Nostalgia afternoon

We're back chez Mummy hazelh for a busy weekend of nostalgia and relations. My Australian cousin Edwina is in Europe for a couple of weeks and has managed to fit into her busy schedule a visit to some of the family in Northumberland.

This afternoon four of us - Edwina, Mummy hazelh, Mr hazelh and I - drove over to Corbridge to see whether there was anything recognisable in the grounds of the new-build retirement home that is located at the site of my mother and Edwina's father's childhood home. This was rather difficult: only the long garden wall and a lilac bush evoked any real memories.

Then we drove down the hill into Corbridge, where we parked the car for a couple of hours. In St Andrew's church we talked to an elder who remembered her piano lessons with our (mine and Edwina's) grandmother, and looked through old photographs in the vestry to see if there were any pictures of Edwina's father as a choirboy (answer - no).

By now it was time for tea/coffee and cake, so we stopped off in a café in the village square for a break. Then we headed over to the microbrewery in the Pele Tower, and then wandered through the antique and gifts shops before returning to the car.

On our way home we briefly returned to the mundanity of 2019 with a visit to Homebase to buy shears, batteries and light bulbs. Then we made a final nostalgic trip up to a house that means a lot to my family - so much so that Edwina's parents' house in Australia is named after it.

In my blip Mummy hazelh and I are at the gate of my great grandparents' house. I don't have any memories of the place (even though I did come here when I was tiny). However, I am familiar with it from old black/brown and white photographs, many of which were taken outside the conservatory just visible in this shot.

By the time we returned home from our afternoon out, my not-so-little sister had arrived from Newcastle with her partner and his 7 year-old niece. This evening we have been cooking, watching the FA Cup final (amazing), and playing Exploding kittens.

Exercise today: walking (13,554 steps).