extinguish your blaze. The downside was that there were several competing insurance companies. If some other company's firefighters got to your house first and you didn't have the right plaque, they would let it burn because it wasn't their problem. Some people would buy two policies to double their chances of protection. Although firefighters will help anyone today, some buildings still display their old insurance plaques.

Happy Easter!

"I'm dreaming of a white Easter..."

Wait a minute. That's wrong, I mean that's really WRONG. All those people who told us that winter comes later here every year were right. I know, I keep complaining "no snow." Well, I'm picky about my snow. I don't like it on the daffodils.





Unfortunately, the weather took a slight dip below the usual 10˚ temperature differential, and for the past three days we've had gale-force winds, sleet, and snow showers. This morning we woke up to about 2 inches—the biggest snowfall of the season! It was impressive considering the ground is nowhere near frozen, but ended up melting before mid-afternoon.

Not a holiday Pat and I particularly celebrate, Easter is a big deal over here. Good Friday and "Easter Monday" are national holidays so just about everyone gets a four day weekend to find all of their Easter eggs. We were hoping to use the extra time to get out into the countryside to check a few more things off of our "to see" list. In denial of the crummy weather, we chickened out and decided to hibernate instead.

(Unfortunately, Pat and I can't take credit for the snow bunny—some people like to get up earlier than we do. They did a good job—it even has a snowball cotton tail)

a first

Today a plumber laughed at my "American accent" as I described the problem with our "wobbly" kitchen faucet. How do you respond to that? "Uh, well, yeah, I AM American...?" Unfortunately, I don't see why it was funny, but I guess I wouldn't.

where was I buried again?

Whether in the name of progress or archeology, gravestones and tombs end up in some odd places in York. With so much history, I guess it's not surprising.

Underfoot


Landscape Decor

Excavated Roman coffins dot the Museum Gardens and more are stored above ground in the ruins of St. Leonard's Hospital.

Against Buildings

...in some cases because the buildings were built after the fact.


...or because the gravestones had been moved there.

This batch of random tomb stones had been relocated from the yard of a medieval church nearby since they were impeding traffic flow. The graves remain buried under the street in front of the old church.

Paved Over in Place Next to Churches


In Shopping Centers


On an Isolated Island

20 gravemarkers are all that remain of a larger cemetery for 185 victims of the 1832 cholera plague. Still located just outside the city walls, they're now situated right across from the train station.

In Museums

This sculpted marker was for a 28 year old Roman Standard Bearer, Duccius Rufinus.

Or, if you're really lucky, still in the same church yard

WWII—not over yet

The first time we heard a story about this we were amazed. The second time, it becomes a little more "normal." Referred to as UXOs and UXBs, unexploded bombs have their own terminology here with UXB specifically referring to WWII bombs from the Blitz. We've heard at least two major news stories about areas being closed or evacuated when live WWII bombs turn up so that the bomb squad can come in to figure out how to detonate. On one website, they say that "...the government estimates there are 100s of unexploded bombs from [WWII] all around the country which are dug up from time to time in construction sites." Since we've been here, the following bombs have been uncovered (content courtesy of the web):

July 31, 2007
Police closed streets near London’s Canary Wharf financial district on Saturday after an unexploded German flying bomb from World War II was found on a construction site

January 2, 2008
Unexploded bomb unearthed by a metal detector enthusiast in East Yorkshire....M62 may close for bomb detonation....The 500lb device was found in a field at Balkholme near Goole on Monday and police have imposed an exclusion zone.

March 12, 2008
Parts of Coventry city centre have been closed off after what is believed to be an unexploded World War II bomb was unearthed on a building site.

March 14, 2008
Army experts have blown up what was thought to have been a WWII bomb—once used as a doorstop—which was found by road workers in a Ceredigion village.

I remember that the bomb squad was very pleased when they blew up the one found in January next to the M62 since they were able to do it without even blowing out the windows in the nearby farmhouse. Coventry made big news just a couple of days ago since many people unable to retrieve their cars from a car park inside the evacuation zone and ended up stranded on the outskirts of the city centre.

The great wars have made their mark here like I've never experienced in the US. Whether it's that some of the elderly (who were sent to the country as children to avoid devastation in the cities) still like Americans because they remember the help offered during WWII, the pock-marked buildings, or the abundance of paper poppy flowers that spring up in November, it has not been forgotten.

I was a little confused by the poppy flowers that people had pinned to their coats all November, but was able to piece together that they were some type of Veteran's Day symbol (here it's called Remembrance Day). It was impressive how many people were wearing them and how many wreaths made out of them decorated various war memorials around the city. I later discovered that they were given away by the Royal British Legion in exchange for a donation to help veterans.

Why poppies? Well I found this poignant explanation on the web:

The poppies are worn because in World War One the Western Front contained in the soil thousands of poppy seeds, all lying dormant. They would have lain there for years more, but the battles being fought there churned up the soil so much that the poppies bloomed like never before. The most famous bloom of poppies in the war was in Ypres, a town in Flanders, Belgium, which was crucial to the Allied defence. There were three battles there, but it was the second, which was calamitous to the allies since it heralded the first use of the new chlorine gas the Germans were experimenting with, which brought forth the poppies in greatest abundance, and inspired the Canadian soldier, Major John McCrae, to write his most famous poem. This, in turn, inspired the British Legion to adopt the poppy as their emblem.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

Black Sheep Brewery

Last weekend we went out into the country to visit the home of some great Yorkshire beer—the small "market town" of Masham.

Home to the famous Theakston brewery, Masham has been supporting the beer industry with its artisan well water since 1827. The Theakston family has a long history of brewing using the traditional Yorkshire square method and eventually got so large that they outgrew Masham. Today the family has sold the business and the bulk of their brewing is done elsewhere, however they maintain a visitor center in Masham at the old brewery where you can take tours. They tout one of the last coopers (wood barrel-makers) in England. Not being able to completely divorce themselves from the industry, one of the Theakstons started Black Sheep Brewery 16 years ago. Today they're barely able to keep up with demand and export to several countries including the US.

Black Sheep has several ales including a popular version authorized by Monty Python and, my personal favorite, Riggwelter. It's my favorite not because of the taste (not a big beer fan) or the high 5.9% alcohol content, but because of the name and label. According to the Black Sheep website, the name Riggwelter is "...from the Old Norse words 'rigg,' meaning back or shoulder and 'velte,' to overturn. If a sheep rolls over onto its back and can't get up without help, local Dales dialect says it is rigged or riggwelted." In essence, ale so strong it puts you on your back.


We were able to take a tour of the Black Sheep Brewery which included some of the older methods as well as the new. The guide was entertaining and even a novice, such as myself, was able to appreciate the taste of the different malt grains used for flavoring the ales and the smell of open vats fermenting. You're not allowed to take pictures so these are courtesy of their website.

The old mash tun.


The old mash tun underback.


They actually still have some traditional slate Yorkshire squares, but this is the new and improved Yorkshire circle rousing and fermenting vessel.


After the tour, we took a quick walk around the old market town which gained their first charter from Richard III in 1393. Many of the buildings around the main square date to the 17th and 18th century. The picturesque church adjoining the square dates to the 9th century but most of the building is 14th and 15th century.




Masham was historically the main sheep market for the Dales and still has a big sheep festival in the fall—their heritage inspiring the Black Sheep Brewery name. There are still plenty of sheep roaming the pastures nearby and it became quickly apparent that March is the season for lambs. I mean everyone always says that spring=animal babies, but I've never been hit over the head with it like this. Never since I've been here have I witnessed a lamb prancing through the grass. Now they're everywhere. I find sheep very cute in their adult form, but the mini version is irresistible. I also find it funny that the moms and their babies are spray-painted with matching numbers. It's funny to see two little 118s chasing a big one.

signs of spring

So since all of you Ohioans are buried under snow this weekend, I thought it was a great opportunity to rub our daffodils in your face—maybe it's just petty jealousy for missing out on the blizzard-like conditions. Who knows—you too could have daffodils buried under the snow the way your weather's going.


(That's our place to the left of the tree in the foreground)

Turns out there are some benefits to an English winter. Monotony.

There's been a lot of rain and wind with a sprinkling of sleet, some frost, an occasional ice sheet on the windshield, and a flake or two of snow. I'd say the temperature has mostly been between the low 40s and and low 50s—not the upper 20s to low 70s you experience in the same week.

Our unexpected trip home in February accentuated some of the benefits of a moist English winter. We don't have static or really dry skin and can breathe easier because the inside of our noses aren't raw. I also have to backpedal on one statement I found myself saying while at home. Metaphorically I can stand by it, but taken literally it's false—"The grass isn't greener in England." Technically, it is. Or at least 90% of it is in the winter. I don't know if it's a different kind or if it's the lack of subzero temperatures, but it has looked this green ever since we got here.


So as you shovel your driveways, we are relishing the steady progress towards spring. And, I guess in that respect, a blizzard would be mentally defeating. The sun will set here at 5:54pm tonight. There's light at the end of our long, steady tunnel. Literally.

Snickelways

Snickelways only exist in York. The word to describe them was invented in 1983 by an author writing about them and caught on quickly. It's a clever combination of snicket (a passageway between walls or fences), ginnel (a narrow passageway between or through buildings) and alleyway (a narrow street or lane). Although a little esoteric, this combined definition is accurate. Now that's not to say that other cities in the UK don't have similar city planning oddities, but they call them by different names including Wynds, Jiggers, Backcracks, and Twittens.

Like the street names of York, many of the Snickelways have an interesting history and their names reflect it. The following Snickelway trivia is provided by the York Tourism Bureau site.

Hole-in-the-Wall is the shortest Snickelway. It is either named after the adjacent pub, the gate through the city walls nearby, some hole in the old Minster walls, or a jail previously occupying the site.


Finkle Street is derived from Germanic "Winkel" (corner). It bends and funnels to control passage of cattle, etc. out of St Sampson’s Square (the market). It was also known as ‘Mucky Pig Lane’ as it led to Swinegate, the pig market. Or ‘Mucky Peg Lane’—after a dirty lady.


Coffee Yard is the longest Snickelway—nearly 220 feet long. It was named after a late 17th century coffee house down here, the first one in York.


Mad Alice Lane (also known as Lund's Court) was named after a woman hung in 1823, after pleading insanity, for poisoning her husband. I don't think, however, that she was hung in the Snickelway :)


Nether Hornpot Lane (also known as Cut Throat Lane) was the street of the Hornworkers and their rubbish pits. A lot of empty medieval purses were found in medieval rubbish pits here and in Mad Alice Lane—relics of medieval muggings!


Lady Peckett's Yard is named after the wife of a former Lord Mayor of York. Today, it holds more pest control traps than any other Snickelway I ventured into. Very lady-like.


Carr's Lane is named after a former Lord Mayor of York whose house was thought to have butted up to the alley. Today it is a well-preserved example of a medieval lane. Its walls incorporate various building materials that were handy at the time of construction including stone stolen from medieval churches or walls, bricks, pebbles, etc.


Pope's Head Alley is the thinnest at only 2'-7" wide, but still has room to squeeze in a little lighting. Considering this was actually a sunny day, very necessary indeed.