LIFE: York From the View of a Yorkshire Lass

When you grow up with a city as great as York just down the road, you somewhat take it for granted. All that history, culture, shopping, farmers market, train love. Yeap I was lucky. So I thought I'd share the things I love(d) about the city I've spent many an hour in growing up because I never really got around to talking about the place when it was all on my doorstop.

Do a ghost tour

Ghosts seem to like York, in fact it's the most haunted city in England. So as a result there are a lot of various ghost walks around the city. Ghost Hunt of York was one I took on a birthday many moons ago, it meets nightly at 7:30PM by the end of the Shambles (M&S end) and it's well worth your time. 

Walk the walls

Whether you call them the York City Walls, the Bar Walls or the Roman Walls, walking around the walls is one of the best ways to see the city centre and all it's history. From views of the Minster, towers to the Bars (historical Bars, not the drinking variety). It's about a two and a half mile walk around, there's lots of steps involved so it's not the most accessible way to see the city, but it's certainly one of the finest!  

Shop locally 

York has a great number of independent and smaller chains, probably too many for me to remember and name. But my favorites have always been: The Viking Loom (best local needlework shop I've ever come across), The Antiques Center (vintage treats), Lily Shambles (gorgeous jewelry) to Shared Earth to name but four.

Fall in love with trains

The National Railway Museum was the basis for this girl falling in love with trains. Capturing the history, the design to rail-road paraphernalia, the Railway Museum has it all. Take a ride on a Bullet Train or see them working on engines, I always left that place knowing something new every time. Plus it's free. 

 

Take afternoon tea

It's rather a cliché these days that to visit York you should eat in Betty's, but it's still remains one of my favourite places for afternoon tea. The trick is knowing when to visit, aka not when the queue is half around the block. Pop along around holiday seasons and they do some great window displays.

Enjoy an ice cream

Whether it's in the Museum Gardens or in Deans Park (right behind the Minster) sit on the grass and soak in the gorgeous setting. Both places are well worth enjoying a picnic in, great for people watching and there's always some wildlife roaming around too.

Insider tips;

Farmers markets are well worth a visit but go earlier before the coach loads of visitors are dropped off. Use the great park and ride and bus services that run around the city, York just gets more and more complicated to drive around. There's always been a lack of public toilets (it's important to know this stuff).  Take your patience with you, you're more than likely to be stuck behind slow tourist walkers throughout the day. The York Sightseeing (the big bus buses) have always been my favorite for the city bus tours.

Ever been to York? I'd love to hear your favorite things to see and do in the city!

The week of the to do list. Part two.

You feel a bit of a spare part those days before leaving, your sorting stuff so you feel like you can't get involved with anything new. You end up window shopping and buying things you don't really need - like Superdrug's 3 for 2 on cosmetics [as if America doesn't do make up] buying Glamour merely for the Nails Inc [picture 3], walked my way around the walls of York [picture 1] and poked the National Railway museum [picture 2].

On Friday I went to Hull for a change of scene. Hull a bit of a weird city and it's one few people go out of their way to visit. It always felt a city that's lacking that extra vibe to push itself [probably merely lacking government funding]. What Hull is good for is lots of free museums of which there are eight. Mostly they are based around the Old Town in the Museum Quarter where you'll find the slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce's house, the Street life Museum [picture 4] and the Hull and East Yorkshire museum. If you ever need to pass an afternoon in Hull i'd really recommend them.

When I try to picture Detroit I always imagine it to be something similar to Hull - both were previous industrial hubs that have seemed to have lost their spark when their manufacturing lifeblood drained away. Nevertheless I don't know what to expect, I tend to ignore the looks and misunderstanding about why you'd want to move to Detroit but I tend to try and see over people's generalisations, people often become too believing of them without experiencing the place themselves. Here's to giving it a go.

The week of the to do list part one.

Getting winter woolies for Michigan in H&M

Why has it taken me so long to find these crisps?! Super super yum.

I brought a notebook with the intention of having somewhere to write all those half posts you get in your head at the most un-blogging moments. Yet when you find the time to blog, they've have vanished. This week while I haven't been at work i've been bored enough to plan out a lot of posts in my head, especially while sitting in coffee shops, all this extra time makes you realise how slow time can really go when your not busy - or when your waiting for something.

This week has been spent tackling what was left of the to do list, predominately it was filled with boring money things, buying last minute bits, getting some clothes, being interrogated in M&S [of all places] when buying dollars through to living in Starbucks and Costa and wishing the week away. I even popped into work - even though my uniform was literately falling apart you have to take it back [yeah it's fit for the bin] and being the nice person I am I took them some chocolates as a thank you for the leaving pressies - if you remember anything about the moaning I did about work - well the lady that did most of it, who gave me most of the talk how you can't trust men etc etc just blanked me the whole ten minutes I was there. Yeah friendly place. Yet I know she'll be eating most of the chocolates. But when I wasn't sorting things out I was poking the museum gardens with my old point and shoot camera, nosing in shops and even popped into the cinema to see The Help.

Mentally i've been getting my head into gear - saying that I don't think the scale of emigrating will  sink in until Joe has returned to work, even so it might feel like a holiday for a couple of months especially with no working allowed just yet. I know I'm ready in myself to do this and that's the biggest and I guess one of the most important things to have achieved at all this week.

FOOD: Take me out

Sometimes when you just hear one song it brings back so many memories. With my MP3 player on shuffle the other day Franz Ferdinand came through the speakers - they aren't now a band I play very often do I do have a liking for their songs. They last time I properly listened to them was when me and Joe were dinning at the American bar come grill Henry J Beans in York in August 2011. Because I never really posted about that holiday at the time [it was the start of my on/off blogging relationship] I thought it would bring something new for today - away from my on going steam of visa and migration talk. On the day we visited they had a thing for playing at least three of the same bands songs in a row and as we were sitting down Franz were playing and everytime I know hear take me out it takes me right back to that meal. 

As far as i'm aware Henry J Beans is part of a larger chain around the UK offering us UK folks a culinary taste of Americana from huge burgers, milk shakes pizzas and steaks. I opted for the Philly Steak - my boy's originally from Pennsylvania so it was kind of fitting, recipes and versions alternate but they are normally made up of sliced steak, peppers, onions upon a crusty baguette topped off with lots of yummy melted cheese, now every time I've ventured near an American grill [like The Diner in London's Soho] I always favour trying their Philly steaks.

One of the exciting things about moving is getting to try a huge new range of foods, i've never even had a taco before so that's the first thing on the list, after that i'm all up for the new food adventure! Saying that i'll nice proper English fish and chips [i've been googling chippies already and have found a couple to try out].

Have you ever had been to America and tried anything tasty you'd recommend?

An Hour in the Gardens

The hours at work got changed around on Wednesday because we had to have some random team meeting - it was all surrounded in mystery yet wasn't exciting at all. Same old same old. So work didn't start till ten yet had to still get the same eight am bus to work which left an hour to entertain myself in York's museum gardens. The trees are on the very verge of turning and falling, one of my favourite aspects about autumn is the colouring of nature. I thought i'd give myself a challenge to try some more landscapey/building photographs but as you can see my macro flower shots always sneak in. I'm have plans of getting some of my shots printed off and framed arty for our flat, perhaps they'll give me some more inspiration of a morning. 

YORK: Tower Gardens

On August 5th 2010 me and Joe got engaged. It's amazing to think a whole year has gone by since Joe proposed on a bench in the Tower Gardens by the River in York - named after the famous Clifford's Tower [bottom picture]. We'd spent the morning travelling back from Manchester Airport and were all excited about our little weeks holiday together as tourists in York, I know I wasn't properly blogging at the time, so none of these ever really got mentioned sadly. We'd planed a trip on the night cruise on the river boat and ended up, killing time just walking along the river and sitting on a bench watching the boats cruise up and down. It was then that that bench became christened as "ours" just as Joe asked me to marry him. We'd return to to same spot in March this year only to find it was no longer there! Perhaps another winter river flooding caused its removal.

I hadn't been back to "our" bench until the year anniversary [if we can call it that] of our engagement, the idea of it always felt so odd going there without Joe, but I wanted to visually capture the gardens, the river, all the boats and the warehouse [named as the Bonding Warehouse] which we use to talk about while sitting on our bench or on the cut down tree trunk by the edge. I think every time we head back to York we'll always pop in and visit our spot, it has so many happy memories of our time together and beginning our future. I just wish Joe could have visited it again with me.

YORK: Treasurer's House

I ended up going for a wander right up the other end of the main touristy part of York on one of my lunchtime walks. I eyed up having a lazy sit in Dean's Park behind the Minster but it was a tad windy so I had to keep moving. On the way past i'd spied a notice on the wall by the garden entrance to the Treasurer's House claiming a wander into the garden was free. With a camera in my bag how was I going to turn that down?! 

While it was breezy outside, the sunken walled garden was a sun trap and gorgeous one at that. While it's not large - you could wander around it within five minutes, its worth a look around the edge of the lawn, one kept in by gorgeous English bedding flowers, statues, climbing roses and sweet little benches both wooden and stone. 

Until the late 1500's this medieval building was as the name suggests, home to the treasurers of York Minster although the current stonework is said to maintain little resemblance to the original building. One of the most infamous tales is regarding a occurrence from the cellars. Harry Martindale was undertaking maintenance work alone down in the basement in 1953 when he claims to have heard a horn sounding twice, ignoring this until a horse appeared through the wall of the cellar, to be followed by a marching band of Roman soldiers. Although cut off at the knees (apparently reflecting the level of earth in Roman times) they marched through the wall and into the cellar tired and dirty. It's a tale that is retold on countless ghost tours you can partake every evening around York and to some, this tale alone proves apparently to many the existence of ghosts because of the level of detail Martindale could describe regarding the clothing of the soldiers - only data proved years later with greater historical insight.

There's a few little gardens, parks and churches hidden away in York, hidden just an alley or a wall away from a street packed with tourists yet its amazing how many get walked past without anyone ever knowing. I think I want to be extra nosey and find them all!

Margaret Rose

Newgate Market in York is a daily market full of your normal fish, vegetable, clothes and knitting kind of stalls but there's also two or three junk, thrifty vintage seller that visit the site a couple of times a week. I often go for a wander on my lunch break so I thought i'd go for a nosey and stumbled across an elderly lady selling a mixture of vintage jewellery, compacts, plate wear and books. While they weren't the most exotic or big named compacts they were going cheap - all under £7.50 which is an utter bargain and after posting last week my complete vintage compact collection I have been having craves to had a new one - even though I'm meant to be money saving. But that when to the side. The first compact that caught my eye was the £4 marked, poorly, tired flapjack compact I posted about the other day, the second was this cameo Margaret Rose 1950s compact - priced at £6 it was more then reasonable.

Pre cleaned - the Margaret Rose compact with it's little feminine cameo.

The bottom pan of the compact is often how they are dated, with Stratton's they can often be dated by the pattern design. In this instance due to the small hole in the bottom right of the compact we can be sure that this is a post 1950 compact. This hole was designed a way of removing and therefore replacing the powder pan once all the contents had been used. As clearly marked the makers Margaret Rose is enamelled into the bottom followed by England indicating is country of origin.

A glimpse inside the cleaned compact - the white pan would have once been removable therefore allowing the lady to keep her compact. The original shifter with cardboard edging is covering the original puff.

Sometimes it pays off to have a good little rumble in all the corners of a market. Sometimes you come away with nothing worth looking at and then others you find little marvels that just need a little loving. The compact may not be as old or as "stylish" as some of my counterparts but its different and offers another glimpse at what was once a named and known English compact brand.

Ooo we've gone all Victoriana

In York down the shambles there's a little photography studio were you get to dress up in one era of time be it Victorian, Fantasy, Maedival etc and for the price of £30 with the price increasing depending on what else and what size of photograph you get a memorable experience and a photograph of yourself and whoever your with all dressed up.

Me and Joe had the idea of visiting this studio called Past Images the last time he was over - but we ran out of time. So thankfully Joe remembered and on Monday just before we left for the airport we popped in and had a really fun twenty or so minutes dressing each other up and getting photographed in our chosen era - that of the Victorian age.You get a good range of dresses or suits to wear, all clipped and tied in at the back so you don't have to worry too much about the sizing, there's even a range of props from hats, walking sticks, fans to parasols.

It lost its vintage real life sepia tone while I scanned it but you get the general gist. The photographer sadly we never caught his name makes you feel really at ease, he takes a number of shots from full on facing the camera, a "serious" look at each other picture which we really couldn't keep a straight face for and pictures facing away from the camera. We feel for the first image he took - its playful and happy like us. I think it captures us brilliantly. We thought it fitting to have the York Minster as our background mind you being a glasses wearer I did have to take them off - seeing they weren't really around in those days so I keep finding it odd seeing myself without having them on.

We ended up getting the image as a gift and got some of the pictures printed off as postcards to keep for ourselves. If your ever in York and you want a memorable giggle it's a place well worth a visit.

You can find out more information on their website and their facebook.

YORK: Cliffords Tower

I heard on the old local news how Clifford's Tower in York was the one local attraction that had increased it's visitor numbers in the past year. Figures showed that the tower was up 3 per cent in visitor footfall which is worth considering especially against the National Railway Museum a place me and Joe loved messing around playing like children at was down 16 per cent during the same period. So I thought was the perfect excuse to post some of the happy pictures from when me and Joe was there seeing I kind of gave up blogging around the same time.

Even at night the tower is worth a look especially when its all lit up like this.

The site upon which the now only the ruins of Clifford's Tower stands became the principle site for defending the city of York, especially against anti Norman attacks and later continued to play a crucial role in serving as the royal seat for governmental control during the medieval period. If you want to see York was a different view Clifford's Tower offers a totally different 360 degrees picture of the city and for £3.50 per person adult price it's more then worth a look-see. After a steep trawl up some stone steps you can climb up to the top of the tower and walk around three quarters of the top - from which you can see from brilliant view of the city from the Minster, to hills and Moors in the distance. On a sunny day the sights are glorious.

The only thing that is slightly lacking about the tower is there's nothing else much to really see - apart from the views and a couple of boards to read, that's all and a tiny shop so don't expect huge touristy things to see and do.

Hockney

Bigger Trees Near Warter - image taken from the York Art Gallery

David Hockney is considered as being one of Britain's most renowned of artists. Working since the 1950s, through pop art up to the present day his images and work have questioned, pushed; and challenged the boundaries of acceptable art alongside pop culture and more increasingly natural life. 

His (semi) recent work is a series of landscapes around East Yorkshire. It's a quiet little unknown spot in the world, rather forgotten behind its fellow Yorkshire siblings of north and south Yorkshire, but it holds a quiet beauty that's rarely known to the outside world. And now, thanks to Hockney it'll be known to a few more. Hockney himself has been quoted as stating East Yorkshire as having "the sorts of wide vistas you get all the time in the American west" and it's the first time this work has been shown outside of London.

Being a lass from East Yorkshire, and a country gal at that, I thought i'd pop along and have a little looksee while I was in York today shopping. 

Its not until your stood right before it that you see what the talk is all about. The piece measure 12 x 4.5 metres, this statistic doesn't give credit to how large it actually is until your stood before it, its so large the little daffodils on the floor of the piece seem pretty much size sized, and the huge trees tower over you. Comprising of fifty individual panels joined together it captures a countryside  hanging on the eve of spring between Malton and Diffield - if your an insider to East Yorkshire it was painted by the turn off for Millington (the village where I first lived) and Warter. Its the greens and the use of trees and how they tag along the side of the road with the farm yard buildings creeping in that make it very much East Yorkshire-like. It's very much my landscape that I get just out of town. Even the colours alone make it right. 

Landscapes began inspiring Hockney since the 1990s while living in California, but it is through his repeated visits back to his native Yorkshire and swapping the sunshine state for life in Bridlington, did Hockney began capturing a naturalistic version of the landscapes around him. Especially of trees - tree's Hockney considers to be much like people - always different.

It's a shame none of the other images of these collection of Hockney's East Yorkshire landscapes where showing alongside this one. It somewhat isolates it, hanging slightly out of context of its wider landscape. It would have been the perfectly opportunity to showcase Hockney's contemporary work to a new, younger audience alongside those who know his older pop works and introduce a modern take on landscapes and of East Yorkshire. Nevertheless Bigger Trees at Warter is large enough literally and figuratively to hang alone.

You can see Bigger Trees at Warter till June 2011 at York Art Gallery.

Patisserie Valerie may be my new downfall

This week a new Patisserie Valerie has just opened up in York. I've seen one once - well dribbled on the window down in London a few years ago, and it looks like they are starting to branch out more across the UK. Since 1926 they've been introducing the taste of French pastries and continental cakes, breakfasts to the English. Our pharmacist at work decided to treat us all to a slice, I went for the carrot cake - a random choice some might say but when they are done right they are brilliant

I love how your cake slice comes wrapped in a little box, finished off with an ever so cute pink bow. 

Unraffle and peek inside ....

For £2.95 (add an extra £1 if you want to eat in) and you get the above sized slice. It's huge! So sticky and covered in a thick covering of cream cheese, the carrot cake was so lovely and moist with an extra bite of some nuts in too. Nevertheless it does verge of the edge of being too sickly, you really couldn't eat any more and the last couple of mouthfuls were a struggle. To be honest this sized slice would be enough to spare really - more then enough to get a good taste and nibble from. Watch out for your fingers thought - more then a little sticky at the end.

It's definitely a place i'd go back to for a treat - their pastries and tarts look delicious in the window, and even their huge celebration cakes would make ideal birthday or even wedding cakes.I have it on good authority that the chocolate cake is scummy too.

So very nomnomnom - a lovely treat indeed.

Oh and I should of mentioned this the first time - it's along Feasegate, it's taken over where Athena use to be, by the back entrance to BHS. 

YORK: Heart of Yorkshire

Rumour has it, well the Pullman Bus Tours state that if lovers kiss under the "Heart of Yorkshire" officially known as the Great West Window they'll stay in love for the rest of their lives. Me and JJ were all up for trying that!

Its only when you play at being a tourist you realise how much the Minster dominates the city. But its expectantly pretty at night, all lit up. Was the perfect spot and sight on the slow wander home back from our floodlit boat trip. I went for a peek inside the Minster last week - I kind of wanted to get away from the world and be quiet for a bit. I might not be religious but you can't mistake the beauty inside such a place. 

Hope you all have fabulous weekend, i'm back to sorting and mending the crocheted blanket while fixing up me and Joe a scrapbook of our holidays and messing with that wedding wrap I blogged about ageeees ago.

YORK: Afternoon Tea at Betty's

Betty's Tearooms were opened as a haven to offering traditional meals, cakes and teas mixing influences from Switzerland and Yorkshire. The first tearoom was opened in 1919 in Harrogate by Fredrick Belmont, a Swiss confectioner with later additions opening in York. The naming of the tearooms as "Betty's" however remains a mystery. Some consider them to be named after the former Queen Mother; a former Harrogate Spa owner Betty Lupton, a previous daughter of the sites former owner who had died of TB and/or perhaps a small child who is said to have interrupted a meeting and suggested a name. 

Opening in the 1930s, the York St Helen's Square branch of Betty's became its flagship tearoom. During WWII the "Betty's basement" downstairs became the hangout of American and Canadian bomber boys located over here. Overall the design of the tearoom is inspired by ship RMS Queen Mary after Fredrick sailed upon its maiden voyage. Impressed by the design that much he commissioned the same ship's designers and craftsmen to provide a setting for his latest branch.

Me and JJ decided to pretend to be posh and opted for "afternoon" tea at Bettys.

Least its given me one idea for our wedding - a basis of "afternoon tea" for the buffet, little sandwiches, little cakes all on vintage cake stands. With posh tea.

Holiday snaps

Thank you to everyone who's given us there's congratulations and best wishes for getting engaged. It still feels like an amazingly good dream. I guess we should pretend to be all grown up now?! So here's just some piccies of us on our holiday together in York. No doubt there'll be countless other blogs about what we got up too. 

Lazying in the sun just by our special place where we got engaged

Snuggles behind the Minster

We're right posers, I know.

Love

My guy :D

No more piccccccies!

Best week of my life. Loved it.

Thank you all again

House of Avalon - Yorks new vintage find!

There is a gorgeous new vintage shop in York called House of Avalon which specialises in vintage wears from 1900 to the 1960s, proper proper vintage they claim, rather then the numberless retro editions. While I would love to keep it to myself I know there's not only a few vintage girlies who follow my blog, but there's also a few of us Yorkshire lasses that tag along too.

Its more then just your "normal" vintage shop, its a "social enterprise". As a not for profit organisation The House of Avalon is a northern charity aiming to provide funds for adults who need help due to learning, health or disability needs. Based along High Petergate [right behind the Minster] it opened it's doors just this past Saturday [1st May], so today I went for a peek inside.

Only three days old, it already feels amazingly established upon the street. To open the door you enter inside into a dressing up room of delights, of rails of dresses of every colour, an array of jewellery, handbags, and even to my delight crocheted gloves, a compact or two and some dressing table accessories. They even keep their bags and tissue paper in a delightfully glam dressing table.

As an added twist they provide a hairdresser intended to allow you to not only dress the part - but have the vintage hair to suit! Through into the back room you enter into a gorgeous little tea room - where teas and coffees are served in vintage cups and saucers, each being unique as the table and chairs you sit upon. The glamour even extends to the glorious little Bespoke cup cakes.

For the furnishing vintage hearts among us - the part that captured my heart is the pile of vintage table clothes, cushion covers and crocheted dressing table sets. When could I ever say no to a crocheted dressing table set? Especially when it was a bargain at only £3 made up of two long "runners" and two circular dollies of the same design all so delicately styled in two contrasting yarns, I think it was the sharp contrast in colours which really caught my eye.

The circler dollie of the same pattern

But I was also tempted by a gorgeous little embroidered "tray cloth" but it's large enough to be used as a table cloth, it's something i'll save for when I have a home of my own, and you can't really say no when it's only £3.

When your next in York it really is worth a look inside, even grab a cuppa while your there. You can also find the House of Avalon upon their website and additionally follow them upon their Facebook!

Nomnomnom at Betty's chocolate

I know, Valentines Day is just over so the shops start to plant the ideas of Easter and chocolate into our heads again. But my my, I stumbled upon these in the Betty's [York shop] shop window and how utterly gorgeous and yummy do they look?!?!

Wooden Hearts

From the season of being jolly to the season and day of love - I guess everyone's attention goes to that day of love. I get in two minds about the day - its totally over commercialised and love and treats should be given all throughout the year rather then on just one. But maybe its just good for some absent minded lovers to be reminded of the importance of their partner.

Down that old, over crowded with tourists lurking, cameras in hand, pushing and shoving streets called York in the Shambles is a little little shop E.J. Freeborn & Son, a little shop selling wooden gifts alongside restoring and making furniture.

A quick peer into the window showed the display of fruitwood engraved wooden love hearts, worded with cute little notes 0f "I love you", "Be my valentine", "Forever Friends" and "I miss you". They are gorgeously soft and smooth to the touch, each with their own little distinctive natural patterning. Alongside these a basket of varying sizes from micro to large of plain love hearts.
If you're looking for something simple yet meaningful these kind of gifts are along the right lines. Too many people [i'm a bit cynical] spend too much money in an attempt to try and prove something, to prove their love, or to make things better. It's not about how much money you spend, or what you do. You shouldn't have to buy something to prove it, you shouldn't just do it one time a year.

Gems on your doorstep

Sometimes I think we as humans forget the things, the delights, the beauty's and the pleasures that can be found on, or close to, our doorstep. One of the things I just love about England and being British is our history, a history which remains so remarkably intact and visible for all to see at every turn, a history which gets may tourists flocking to our little island. From churches to castles, city walls to grand country houses history both rich and poor sits alongside and embedded within our nationality.

Yet I fear, even I often overlook the delights to be found on my very own [or at least 20 odd miles away] doorstep. Growing up in the fields of East Yorkshire, York has always been the shopping city of choice. While it was the city for clothes shopping I will confess to over looking the historical delights playing out before me within these visits; too busy being stuck behind the numerous and numberless amounts of foreign tourists crowded along the shambles or requiring directions for the "big church".

The "big church" happens to be the Minster, the largest of all Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe and seems to be the magnet to which the tourists are drawn, yet it is a building I've walked pass countless times without really giving it a second glance. It's a shame really - while its more then a little expensive to visit these days, it remains a magnificent eye turner from streets away. Even the shambles the tiniest of little streets is a gorgeous delight, packed full of traditional shops, from knitting, wooden toys, sweets and tea shops, yet only too often I view it as a street to get me to somewhere else.

I guess in the rush rush society we all too often forget to stop and look around our surroundings and we miss so much that would or could catch the eye of someone else. We become so safe in our surroundings that the beautiful may sometimes be invisible.

[York Minster]

Outside the Minster this guy always seems to be, drawing away on the streets copies of works of art. Not only do the buildings make the city or the place, sometimes it really is down to the people.

Sometimes we all could do with looking a bit closer at the things nearest to us, before we miss them or they get overlooked for good.

____________________________________

I additionally would like to thank you for all your kind thoughts and ideas/cures regarding the old wisdom tooth issues. Currently the throbbing has subsided somewhat, and I have experienced the delightfully rancid taste of clove oil - that's not a taste I'll forget too easily but it has helped!

Oh and I have to share finally being able to get a job - it may only be part time and it may only be for the Christmas period but money was starting to get short and even though its only temporary and requires the joy of travelling and hassle of public transport, hopefully it'll be worth it.

My motto to everyone out there struggling and feeling so fed up because of the recession and lack of employment, really is to keep trying.

Sometimes there really is a lucky break waiting to be had!

York Help Required

I'm posting this in the vain hope that someone might just be able to help. After moving back to the area i'm out of sorts at knowing where any vintage or vintage inspired shops can be found in York. I'm just hoping that someone could pass on some shops or places they know of?

I need a look in a good old fashioned and inspired shop!!

[York Minster 1942 Life Magazine]