JP Travel Log

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A Nostalgic Trip to Staithes

The house where Gina holidayed as a child

Staithes is a quintessential Yorkshire fishing & smuggling village. Gina and I had visited it years ago and this visit found it little changed. However the nostalgia is always there for Gina as this is where she came with her mum and dad and brother and sister many times for childhood holidays. They always stayed in the same house and became very fond of the place.
Have a look at it as it is now. Gina saw a quite a few changes but to my more casual eye it seemed locked in time. Most of the photos are Gina's.

A Wander Up Pen-Y-Ghent

Well late in May Gina and I set off to climb the 1500ft Pen-y-Ghent, near Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire. The route we took was the popular one. A long relatively gentle ascent and then a rough descent down the other side. It was a clear day with a nice breeze. Honestly when the weather is good here it is perfect for walking/climbing. Well when I say climbing I mean walking .......
It was a beaut day, and although it seemed that 500 others had the same idea, it was one of solitude and open spaces, partly along the Penine Way.
We were pleased with our effort and felt no small amount of achievement when a regular helicopter flight path was suddenly well below us.
Coming down was very tough on the old knees, in fact I had to use two sticks for part of the way. A subsequent MRI scan confirmed that I will need a knee replacement in the future, but not just yet!
Here are a few pix.

After the walk, Gina, as full of energy as ever, decided that it would be nice to visit her late Aunty Ivy's house in Bolton by Bowland. The house is Stump Cross and in the second pic below you can see why.

Bolton by Bowland is a stunning village not too far into Lancashire. Aunty Ivy and her family were so lucky to live here.

A Beautiful English Garden at Copt Hewick.

Judith and Brian are avid gardeners. All year their garden yields the best of the season. As these pix, taken in May, testify. It is a place of peace and tranquility.

Friday, June 20, 2008

The Bartrum Meeting

About 6 months ago the phone rang and on the other end was Brenda, a cousin from my mother's family. She is the child of one of my grandfather's sisters and had traced me through relatives in Australia. Brenda, Linda (wife of Granville) and Gillian have spent huge amounts of time building the family tree. Linda has produced a beautiful booklet "The Bartrum Family" which trace the Bartrums back to 1735 and anecdotally to 1697.

"At a time when 90% of the male population of England made a living from the land, the Bartrum family derived their income from trade and the legal profession. They were city dwellers, Londoners, through and through." Wallis, Linda (2008). The Bartrum Family. Wirral:Wol Publications, 9th Ed.

How my mother and grandparents would have loved to know this information.

We all spent a very pleasant day in Harrogate and wined, dined and talked most of the day.
For many years they had not been able to find out anything about Pop and Nana Bartrum who arrived in Auckland around 1912. So I was able to tell them a little and Lois of Cambridge and I are charged with completing the Kiwi part of the family tree.
More soon.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Paris in April

Entertainers

Gina at Monmatre

All around Monmatre

Maxims

Our hotel right in the centre.

The fish, meat, vegetable and bread market in the next street
The City of Paris is dominated by old 5 to 6 storey stone and brick buildings which appear to glow. We believe that Paris has undertaken a huge building cleaning programme over the past 5 years. I do wish the City Fathers and Mothers of Harrogate would do the same!