ENGLAND, Settle - Lifestyle

 Hi Family,

It’s happening.  Darwin is picking up an English accent.  It started, subtly, at the beginning of April, just over a month after our arrival in the UK.  By then, Darwin had been going to the nursery school for a couple weeks, which I’m sure was significant.  It happened about the same time his brain registered that “r” and “l” are indeed sounds to be heard when at the beginning of a double-consonant word.  The “r” and “l” sounds themselves are still a work in progress, however “geen tees” have now become “gween twees”, and a “boo banket” is now a “bwue bwanket” (actually, it’s a “bwue bwankick”, but let’s not get too confused).  His favourite ‘English’ phrase seems to be “I will nought”.  Whatever language and accent emerges over the next few months will be interesting...

Settle-to-Carlisle Train - in a tunnel! [Colin's photo]

It gave him a good few weeks of practice in time for Grandma & Grandpa Spark’s visit for the coronation at the beginning of May.  Their visit was like a little holiday, and we had lots of fun going for train rides, finding new places to explore, going for walks, and dining together.  And eating ice cream of course (one of Grandpa’s favourite hobbies).

Old Settle Signal Station - while we could operate and
see the signals change here, they are no longer active;
however parts of the Settle-to-Carlisle rail line DO still
operate manually like this! [Colin's photo]

Feizor, Yorkshire - Stopped to say hello to the cows while walking
in the nearby town of Feizor - the farm is on the main road through
town;  the milk tanker from our favourite yogurt producers showed
up for its collection

Clapham, Yorkshire - A Folly:  a costly ornamental building
with no practical purpose, often in the gardens of grand
estates - these became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries

Appleby, Cumbria - walking from the train station into Appleby

As our chapter in Settle neared its end, instead of cramming in all the things we still wanted to do, we spent the last week and a half being sick.  Harumph.  Probably another case of nursery-school-itis, this time suspected covid based on Dr. Google’s description of symptoms.

But still we did not go softly...

Austwick, Yorkshire - Darwin's happy place:
on a tractor, includes antiques [Colin's photo]

Our last day we took in the Austwick Cuckoo Festival and Fell Race.  While Darwin and Colin looked at antique cars (and tractors), ate bacon butties (bacon on a bun yum yum ), browsed the rumble sales (scored a free frisbee!), watched people playing games for prizes, laughed at street performers, and ate ice cream cones, I ran up and back down a hill as fast as I could.

What a great setup for a family day out.  I think you’ll find one of these festivals in some Yorkshire town any weekend day throughout the warm spring/summer/fall months, many with a fell race start/finish in the midst as well.

Yes, that is a horse-drawn carriage on the highway in front of us, and
yes, it is legal; they are on their way to the annual Appleby Horse Fair,
which has been around since 1685 when the king granted a Royal
Charter permitting a horse fair there (oh the monarchy and their
charters...) - it attracts mainly Gypsies and Travellers from all
over the UK and beyond, as well as about 30,000 visitors

Austwick Amble Fell Race [Colin's photo]

The race atmosphere is different here.  Trail races in which I've participated in Canada are pretty “friendly” - people joke with each other, offer encouraging words as they pass you (doesn’t stop me from swearing with my inside voice), commiserate about the Type 2 fun, etc.  Here, my couple attempts at jolliness were mostly ignored or met with grunts.  The English are a stoic bunch.

The race took me 1:13, of which 1:05 (92%) was in HR zone 5 (Avg HR was 169bpm) - are you kidding me?!!?!  Maybe that’s why the people don’t talk much.  The winner, in his 40's, finished in 48:25.  The winning lady was 1:01.  I was beat by the first lady in her 40's, first lady in her 50's, AND first lady in her 60's!!  Luckily Darwin and Colin were near the finish line and promptly took me to the ice cream stand after I finished.  The race included climbing over stone walls and making sure you closed the sheep gates tightly behind you  ...unless someone was hot on your tail.

Looking back over our 3 months, we transitioned from a predominantly “do” approach to daily life in Squamish - get up, play with Darwin, get breakfasted, get to work, get dinner, clean up, plan for the next round, coordinate running/paragliding, get everyone to bed on time, repeat repeat repeat - to a slower pace.

With afternoon naps phasing out, mom requires Quiet Time after lunch.  Quiet Time first originated when Gramma Shirley (Grampa J’s mom, my Gramma) took our family to Hawaii when we were kids.  After lunch was the hottest time of the day, and a good time for the whole family - kids AND grown-ups - to lay low inside and read, or do anything else Quietly.  Probably mostly it was a break for the grown-ups.

We’re still working on the concept of Quiet Time meaning “BEEEE QUIET!!” and Don’t Bug Mom.  No matter how many hugs, how cute, how lovable you are.

Our last bench on the climb up the hill to our
house - now have to share with spring

Do I miss working?  Nope.  It was a difficult decision to make, choosing not to work.  So much of our western culture and identity are tied to our career, what we “do”, how we supposedly contribute to our society.

Shortly after registering and collecting my number for the fell race at Austwick Festival, I ran into our neighbours.  They are retired doctors, lovely people, and we’ve had some lively chats.  They are also in the process of “greenifying” their old stone house, and Colin and the Mrs. have had a few in-depth chats about building and home energy efficiency etc.  As far as she knows, my only identity is mom.  After saying hello at the Festival, the Mrs. spotted my race number and said “oh is your husband racing today?”...

Regardless of perceived identities, we continue to spend time together - exploring, learning history, reading, and sitting for a few minutes on benches or by the water.

Stainforth Force

Is that helpful for society?

ENGLAND, Settle - Coronation Streets

Hi family,

St. Mary's Abbey,
York Museum Gardens

While not the main reason for going to Europe, the allure of the ABCs* is nevertheless a constant beacon.  Some people love the Downton-Abbey-esque, palpable grandeur of the more "recent" palaces, but we seem to prefer the ~1,000 year-old stone towers, fortresses and ruins.  Perhaps it depends if it is a warm day or a cold day.

*ABCs:  reference to a joke heard on the Jamieson family's 1994 bus tour of Eastern Europe, about an elderly traveler's journal, under each day which was written simply "ABC":  Another Bloody Castle, Another Bloody Cathedral.  At least, that's my memory of the source, but ask Mom/Dad/Kathryn/John and we might all have a different story...

While our post-castle afternoons are usually spent getting home for dinner rather than basking in beer garden or pub rest from all that history, we do our best to keep the local coffee shops in business throughout our visits.

St. Mary's Abbey - "Dad, can you see me?"

Sizergh Castle, Cumbria (Lake District) - The tall tower was built in 1350, with
the other bits added over the centuries, distinguished by the different stonework;
The Strickland family have lived here (still do, in the wings) since 1239

Lancaster Castle, Lancashire (West Coast) - viewed from the Very Modern inner cafe;
another mishmash of structures added over the centuries to the original Norman tower
of 1150 (which was itself built atop a previous Roman fort); it also housed a fully
operational prison until 2011 - the British like to build their jails to look like castles

We wouldn't have castles without kings and queens and their entourage, and we wouldn't have kings and queens without coronations.  And with coronations come boundless opportunities for the common people - commemorative pieces to sell, marketing, decorating, partying.  The flag density in Settle grew exponentially over the last few days before King Charles' coronation, eventually adorning not just shop windows but peoples' homes and random street posts.  Were people truly excited about crowning a new monarch?  Was it because it was the first coronation in over 50 years?  An ongoing emergence-party from COVID?  A reason to sell more stuff?  The weather had actually reached double digits?

The hair salon I went to the week before;
I didn't go because of the coronation, I just needed a haircut

Commemorative mug - get it? (ha ha)

Grandma & Grandpa Spark sent Darwin a commemorative mug for the occasion.  Once Darwin got over the excitement of receiving some mail of his own, we talked about who is King Charles, how his mom was Queen Elizabeth (whom he knows well thanks to a children’s book he received last year from G&G Spark), and the upcoming coronation on Saturday.  We looked at some pictures of the royal family (both young and old years) on the internet, as well as the “house” where they live (the Windsor Castle one).  “Oooh it’s quite big,” he said.

While Darwin has come across the occasional king or queen in books and alphabets (and of course his beloved Queen Mom puppet), my stories and explanations met with mostly blank stares.  Monarchs are recorded in history from about 3000 BC (Egypt and Sumar), and in the area that is now England they existed simultaneously with the Roman occupation of 43-410 AD ish.  Meaning, they've maintained existence (and therefore relevance?) for about 5000 years.  Yet try to explain their purpose in modern western culture - to a 3-year-old or grown-up - and I struggle.

We decided to brave the throngs and see if we could see the live screening of the coronation at the old Settle Victoria Hall.   It is purportedly the world's oldest, still-operating music hall, opened in 1853, and we hadn’t yet managed to get to an evening concert or film there (oh graaaaaandparents, where aaaaaare you?) - this seemed like a good family chance.  Grandma & Grandpa Spark were in town for a few days, and we didn't want to miss a good morning party, whatever the reason.

My fears of long line-ups and two hours of sardined, standing-room-only crowds were for nought, and helped narrow the answers to my coronation questions above:

Inside Victoria Hall - Colin, G & G Spark bottom left;
It did eventually fill up, including the balcony seating above

The best part about this place is the outdoor cafe at the back, its randomness not only in the chairs but the toys too.  We took turns sitting in the sun then rushing back into the Hall to catch the 'good parts' of the coronation.

The perfect coffee shop for families with kids...  Darwin on the left

I had, without hesitation, turned down Colin's suggestion we all try to go to London for this unique experience.  In 1952, Grandma Spark had joined the masses lining the Mall (the long road from Buckingham Palace) when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, however she belonged to a church scout group which was provided with their own reserved section.

The coronation ceremony remains relatively unchanged since William the Conqueror conquered England in 1066.  Victoria Hall had even placed a few copies of the 1952 program (hard-cover books!) at the entrance - just need to substitute names.  Whatever we missed from this coronation, including some of the music, we could catch at the next one.

English Royal Lineage from 1066

Speaking of William the Conqueror, did you know:  he was from Normandy?  He was the illegitimate, and only, son of the current ruler of Normandy, and was named as his father's heir when just a boy.  His father died when he was 8, and, like A Boy Name Sue, he "grew up quick and [he] grew up mean; [his] fist got hard and [his] wits got keener".

When we lived in England, we were told the two most important dates in British history:  1066 and 1666.  For some reason, I could never remember what was so important about 1066.  There were so many kings, queens, conquerers, take-overs, battles, squabbles, invasions, rebellions, etc. throughout its history, what was so special about this one??  Well, 1066 was when William the Conquerer defeated the English in the Battle of Hastings, beginning the long lineage of royals to today's King Charles III, changing the course of British culture and history.  1666 was easier to remember in its uniqueness:  a small bakery fire spread over 5 days to burn down London.

Speaking of Normandy, did you know:  the Normans were not initially French?  They were descended from a group of Vikings, likely Danish and Norwegian, who conquered the northern part of the Frankish kingdom (now Northern France) during “the great migrations” of 700-1000 AD.  During this period, the Vikings were sailing around and conquering local peoples in today’s UK, Ireland, France, the Baltics, Iceland, Greenland, and all the way to Newfoundland, often establishing their own communities in these lands.

I had always wondered where my strawberry blond hair came from.  Red hair is a recessive trait - you need redhead genes from both parents.  Red hair was not something I would associate with Mom's French side.  But I have the red, Mom had it, her mom had it.  Even Darwin has tinges of red.  A number of years ago, some of Mom's sisters traced back their family history to France and the first Belangers to arrive in Canada in 1610.  And guess from where in France those Belangers sailed...