Hi Family,
I sent out another letter about a week ago, but it was before I figured out the notification process. In case you have no idea where we are, you can read that one first to get the lay of the land.
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When you've been going full tilt for awhile, it takes a few weeks to wind down and get over the instinct to be "busy" all the time. For the first couple of weeks in Settle, I didn't need to go anywhere I couldn't walk, or drive in 5 minutes or less.
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| Even tractors need a bite or pint |
We're becoming friendly with the locals:
We've got library cards for the local library, railcards for locals' discounts on the trains (Darwin rides free), and have found a spot in a nursery school for Darwin a couple mornings a week. I know you've already seen the video about how he feels about that...
I remember been horribly afraid of going to kindergarten - I was in the afternoon class, and a van would come pick up the kids after lunch. Mom would stand at the front door as I got in the van, making sure I greeted the driver when he boisterously said hello. It took everything in me to get that “hello” out back to him...
It must be its toll, for at dinner one evening after school, Darwin informed me that: “Mom, I’m feeling groggy and cantankerous”.
The land rises from the dales in rolling green hills (many dotted with sheep of course), criss-crossed with dry stone walls. The weekends draw walkers, hikers, runners, bikers from the cities as far away as London, a steady stream of steps and voices passing by our window. Which leads to the popular sport of Fell Running. If a ‘Dale’ is a valley, a ‘Fell’ is a _______. I might have to enter a Fell race or two, to experience the joy of running up a hill as fast as I can then back down again. The long distance version (I typically prefer long races to lung-puking short races) involves connecting multiple fells and trying to got back to the start within 24 hours. Doesn’t seem to be much in between...
Darwin conquered his first fell on one of our early walks into the hills:
Music abounds in Settle. I had a night out on my birthday eve, hearing the Settle Orchestra play at the Settle Parish Church. The church is a relatively new one, completed in 1838, but still large and stony which made for fantastic acoustics, The orchestra is made up of about 40-50 musicians, playing strings, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, flute, french horn, a trumpet and timpani, and ranges in age from can-just-see-eyes-over-the-music-stand bassoon player to the timpani player whom I am sure was in her 80s. She was a combination of Nanna, Shirley and a bit of An'sis too - elegantly dressed with white, white hair, focused and serious, and she played the timpani "bang on" and like she meant it, in such a manner that made me think I would not want to upset her.
They played Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven - the cello soloist playing the Tchaikovsky was most certainly not a beginner. They started off a little shaky - the violins a bit squeaky, some missed timing, a few trumpet blahts, but once they warmed up there were many moments of beautiful sound, and not one musician flubbed their stand-out or solo bits. The conductor, a young Chinese lady (born in 1998!?!?) currently studying at the nearby College of Music, was relaxed and professional. The church was full, nobody clapped at the wrong time, and at intermission, people went to the church kitchen for a cup of tea and cake. It's been so long since I've seen live music, I think I was smiling the whole time. I'm not sure which I enjoyed more - wondering about all the people, or listening to the music. It also made me appreciate the level of talent and skill possessed by professional musicians and orchestras.
You’ll be pleased to know mom that the daffodils came up just in time for my birthday.
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