My British Adventure Begins
My new friend and landlord, David, said that he hoped I would not be disappointed in the Yorkshire Dales. I had no expectations, but if I had, this would exceed them. It is wonderful here. In many ways it reminds me of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. The moors rise much like the hills and the people are open, honest, and friendly. I feel quite at home.
My cottage in located in Ginnel Mews. I found out that ginnel means alley and
mews means closed in as in cul-de-sac. So I live in a dead end alley. My home is
a two story stone building with two units side by side. It is referred to as an "upside down cottage".
The first floor is
called the ground floor, and there are located two bedrooms and the bath.
Upstairs, called the first floor, is the eat-in kitchen, living-dining room and
my office. The office was a delightful surprise. It is all very tastefully
furnished, and I am most comfortable here.
I can walk to everything. It is less than two blocks to High Street, which is the center of town. Market is held there four days a week. Vendors set up booths right in front of permanent stores and sell some of the same kind of merchandise. You can buy fruits and vegetables, clothing, cookware, linens, books, small appliances, just about anything. When I was here last year, there were booths selling Wenslydale cheese, but so far not this time. I must find a source. It is fabulous!
On the streets I see most women wearing mid-calf skirts and dark heavy hose. Of course everyone has on a coat. Below the hips jackets are most common. I am surprised that almost no women wear anything on their heads. I have been told that most body heat escapes through the head. I wear a hat. Until my box of clothes arrived, I wore jeans. It was acceptable, but not usual. It seems that few wear makeup.
The weather is ambivalent. It rains and then the sun shines. It is cloudy and then sunny, all in the same day. It seems best to just ignore the weather.
This is a very old town. All of the building are stone. There are ginnels between the buildings that lead to large areas in the middle of the block. In olden days, when an enemy raid was expected, the country folk would drive their flocks and herds into town, through the ginnels into the protected area within the block. Now these areas are filled with cottages and shops. Every foot of land is used even if buildings have to be turned at odd angles. It is fascinating to wander down the various alleys to explore what is inside.
Craven Court is the most elegant of the ginnel areas. Here an indoor shopping mall has been constructed by roofing over the space between the buildings. In places the walk between shops is no more than eight feet wide, but then it opens into a lovely courtyard. The Visitor Information Center is located there.
A trip to the grocery store is a real adventure, so much so, that I will devote a separate story to grocery stores in the near future.
In the meantime, smile at someone today. It is contagious.