Last thoughts

We leave Whitby tomorrow, having to stay another day because the children need looking after as my son- in-law has to go in for a scan today in Middlesborough. Later on the agent's photographer will come to photograph the room I am typing in, the attic and Laura (Visit England) is also coming.  It has been fairly busy during our stay, hanging rails have been put up, smoke alarms and a new outside light.  There have been dramas, our  neighbour has had to go into hospital, and her husband (they have been married 57 years) kept an eye on, he has visited the Scarborough hospital every day, but everyone seems to pull together in this small community.  Last night a grandson came to visit the husband, he had not seen him for 5 years, so there are small good things happenings amongst all the upheaval.

Snapped the above painting which is in the gallery at the Museum in Pannett Park, it is a favourite of mine,  (must be because it reminds me of my two granddaughters) it is a slightly slushy sentimental rendition, think it was done by one of the Staithes group of artists.  Children barefoot, the mud path up to the rickety cottage, very much a picture of these old cottages that cling to the side of the coastal villages.
Little Lillie has fallen in love with Captain Cook so I must find her a book in her style on the subject, here she is reading an inscription in the park, with Matilda just about to fool around in the little fountain at the top, and then the wet consequences as later Lillie slips in. The other day after telling her mum that she has had a horrible six years of living and falling into the fountain was the worst event;) luckily she did not fall into the pond behind...... I should actually put a photo of her when she is fooling around which is most of the time, she is a true drama queen...

Before

After

Tall acanthus in the park

I love acanthus, if I remember correctly its seeds would burst out like a gun in the garden shooting them several feet away.  The leaves are of course its outstanding feature, we see them everywhere in classical architecture, saw them on the great pillars at Lastingham church.

Edit..........

Well the cottage has passed its test, lots of little ticks means I may get a star or two, my initial grumpiness with our Visit England representative has been put to one side.  Why? well her husband owns half a trawler, not doing any fishing at the moment because he is working for a scientific group who are checking out the Doggerland scheme of wind turbines, something i'm interested in.  It is to be the biggest turbine farm in the world and the misgivings that it is going to take a lot of money, consequences of putting the turbines in the sea will mean rusting, and the terrific amount of infrastructure to bring it back on land are adding up to another disaster.
And of course fishing is going to be affected as well, we learnt a bit about Whitby's departure from being a fishing port, it is sad, no fish market now and everyone eating cod and haddock with their chips when they should be eating other types of fish.  Apparently quite a lot of the fish in the shops is frozen at sea and docked at Peterhead something I did not know.
What did we fail at, well a wastepaper basket in the attic, and no pictures on the wall in the bedroom but we all agreed better to take time choosing something good than sling anything on the wall;)