We had wanted our time in Yorkshire to coincide in some way with the 90th birthday of my uncle who lives in Northumberland. We didn't tell him we were coming, so our visit was a surprise. I'm not sure what you buy for someone who is 90 so I knitted him a pair of socks. Naturally. These ones.
We had a good chat with him; really he is remarkably fit and mobile for 90 although sadly his sight is severely limited by macular disease in both eyes. He is also quite a technophile and uses Alexa with more confidence than I could muster. Not that we have an Alexa, but....
After that we spent the night in a nearby hotel before trying to surprise my aunt the following morning. however she had been forewarned by a phone call from her brother so was expecting us. Great to see her too. I keep in touch with both of them by phone, but it's not the same as seeing them in person, and visits become more precious as people get older.
After that we pressed on south. We weren't in any hurry, we had rented a cottage in North Yorkshire which we couldn't enter before three, but there was no time limit on how much later we arrived as the key was in a key safe. So we took the opportunity to visit Mount Grace Priory. We knew we were going to have very little time indeed to ourselves over the next week so snatched the chance to go somewhere which, when we lived in Yorkshire I had always valued for its peace and serenity.
It's still peaceful and serene but the day was damp and the cafe, new since our time and where we had lunch, was disappointing. The rain meant we couldn't look around the gardens which have had a lot of work done on them since we were last there and that was a shame, but we still had a wander around the ruins of the priory itself and visited the restored monk's cell, which I always think would have been some sort of earthly paradise were you a medieval monk. A living room and sleeping space below and a workroom above, and the only visitor a lay brother who delivered your meals. An enviable life in many respects. Experience slightly marred by a woman inside who had injured herself and was being attended to by a first aider. No idea what she had done but she was holding her right arm aloft and it was bandaged between wrist and elbow and she was there all the time we were inside. Comments by staff in the shop on the way out indicated that she may have been slightly over egging the pudding.
As well as the ruined priory there is a manor house which is furnished in Charles1/Civil war style. We didn't go round that, we've done it before and it wasn't the house we used to visit for. I did take one pic inside though as entrance to the priory is via the house.
Lovely that you saw your aunt and uncle xxx
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