Just so...: a week of two halves...

I am a bit of a cold body and the recent drop in temperature had me grumbling and reaching for woolly socks. Rapidly followed by an urge to knit more woolly socks! I'm trying to have something of a self imposed restriction of buying more wool but a rummage in the box under my bed (one of the places I have wool stashed!) turned up half a ball of sock yarn and some 4ply that I think I've had for years and years. These are only for me so I thought they'd be a reasonable enough pairing.

Had forgotten quite how satisfying knitting socks is - and if I don't get distracted (ha ha ha!) I can knock them up quite quickly.

Then, just as I had resigned myself to the idea that summer might really be over, I went up to Yorkshire to visit a friend last weekend and realised I had completely misjudged what clothes to take!

She moved to Knaresborough recently and this was the first chance I'd had to go up there. It is a really pretty place which is still decorated with yellow bikes and bunting from the Tour de France. From the Castle parks the view was lovely over the river...

...and it is close enough to the Dales to be in easy reach of beautiful countryside, even more lovely bathed in warm late summer sunshine...

We walked up to a stunning spot above a reservoir (I think it was called Ambers Crag?? Might have misremembered that!) and it was so nice to have a bit of 'up'. This is something that I do really miss walking in Norfolk - there are some lovely views, particularly at the coast, but there is truly nothing to beat that sensation of working up a bit of a sweat and getting a bit puffed to be rewarded with this...

There was very little breeze, even at the top, and we sat and ate a picnic in gorgeous warm sunshine. The heather is perhaps a little past its most vivid best but still lends a purple-pink haze to the hillside...

There is an amazing feeling of space up on top of a hill, even a relatively small one like this - I felt I could see for miles...

I took the train up rather than the drive and was very glad I had - with the exception of the tedious wait and Peterborough (sorry Peterborough, but it really is the most boring station to spend 45mins at!) the journey was easy and way more relaxing than a 4 hour drive would have been.

So Monday saw me at Knaresborough's pretty station, heading to Leeds for the trip home.

Now, I have to confess I wasn't completely sure I wanted to kill a few hours in Leeds - it's not somehwere that has even been on my 'must go to' list and I didn't have any expectation of what to find there.

But I thought it was a really beautiful city - full of lovely architecture and friendly people. And now it definitely is on my 'must go back to with a bit more time' list! I picked up a heritage trail walk at the station and sort of followed it to look at the lovely Potts clocks on various buildings around the city centre - but actually got very sidetracked by the stunning Victorian arcades...

Norwich has one, very lovely, but dwarfed by these both in size and intricacy of decoration. Quite breathtaking. I'm guessing the glass roof of this one may be more recent but the colours were so impressive, particularly with the sun streaming through...

And as for the markets...I could have spent hours wandering around in here. Hall after hall full of colourful displays - I honestly think you wouldn't need to shop anywhere else if you lived here! I saw pretty much everything form household electrical goods, to beautiful displays of fresh fish, from yards and yards of cloth to bakery goods and fresh fruit and veg...

I had the nicest Eccles cake ever for 55p and couldn't resist just one ball of wool... Well I had to, it was half the price of even the market yarn stall in Norwich!

A bit more wandering took me up to Leeds Minster...

...and then I stumbled across a tiny coffee shop on the way back, for a caffeine top up and briefly rest my legs and scan the map (though I have to say it was a bit dark in there - my poor old eyes are not fab in dim lighting! Makes me feel a bit ancient when I have to peer at the small print!). Good coffee though!