A couple of months away from it all its been great just what the doctor ordered by the end of July I was feeling completely frazzled I realised the only thing to do was stop.
Emails have been glanced at social media has hardly featured at all I've no idea really what anyone has been doing except those that have been in front of me even the news has been switched off from what I've caught Donald is still tramping around in various slogan baseball caps and we haven't yet been nuked!
So here's what I've been doing for the last couple of months, a trip up to Manchester to see ZZ Top included a short trek into the city of which I was most impressed so we plan to go back and have a proper look around, the architecture is brilliant I spent most of my time zooming my camera about getting excited by the stark contrasts in wealth and old and new.
Needless to say ZZ Top were cool.
We then jetted off to Arenal De Castel in Menorca for two whole weeks , its a wonderful clean beautiful island with a lot of history and spectacular beaches. We used the local bus a few times to get us across the island and wandered about the narrow streets enjoying the differences of being in a foreign country.
We spent mornings on the beach swimming in the sea which was mirror calm except for one day where the waves toppled me and submerged me all the way to the shore. Our afternoons were spent snoozing in the air conditioned room. Evenings we walked along the seafront and enjoyed the sunsets all very simple and very hot.
No sooner was we back than I had to wash and repack all our clothes and drive down to Southwold where my Mother had rented a holiday cottage on the harbour. A completely different experience to being in Spain for a start the weather was cooler and the focus of the other holiday makers was more culture than getting a tan!
I spent the holiday reading about the local history of the area and found out that Turner had stomped up the whole coast with his sketch books as well as William Morris and Damien Hurst so I was in good company. I attempted an afternoon of painting but too many distractions....
The area is perfect for a nostalgic holiday there's no amusement parks just boating lakes, circus and crabbing.
Back up north after being pestered to go and see the Tram museum for a year we finally did go funny how something ten minutes away is always the last place we go! But I love it there I have a thing for the smell of old vehicles and as it was the vintage car weekend too there were plenty!
A couple of days later we re-packed and headed off to Salts Mill in Yorkshire for my birthday and took in the wonderful work of David Hockney who's vast back catalogue of work made me very happy to note all the media he has experimented with over the years never pigeon holing himself to one style or just to paint but everything and anything to convey how he felt at the time wonderful stuff.
We stayed near Bingley and I was in my element with all the chimneys and canal architecture needless to say the family were not as enthusiastic as me but hey its was my birthday! I spend my whole year doing boys stuff motorbikes and cars so this week was mine although I'm not so girly myself, a good rundown bit of industrial building is great as far as I'm concerned!
Bradford was a very interesting city you can see how once it was a powerhouse, we took the kids to the National Media and Science Museum and I got to meet Morph my childhood hero :) There was an amazing 9 minute immersive experience where I sat in a circle of deck chairs looking at a moon disk in the dark with strangers you have to do it to understand!
We came home via Holmfirth and the kids were bewildered at our excitement over Nora Battys stockings and Compos house and then I found an amazing road from Holmfirth to the M1 which I think is at the top of the UK as I could see 360 views in all directions fabulous end to the holiday!
Back to work now see you at Number 28 Belper Market Place September 9th 9-1 pm.
