Girl In The Pretty Dress

6 weeks ago I had the unexpected pleasure of some time off, with my other half. We decided to make sure it was quality time together and to get away from the humdrum of home for a bit. We stayed at the rather lovely Principal York Hotel which, despite it's elegant appearance, was not quite as smoothly run as I'd have hoped, but it all got sorted in the end! After checking in, we headed out to explore. I think I must have a Christmas-sensor embedded in me because I can sniff it out anywhere and was quickly drawn into  this store . Our next stop was to The York Museum . By the time I'd been dragged out of Christmas-land, time was ticking on a bit... The very kind attendants at the museum reassured us that we would have time to do one wing and helpfully, gave us a pass so that we could return the next day for the other half of the museum. The museum was formerly a Prison and we spent our first day in the Women's Wing - w...

I grew up in a part of England that constantly comes alive with quirky traditions. Yanks Weekend is one such tradition. I'm not sure it can be explained all that succinctly but I'll try... In 1979 Richard Gere made a movie called 'Yanks'. It was about a group of American soldiers stationed in Britain and was set in the English countryside. The little villages (where I grew up) played a starring role in the film and for the last 16 years this fact has been marked with a 2-day celebration. For one weekend a year we step back in time to the 1940s. There are fairs, aerial displays and parades through the streets. A lot of people get into the spirit of things by dressing up vintage style - and there's an awful lot of swing dancing. Last year was one of the best and busiest yet - and the first time I've been able to experience it for quite a while so I thought I'd give you all a little taste. You can find out more about this brilliant and bizarre event here a...

Monday is a national holiday in the UK so I am currently in the midst of a lovely and relaxing long weekend. Today I ventured out to Cannon Hall Farm to see what was on offer at their food festival. There were tents as far as the eye could see selling all kinds of food, lots of it local to Yorkshire. I did a lap before settling for a Caribbean lunch and some homemade ice cream for pudding (and I'll be dining on all the yummy extras I bought tonight!) It runs until tomorrow evening so if you are in the area I would recommend a visit. There are also cookery classes and workshops on offer - and live music in the evening.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden has to be one of the more breathtakingly beautiful places I've ever visited. It is a little of the beaten track (just outside of Ripon) but it was well worth the trek. The Abbey itself was built almost 900 years ago, and having survived Henry VIII's closure of the monasteries is one of the most complete abbey remains in the country. A truly historic place. The water garden that surrounds it was created in the early 18th century and is an equally tranquil place of beauty. They gardens themselves are peppered with a number of building's known as follys (each of which is currently filled with a unique piece of artwork). I took far too many pictures so here are just a few of my favourites to give you a taste...