tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29412385474018889432024-03-14T05:49:55.312+00:00Brewer CrossingBrewer Crossing- A blog for regular updates from the Brewers in the UK.Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-57881123731636844022013-12-14T07:57:00.000+00:002013-12-14T07:57:05.907+00:00Bramble Jelly-Part 2<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know, I know, this post has been a long time coming since I actually finished the Bramble Jelly over two months ago, but I finally have the time to sit and write the rest out. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second half of this process was accomplished with my two good friends Ashley and Kristi. We kept scheduling and having to cancel our plans for different reasons and when we finally found the best time for us to do this I got a migraine earlier in the day but pushed on through anyway. This is all to explain why there are no pictures of us- picture me in pj bottoms and slippers with crazy sleep hair- and why I've neglected to capture most of the process by photograph. We had a good time anyway and ended up with a nice product!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's how:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">We ended up doing 3 batches with all the juice that we had and Ashley brought some berries to make a batch that had seeds in it. We put the juice (or straight berries) and sugar (1 pint juice per 1 lb jam sugar) in a large pot on low heat and added a few squeezes of lemon juice (real lemon) to help it set better as blackberries are a low-pectin fruit. Juice and sugar was stirred until the sugar dissolved. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">At the same time we sterilized our jars and lids. The oven was heated to gas mark 1 (</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">275°F/130°C) and we put the jars on a cookie sheet and heated them in the oven for 20 minutes. Lids were put into boiling water for 10 minutes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">The juice and sugar mixture was then brought to a boil and simmered. We made sure to test the jelly every 5 minutes to see if it had set. This took about 10-15 minutes. The setting point is 105C/220F. Scum was skimmed from the jelly after the setting point was reached. (The pot can sit off of heat for up to 15 minutes after the setting point is reached) </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was at this point when having three of us was very helpful as hot jelly needs to go quickly into hot jars. Ashley removed each hot jar from the oven, I filled each with jelly, and Kristi quickly closed each lid. The lids need to be closed quickly to provide a good seal and to prevent mildew! Success!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The jars were left on the counter to cool overnight and almost all of our seals depressed leaving us with jam that could be stored at room temperature. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I added labels to my jars and a little bit of jelly flair! Now they are all ready to be given as gifts! Don't worry, we saved some for ourselves too!</span></div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-82862296165726377882013-09-21T09:21:00.002+01:002013-09-21T09:21:49.484+01:00Bramble Jelly- Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E3qe8FpwqLo/Uj1TdpQN2eI/AAAAAAAACyY/iVr1PCs1lUs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E3qe8FpwqLo/Uj1TdpQN2eI/AAAAAAAACyY/iVr1PCs1lUs/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Blackberries
are in season here in Britain and they are everywhere! It is not uncommon to
see people beside the road picking and eating these sweet berries and we are no
exception. Last week, Todd and I went to do some picking in a little grove
near our house where the dogs could run around. Not surprisingly, there was
very little dog exercise and lots of blackberry eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
first one hour of picking we got over 2kg of blackberries (that’s about 3 quarts)!
Its a perfect amount for making blackberry jelly (a.k.a Bramble Jelly).</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Growing up, we had black raspberry bushes
in our yard and I can remember summer afternoons picking berries and whining
about the thorns that would prick my fingers! My mom would make black raspberry
jelly every summer (in my recollection) and we loved homemade jelly! So, with my new project I
called my mom for a few jelly making tips!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the details she told me about jelly
making is that you can juice the berries and save the juice to make your jelly
at a later time! Perfect! </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took the 2 kg of berries and put them in
a pot and filled the pot with roughly two inches of water. The blogs were a bit
inconsistent about the amount of water to use. Some add less water and others
add more to the juice in the end. It’s a bit confusing, but I went with the 2
inches and assume the water will boil off later during the cooking with sugar
phase. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I brought my berries + water to a boil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and simmered for 20 minutes. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At
this point, my beautiful assistant helped me to squish the berries in the hot
pot. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--PrO-fUl8xY/Uj1ThMosCzI/AAAAAAAACzs/-QGTAz-u3Kc/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--PrO-fUl8xY/Uj1ThMosCzI/AAAAAAAACzs/-QGTAz-u3Kc/s400/8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Once
the berries were adequately smashed, we let the pot sit and cool for an hour
or two. After sterilizing my jam bag in boiling water for 2 minutes, we not-so-delicately poured the berries into the bag to hang and drip overnight. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A
bit of a warning here that this process is really messy and most likely stains
everything! I’m still finding splatters of this juice that I’m cleaning from my
kitchen. In the morning, my jelly bag had stopped dripping and there was quite
a lot of juice. Utilizing the sound advice from my mother, I restrained myself from
squeezing the bag to get out a few more bits of juice. This, apparently, just
adds more scum to the juice that needs to be skimmed off later and I’ve read
that it makes your jelly cloudy. I weighed my juice and put it into freezer bags
for hopefully a short stay in the freezer. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I ended up with 5.25 cups of juice
from my berries!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The rest of the jelly making process I'm planning to do with two friends and their bramble juice. I'll post the rest of the project once we get together to make the final product. </span></span></div>
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-32033439137477312572013-02-03T21:54:00.001+00:002013-02-03T21:54:20.168+00:00A day in St. Boswells, ScotlandTodd and I felt like getting out of Durham yesterday so we packed up the car and the pups and headed up to Scotland for a 24 hr trip to a town called St. Boswells in Scotland. The two hour drive was very pretty and we had beautiful weather throughout the day.<br />
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I have created a video of our trip to try to bring you along with us. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hGQ5fnPRV7U?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-15820644642818675292012-12-05T10:11:00.000+00:002012-12-05T10:13:30.059+00:00Officially a Master<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7eDFjNSSVT8/UL8WUp4nB-I/AAAAAAAACvc/eakK36kj59s/s1600/Graduation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7eDFjNSSVT8/UL8WUp4nB-I/AAAAAAAACvc/eakK36kj59s/s400/Graduation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newcastle University MRes Faculty</td></tr>
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Last night was the ceremony for my Master's degree. Todd and I headed up
to Newcastle University for the 5pm ceremony on a very cold night. It was nice to be a part of the
official ceremony, which included the other MRes and Doctoral Students.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the ceremony</td></tr>
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It was a short ceremony that included a portion of Katy Perry's <i>Firework</i> "Maybe you're reason why all your doors are closed so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road" sung by a classmate of mine during his closing speech. Todd was allocated a seat in the very front row so he was able to capture my very quick moment of being hooded and shaking the hand of the vice-chancellor. It also meant no surfing the internet on his phone while waiting through the other 150+ names! Sorry Todd!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My moment to shine</td></tr>
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I also received my degree last night. I was a little disappointed to find that it was
printed in portrait. There is something about landscape that makes it
feel really official. Is that silly? It is a thick paper and is
officially watermarked so no complaint from me, but portrait?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NS3w1WciSCI/UL8WQTn44UI/AAAAAAAACvU/N4JU10ihBy8/s1600/Degree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NS3w1WciSCI/UL8WQTn44UI/AAAAAAAACvU/N4JU10ihBy8/s400/Degree.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My degree</td></tr>
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After the ceremony, Todd and I headed back to Durham and out for dessert to celebrate with some friends. Overall, a great day with a yummy cherry pie finish!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officially a Master</td></tr>
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-81463965434354858192012-11-06T13:11:00.000+00:002012-11-06T13:11:04.250+00:00Churros and Hot Chocolate Todd and I tried our hand at making some Churros and Hot Chocolate this
past weekend. We first heard of these and ate them on our trip to <a href="http://brewercrossing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/barcelona.html">Barcelona</a>. I found a super easy recipe online <a href="http://deep-fried.food.com/recipe/churros-fried-dough-225455">here</a>
and we spent the afternoon frying the dough and melting the chocolate.
The result came out great and we had a nice dessert to share with some
friends!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was in charge of the pastry bag!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd was a great Churro flipper!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Result-YUM!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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If you ever want an easy fried sweet, treat yourself to some of these little crowd pleasers!Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-42517385688359522462012-10-05T13:00:00.000+01:002012-10-05T13:00:00.216+01:00Peak and Lake Districts<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCY7_xjg7jk/UGiUCMrP3gI/AAAAAAAACmg/HQPEWSLgD0g/s1600/2012-09-22%2B10.25.20.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCY7_xjg7jk/UGiUCMrP3gI/AAAAAAAACmg/HQPEWSLgD0g/s400/2012-09-22%2B10.25.20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our hostel in the Peak District. </td></tr>
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After our trip to Barcelona, Todd, Jonelle, and I spent two days in the Peak District and two days in the Lake District here in England. Todd found a great hostel for us with such a beautiful view and a good local pub nearby. </div>
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We spent the first day visiting Lyme Park. The house used as the exterior of Pemberley, the fictional estate of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YUJbqJKbA4U/UGiUC0M_qFI/AAAAAAAACms/UzFx-lQ4Isc/s1600/P9200315.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YUJbqJKbA4U/UGiUC0M_qFI/AAAAAAAACms/UzFx-lQ4Isc/s400/P9200315.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly reaches Pemberley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jOofcG8Hpic/UGiUD0SmfUI/AAAAAAAACm4/j1hJAu4Ixy8/s1600/P9200316.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jOofcG8Hpic/UGiUD0SmfUI/AAAAAAAACm4/j1hJAu4Ixy8/s400/P9200316.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonelle in front of the lake at Lyme Hall...is that Mr. Darcy's I hear?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd and Kelly in the gardens at Lyme Hall</td></tr>
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We toured the house, but as taking pictures was not allowed, I have no pictures to show here. The house was lovely and we had a wonderful chat with one of the volunteers here about many things British. </div>
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Along with the house and gardens, Lyme Park has 1300 acres of land that includes some amazing views of the Peak District. The picture below shows the view and includes The Cage, that once housed the estate's gamekeepers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNg3sBefops/UGiUF09JPQI/AAAAAAAACnQ/Pzfbv5BAVn0/s1600/P9210354.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNg3sBefops/UGiUF09JPQI/AAAAAAAACnQ/Pzfbv5BAVn0/s640/P9210354.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the grounds at Lyme Hall</td></tr>
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The second day in the Peak District we spent the entire day at Chatsworth House and Gardens. The lady at Lyme Park described Chatsworth House as a palace. It was all very impressive!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GqwCM3fOZJw/UGiUIxIItTI/AAAAAAAACoA/gLXpIB6pDI0/s1600/D.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GqwCM3fOZJw/UGiUIxIItTI/AAAAAAAACoA/gLXpIB6pDI0/s400/D.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatsworth House</td></tr>
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The inside of the house was really just one elaborate and overwhelming room after the next. It is hard to believe that people still live in this amazing house.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_NEWgcQ79Xw/UGoBInrMZKI/AAAAAAAACrE/cSTM9iqtgUU/s1600/Chatsworth2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_NEWgcQ79Xw/UGoBInrMZKI/AAAAAAAACrE/cSTM9iqtgUU/s640/Chatsworth2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of the rooms in Chatsworth House</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Along with the elaborate decor, the house displays many priceless pieces of art that are owned by the family.</span><br />
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We stopped to have a traditional tea at one of the restaurants on the grounds at Chatsworth. It was my first proper tea in England and a lot of fun to share with a friend from home. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Tea at Chatsworth House</td></tr>
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Outside the house, we spent a lot of time walking the grounds. The picture below I included so you could see the massive size of the "house" as seen from the garden. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatsworth House</td></tr>
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The garden includes a 300 year old water cascade that runs down a 200 foot hill, rock gardens, and a maze that I got quite lost in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4K8VCYPQuHE/UGiw919gRMI/AAAAAAAACqk/4nSMe7-0JU4/s1600/P9210387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4K8VCYPQuHE/UGiw919gRMI/AAAAAAAACqk/4nSMe7-0JU4/s400/P9210387.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cascade</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonelle and Kelly at the top of the water cascade. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kUw4w5CLzHU/UGiUOtXZ-rI/AAAAAAAACpg/8kV0o6TqHuk/s1600/2012-09-22%2B14.29.15.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kUw4w5CLzHU/UGiUOtXZ-rI/AAAAAAAACpg/8kV0o6TqHuk/s400/2012-09-22%2B14.29.15.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the maze </td></tr>
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A better picture of The Maze can be seen <a href="http://www.chatsworth.org/newsroom/filming-photography/garden/the-maze">here</a>. Even with this picture I can't figure out how to get to the center! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uUMgfM3_mrY/UGiUPN453gI/AAAAAAAACps/0mUy5gXrwf0/s1600/2012-09-22%2B15.30.00.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uUMgfM3_mrY/UGiUPN453gI/AAAAAAAACps/0mUy5gXrwf0/s400/2012-09-22%2B15.30.00.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the gardens from inside Chatsworth House</td></tr>
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Then, on our drive from the Peak District to the Lake District (a two hour journey) we encountered a herd of beagles. </div>
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A HERD OF BEAGLES PEOPLE!!!!! I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!! Forget the beautiful views of mountains, we had to sit and wait until the HERD OF BEAGLES passed us! The dogs were unphased by our high pitched calls of "PUPPIES!!!" (ok, it was only me yelling this, but the dogs were still undeterred). </div>
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(And yes, I do know that it would actually be a pack of beagles not a herd, but they were definitely being herded down the road by what I assume was their owners/trainers, so I'm sticking with a herd of beagles.)</div>
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In the Lake District, we stayed at a very nice bed and breakfast beside a lake called "Derwent Water" in the town of Keswick. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town of Keswick nestled between the peaks.</td></tr>
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In Keswick, we checked out all the cute shops in the town and had some great soup at the Dog and Gun Pub that displayed a sign saying "All Dogs Welcome". It's not uncommon for dogs to be allowed in the pubs in England, but these tired pups were taking over the joint:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog and Gun Pub</td></tr>
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The second day in the Lake District we headed to a town called Penrith where we did some more shopping and bought some carrot cake!<br />
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We had a great visit with Jonelle and it gave us an excuse to go and see some beautiful sights! Jonelle and I spent the following day laying around the house and watching Bridget Jones movies (we needed some more Mr. Darcy) before she headed back to the States. </div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-37724745071607989492012-09-30T09:56:00.000+01:002012-09-30T09:56:17.969+01:00Barcelona<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dRC14KI3bsw/UGcUwxtJkKI/AAAAAAAACXo/1qbEBQkmsK8/s1600/P9200302.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dRC14KI3bsw/UGcUwxtJkKI/AAAAAAAACXo/1qbEBQkmsK8/s400/P9200302.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casa Batllo</td></tr>
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Todd and I recently took a trip to Barcelona with my good friend Jonelle who came for a week and a half to head to Spain and see some beautiful sights in England while she was here. <br />
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Below are a lot of pictures from our trip! First of all, Barcelona is a beautiful city. While, the weather wasn't nice enough to have some beach time, we had a great time tiring out our feet walking around this pretty city. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful side street<br />
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We stayed in a apartment just outside of the main part of the city, but close to the beach and metro. We were happy to find our little town was filled with locals and there were markets and a main street near us with shops and restaurants. It was just off the beaten path enough so we didn't feel completely "touristy" but our street was busy enough with locals stopping in at the patisseria or the small fruit markets on our street that we weren't completely isolated. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WQUT7l7wuG0/UGcUymEQqGI/AAAAAAAACYA/IGUl8PzWf0c/s1600/2012-09-17%2B11.45.35.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WQUT7l7wuG0/UGcUymEQqGI/AAAAAAAACYA/IGUl8PzWf0c/s400/2012-09-17%2B11.45.35.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast every morning from the bakery close to our apartment</td></tr>
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I seem to find things built by architect Frank Gehry in many of the places I visit. He built both the Dancing house in <a href="http://brewercrossing.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/prague.html">Prague</a> and a recent Manhattan <a href="http://brewercrossing.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/stateside-2011.html">residence</a> in NYC. So, we walked to barcelonta from our apartment and saw the Gehry fish. I have to say that of the three things I've seen built by Gehry this is the least impressive, but since he includes fish in many of the buildings he creates this was nice to see also. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14INVgflkzE/UGcUzWPgYsI/AAAAAAAACYM/HZqlAt5xabI/s1600/P9160018.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14INVgflkzE/UGcUzWPgYsI/AAAAAAAACYM/HZqlAt5xabI/s400/P9160018.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly in front of the Gehry Fish</td></tr>
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We spent most of our time walking around the city seeing all the sites and stopping into all the shops. There was many beautiful things to see as we walked even along minor side streets. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful views around every corner</td></tr>
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Antoni Gaudi is the resounding name of Barcelona architecture. We headed to Park Guell, a huge park Gaudi built at the top of the city with mosiac tiles incorporated into every building, seat, ceiling, and wall. The park also had a wonderful view of the rest of the city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SuIvXzeEh14/UGcUvb0XWYI/AAAAAAAACXc/jcKJJfYS1F8/s1600/2012-09-018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SuIvXzeEh14/UGcUvb0XWYI/AAAAAAAACXc/jcKJJfYS1F8/s400/2012-09-018.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Park Guell</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--apJiu9mapk/UGcU0zZWpMI/AAAAAAAACYk/kZogRFdZs7k/s1600/Barcelona-003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="440" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--apJiu9mapk/UGcU0zZWpMI/AAAAAAAACYk/kZogRFdZs7k/s640/Barcelona-003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4FjhqU6l88/UGcU100optI/AAAAAAAACYw/F5tKpx7tiJw/s1600/Barcelona.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="441" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4FjhqU6l88/UGcU100optI/AAAAAAAACYw/F5tKpx7tiJw/s640/Barcelona.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosiacs of Park Guell</td></tr>
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We also headed to the Gothic Cathedral in Barcelona with it's many shrines to saints.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bc7WcvFcr1A/UGcU28FhAoI/AAAAAAAACY8/6r7RFDs3Wy0/s1600/P9170086-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bc7WcvFcr1A/UGcU28FhAoI/AAAAAAAACY8/6r7RFDs3Wy0/s400/P9170086-001.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street near the Gothic Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gothic Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front doors of the Gothic Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insert a coin and your "candle" will light.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zj8mj9ZKKio/UGgBwkL0tQI/AAAAAAAACl8/bjNcfmBn5nE/s1600/P9170113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zj8mj9ZKKio/UGgBwkL0tQI/AAAAAAAACl8/bjNcfmBn5nE/s400/P9170113.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Choir stalls at the Cathedral</td></tr>
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The Sagrada Familia was my favorite site that we saw during our five days. It is a basilica created by architect Antoni Gaudi in 1883. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another beautiful street</td></tr>
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The Sagrada Familia is still being built 130 years later and is not planned to be completed until 2026. The building will have three facades depicting the nativity, the passion, and the gloria. It will have 12 bell towers dedicated to the 12 apostles, 4 towers dedicated to the evangelists, and 1 tower dedicated to Jesus. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TgOGTB8PmQ0/UGcU7fczWbI/AAAAAAAACZ4/zd_EBx5O03I/s1600/P9180185.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TgOGTB8PmQ0/UGcU7fczWbI/AAAAAAAACZ4/zd_EBx5O03I/s400/P9180185.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basilica Sagrada Familia- Nativity facade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mFAXlorFUS8/UGcU72sEbsI/AAAAAAAACaE/ndwjrtmARaM/s1600/P9180146.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mFAXlorFUS8/UGcU72sEbsI/AAAAAAAACaE/ndwjrtmARaM/s400/P9180146.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagrada Familia- Passion facade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W9MjRsszd0/UGcU9LISHnI/AAAAAAAACaQ/6dSeP1WVJ_Q/s1600/P9180240.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W9MjRsszd0/UGcU9LISHnI/AAAAAAAACaQ/6dSeP1WVJ_Q/s400/P9180240.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the final product will look like in 2026.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was a cloudy day when we arrived, but stepping inside the church you see Gaudi's vision for a simple yet powerful design with natural lighting directing the eye and mind heavenward.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KLP99LVaOqY/UGcU-hdd59I/AAAAAAAACao/wxGr5IHW9_o/s1600/P9180158.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KLP99LVaOqY/UGcU-hdd59I/AAAAAAAACao/wxGr5IHW9_o/s400/P9180158.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Sagrada Familia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gJFSGgYMQJw/UGcU92Y9KXI/AAAAAAAACac/u_I9YahbNyg/s1600/P9180155.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gJFSGgYMQJw/UGcU92Y9KXI/AAAAAAAACac/u_I9YahbNyg/s400/P9180155.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7RQsvcsd4xM/UGcU_XDMbYI/AAAAAAAACa0/Fn_g5WxBSp4/s1600/P9180159.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7RQsvcsd4xM/UGcU_XDMbYI/AAAAAAAACa0/Fn_g5WxBSp4/s400/P9180159.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceiling of the Sagrada Familia</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AqbzGZx65Uk/UGcVALZG4xI/AAAAAAAACbA/rj_49tr4kJ4/s1600/P9180219.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AqbzGZx65Uk/UGcVALZG4xI/AAAAAAAACbA/rj_49tr4kJ4/s400/P9180219.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alter of the Sagrada Familia</td></tr>
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<br />
Though it was hard on our feet, it was nice to spend time exporing the city. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o9ogZNwxaU8/UGcbdOoc8MI/AAAAAAAACjA/-VUtINEplgE/s1600/P9170132-003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o9ogZNwxaU8/UGcbdOoc8MI/AAAAAAAACjA/-VUtINEplgE/s400/P9170132-003.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did I mention the streets were picturesque?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmtAEH7xCOc/UGcZS9g_97I/AAAAAAAACeA/wYEao0FG8dI/s1600/cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmtAEH7xCOc/UGcZS9g_97I/AAAAAAAACeA/wYEao0FG8dI/s400/cat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found a huge cat!</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EqNa8GbvC9s/UGbo_HpD16I/AAAAAAAACd4/dRnnmPSn53w/s1600/P9180140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EqNa8GbvC9s/UGbo_HpD16I/AAAAAAAACd4/dRnnmPSn53w/s640/P9180140.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our favorite square</td></tr>
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As Todd and I can't stand spending money on mediocre food, we did some research and found some wonderful treats! It wouldn't be a Brewer vacation with out a few good food finds!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9FLwvUXKOE/UGcZXtYgPnI/AAAAAAAACeQ/dYdXS_FvZUE/s1600/P9170138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9FLwvUXKOE/UGcZXtYgPnI/AAAAAAAACeQ/dYdXS_FvZUE/s400/P9170138.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Churros and Hot Chocolate are a local treat!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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La Boqueria is a huge market on Las Ramblas selling just about any food you could want. One night, we grabbed a different variety of fruits and cheeses along with some bread for dinner to take home, put up our feet, and watch some BBC Pride and Prejudice (for homework of course)...more on that later!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hUobgfR_bw/UGcZZOFA5PI/AAAAAAAACeY/-Snx1hBFaK4/s1600/P9170135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hUobgfR_bw/UGcZZOFA5PI/AAAAAAAACeY/-Snx1hBFaK4/s400/P9170135.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Boqueria- the Market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xKFpxEz3fms/UGcZbHlTFcI/AAAAAAAACeg/UDwzRM3FOWs/s1600/2012-09-18+16.49.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xKFpxEz3fms/UGcZbHlTFcI/AAAAAAAACeg/UDwzRM3FOWs/s400/2012-09-18+16.49.52.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Boqueria</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Todd found us a great vegetarian restaurant for dinner called Sesamo where we each had the tasting menu. Todd remarked this was one of the best meals he's ever had. I agreed! We sat right next to the open kitchen where the chef checked in on us with each course. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lJY1kJbNL4c/UGcZc1zmH2I/AAAAAAAACeo/3-pD0oYnYU0/s1600/2012-09-19+22.28.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lJY1kJbNL4c/UGcZc1zmH2I/AAAAAAAACeo/3-pD0oYnYU0/s400/2012-09-19+22.28.33.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd eating "Jonelle food".</td></tr>
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Strawberry and basil gazpacho, cheese-filled gnocchi with beet sauce and parmesan, gouda and quince paste with macadamia nuts...yum!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9S5BrFg3V8/UGcZefobnPI/AAAAAAAACew/wK4X51-qOGc/s1600/Todd%2527s+phone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9S5BrFg3V8/UGcZefobnPI/AAAAAAAACew/wK4X51-qOGc/s400/Todd%2527s+phone.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eight delicious, vegetarian taster courses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And then back to our favorite square for Jonelle and Todd to patronize my picture taking....and to share some sangria!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NbBx9EPh0Bo/UGcZgUHNV3I/AAAAAAAACe4/wvHSgWGz3rE/s1600/Barcelona-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NbBx9EPh0Bo/UGcZgUHNV3I/AAAAAAAACe4/wvHSgWGz3rE/s640/Barcelona-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonelle and Todd in our favorite square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-20166707071558669682012-09-03T13:01:00.000+01:002012-09-03T13:01:25.595+01:00Hamsterley ForestYesterday was so beautiful here in Durham that Todd and I took a trip with the pups to Hamsterley Forest to enjoy their many hiking trails. There are different trails that are marked by their difficulty for cyclists. We managed to walk for a few hours on some fun trails. Here are some photos of our day:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-klEuo-UVI3M/UESXqti04ZI/AAAAAAAACJo/qqBLvnI8TQk/s1600/2012-09-02+11.30.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-klEuo-UVI3M/UESXqti04ZI/AAAAAAAACJo/qqBLvnI8TQk/s400/2012-09-02+11.30.42.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 40 minute drive to Hamsterley Forest was so pretty!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FntwPsvzdiw/UESXzo-Yd4I/AAAAAAAACJw/mEUUCgKwxqg/s1600/2012-09-02+12.07.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FntwPsvzdiw/UESXzo-Yd4I/AAAAAAAACJw/mEUUCgKwxqg/s400/2012-09-02+12.07.27.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamsterley had lots of trails that ran along the stream.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vI9r5OYfkKg/UESYFE8ZDjI/AAAAAAAACKE/qxnnqEpJMDs/s1600/2012-09-02+12.15.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vI9r5OYfkKg/UESYFE8ZDjI/AAAAAAAACKE/qxnnqEpJMDs/s400/2012-09-02+12.15.12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pups and I enjoyed the exercise through the forest. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXqCPmcFTVI/UESYNVNS6DI/AAAAAAAACKM/A3AsvTF_EEA/s1600/2012-09-02+13.29.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXqCPmcFTVI/UESYNVNS6DI/AAAAAAAACKM/A3AsvTF_EEA/s400/2012-09-02+13.29.59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a picnic at the top of this hill which had a magnificent view. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UNC6jKjLfJ8/UESYT6yTKII/AAAAAAAACKU/NuB9mtesyF4/s1600/2012-09-02+14.33.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UNC6jKjLfJ8/UESYT6yTKII/AAAAAAAACKU/NuB9mtesyF4/s400/2012-09-02+14.33.13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of water for the pups to swim. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-loGG9f68xg0/UESYb3Fd25I/AAAAAAAACKc/KIr8r4V_UVM/s1600/2012-09-02+15.25.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-loGG9f68xg0/UESYb3Fd25I/AAAAAAAACKc/KIr8r4V_UVM/s400/2012-09-02+15.25.54.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking it easy after our long hike. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-87543951026745924462012-08-12T22:09:00.001+01:002012-08-12T22:09:44.310+01:00London Olympics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZxuYUpt3IU/UCeeqxxy9TI/AAAAAAAACHk/HxbqMGoiHko/s1600/P7280044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZxuYUpt3IU/UCeeqxxy9TI/AAAAAAAACHk/HxbqMGoiHko/s400/P7280044.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you're well aware, the Olympics have come to England! We were able to get tickets to a football match close to our home in Durham and went with some friends to see two matches. We saw Honduras vs. Spain and Japan vs. Morocco. It was fun to finally get to see a football game here in England and great to be able to see an Olympic event so close to home.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q73kJoKDncQ/UCee0f9zD8I/AAAAAAAACHs/PcLCH7Px8hk/s1600/P7280059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q73kJoKDncQ/UCee0f9zD8I/AAAAAAAACHs/PcLCH7Px8hk/s400/P7280059.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japan vs. Morocco</td></tr>
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Last week we headed down to London (a 3 hour train ride from Durham) with some friends and
stayed in a cute little flat while experiencing the crowds and events.
We had an extra day to walk around London and made it to the Olympic
park, though we didn't have tickets so we weren't allowed in. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KUhgNctCns/UCee-HAs_ZI/AAAAAAAACH4/RCjlWhRKeYI/s1600/P8010092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KUhgNctCns/UCee-HAs_ZI/AAAAAAAACH4/RCjlWhRKeYI/s400/P8010092.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olympic Park from the outside</td></tr>
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On Friday, we went to Wimbledon to watch tennis. The first match was
Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3ZzsYTCYzo/UCefQH3F-oI/AAAAAAAACII/yKdFwN4a4GE/s1600/P8020129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3ZzsYTCYzo/UCefQH3F-oI/AAAAAAAACII/yKdFwN4a4GE/s400/P8020129.JPG" width="400" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger Federer</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The match lasted four and a half hours! It was the longest match in Olympic
history. It was a great match, but as it began at noon and we figured we would eat lunch when it was over, we were all very hungry by the end! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B6U5mOZROYs/UCefUcXewVI/AAAAAAAACIQ/-wU1T3hf75s/s1600/P8020181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B6U5mOZROYs/UCefUcXewVI/AAAAAAAACIQ/-wU1T3hf75s/s400/P8020181.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longest match in Olympic history.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also got to see the gold medal winners Serena Williams and Andy Murray play in their semi-final matches.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-coWgsRvTzEM/UCefYaoMSUI/AAAAAAAACIY/6KwKUPI1S-w/s1600/P8030216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-coWgsRvTzEM/UCefYaoMSUI/AAAAAAAACIY/6KwKUPI1S-w/s400/P8030216.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serena Williams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2SQg9L1cdNs/UCefc9cZxvI/AAAAAAAACIg/pRwSpqr-XAY/s1600/P8030230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2SQg9L1cdNs/UCefc9cZxvI/AAAAAAAACIg/pRwSpqr-XAY/s400/P8030230.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray</td></tr>
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After eight and a half hours of tennis we were ready to head home, but not before having a beer and a traditional Pimm's and Lemonade at Wimbledon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3Px65fW7R0/UCefH2_ikVI/AAAAAAAACIA/5ObPHjnzWKM/s1600/P8020119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3Px65fW7R0/UCefH2_ikVI/AAAAAAAACIA/5ObPHjnzWKM/s400/P8020119.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd and I at Wimbledon</td></tr>
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On Saturday night we headed over to the Horse Guards Parade arena to watch two games of beach volleyball. The venue was spectacular and we were very excited to be able to see Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh win their game. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T & K at Horse Guards Parade</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh</td></tr>
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When we weren't at an event we headed to Hyde Park with the masses of other people to watch Olympic events on the large screens in the park.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gv4KksIwp3s/UCefhMjmVSI/AAAAAAAACIo/3ZcjXCC520o/s1600/P8030259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gv4KksIwp3s/UCefhMjmVSI/AAAAAAAACIo/3ZcjXCC520o/s400/P8030259.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching Olympics at Hyde Park</td></tr>
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We also made our way to a famous London bakery- Hummingbird Bakery where we bought cupcakes of which Todd had "thee very best red velvet cupcake of his life".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKoqLklKXXY/UCeflGxyUzI/AAAAAAAACI0/OAfwbFqPUGg/s1600/P8040260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKoqLklKXXY/UCeflGxyUzI/AAAAAAAACI0/OAfwbFqPUGg/s320/P8040260.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hummingbird Bakery</td></tr>
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Mostly, it was just fun to be in London and part of all of the Olympic craziness with lots of other out of town/country people. We also got to see bits of the city at night that made our trip extra special. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXJpyD1757A/UCef21nPafI/AAAAAAAACJM/qqtHYYhCdPo/s1600/P8040333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXJpyD1757A/UCef21nPafI/AAAAAAAACJM/qqtHYYhCdPo/s320/P8040333.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben at Night</td></tr>
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-68511321483113673932012-08-06T16:06:00.001+01:002012-08-06T16:06:27.506+01:00London 2012 Observations<span style="font-size: small;"><b>A few observations from our London 2012 trip this past weekend:</b></span><br />
<br />-Wimbledon = awesome. Not a bad seat in the house. It's the only place I know where all 15,000 people sit completely silent during play. Even crying babies are shushed by everyone.<br />
-If Serena Williams were to play Andy Murray tomorrow, she'd win in 4 sets.<br />-A 4.5 hour tennis match would be more enjoyable if the whole stadium wasn't starving for lunch.<br />
<br />-Brits must be very concerned about drunkenness in sporting events. Beer was pretty scarce in every venue.<br />-Surprisingly, food at the events was modestly priced.<br />-That said, London is still way more expensive than Durham.<br />
<br />-Riding the subway was very easy and not too crowded.<br />-Discovered London's Soho area. No longer a shady area (unless you think hipsters are shady), it has great food at a reasonable price.<br />-The Hummingbird Bakery is a must. Best red velvet cupcake I've ever had.<br />
<br />-The "party atmosphere" of beach volleyball was indeed fun, but somewhat distracted from the games themselves.<br />
-The Horse Guards Parade venue was picturesque, situated right in the historic downtown.<br />-It seems that the British will always root against the US, even if it means cheering FOR Russia, of all places.<br />-For the record, both American teams won convincingly.<br />
<br />-Watching the Olympics in Hyde Park with thousands of people was one of the highlights of the trip.<br />-Serbians are FUN spectators, especially when you don't understand what they're saying.<br />
-After seeing thousands of Brits disproportionately cheer for such small sports as rowing, sailing, and cycling, I can safely say that Americans aren't the only country with an unbounded enthusiasm for its own greatness.<br />
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(Pictures coming soon!)Todd Brewerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00772180067629494117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-55290630431803381132012-07-22T19:15:00.000+01:002012-07-22T19:30:41.889+01:00Maggie's Determination<span style="font-size: large;">Problem: Yellow Ball is caught on the clothesline!</span><br />
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It didn't work. I had to untie it from the clothesline to save both the line and the clean clothes.Todd Brewerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00772180067629494117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-90036507460136493022012-07-11T08:56:00.001+01:002012-07-11T09:00:10.822+01:00In this last year...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VdmP4uQCkAk/T_0obghJQpI/AAAAAAAACHI/fQEtfWxsQVU/s1600/CartoonCamera_1340090521787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VdmP4uQCkAk/T_0obghJQpI/AAAAAAAACHI/fQEtfWxsQVU/s320/CartoonCamera_1340090521787.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durham Rail Station with Cartoon camera</td></tr>
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Dear friends, <br />
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Last year at this time I was very happy to find summer work in Newcastle and spent some time learning how to get around in the city. We were looking forward to a trip home in the fall and taking part in the wedding of a dear friend. I was beginning a Masters degree after a 10 year school hiatus and a bit nervous about the unknown challenges of both returning to higher education and doing it in Britain. Todd began his PhD and started learning a few more languages!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail schedule</td></tr>
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A year later, I know this train schedule by heart. As I sit and write my thesis I think of the craziness that will follow in a few years when Todd is finishing his and wonder what our lives will be like then. Six years of marriage and it has continuously been one of transition. It is a time of year where we say 'farewell' to friends that we've made and look forward to saying 'hello' to new friends in the fall.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our two constants</td></tr>
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It's been a great year and though we are in a rain, rain, and more rain time of year here and I get a little homesick, I like it here...and we'll see how long we stay.<br />
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If you know of someone moving into Durham, tell them to come and say 'hello'. There is a great house just up the road from us where our friends <a href="http://pitymedurham.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/place-for-rent-in-durham-england/">Ben and Sarah</a> have been living that is for rent. Not only would you get to live in England, but you'd live in a town called 'Pity Me'....even after two years makes me chuckle. <br />
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We look forward to another year of unknowns here in England with our two favorite constants.<br />
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Farewell to our friends finding new adventures- someday we'll stop being students and join you out there in the real world!!!<br />
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Til then, we're sending love from afar,<br />
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Kelly BrewerKellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-23350173571434123492012-06-16T20:36:00.000+01:002012-06-16T20:36:06.926+01:00Olympic Flame in Durham<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-11CIGeU_-F0/T9zYQb2T1UI/AAAAAAAACGA/7WvuRDPl1wA/s1600/Torch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-11CIGeU_-F0/T9zYQb2T1UI/AAAAAAAACGA/7WvuRDPl1wA/s320/Torch.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UZqA8d3nlZ0/T9zZDqub9dI/AAAAAAAACGI/c9i9pRfAmeg/s1600/P6160009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UZqA8d3nlZ0/T9zZDqub9dI/AAAAAAAACGI/c9i9pRfAmeg/s320/P6160009.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Olympic Torch is making its way around the UK and this afternoon it came through Durham. We stood with some friends (in the rain, of course) waiting for the person to run down the street with the torch. But on this section of the relay stretch a motorbike with a sidecar came zipping down the road. We were so surprised to see the flame in a car and not with someone running that we almost missed it! Luckily, we got to see it pass (albeit quickly) and we got to spread a little American cheer, as our friend Jon Parker displayed his flag proudly. Seeing the Olympic Flame go by gets us ready for our upcoming trip to London for the Olympic games. We got tickets for Tennis and Beach Volleyball and will be headed to the south (with everyone else) come early August. Be sure to look for us in the crowd!!Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-40085769541668034922012-06-05T13:04:00.002+01:002012-06-05T13:04:31.745+01:00Cambridge Trip!For photos of our recent weekend trip to Cambridge go to our Facebook album here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.635082178227.2082176.16601111&type=1">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.635082178227.2082176.16601111&type=1</a><br />
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<br />Todd Brewerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00772180067629494117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-13561103289148451582012-04-07T17:40:00.001+01:002012-04-07T17:46:22.819+01:00Stateside 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a brief overview of our trip to the States we saw many friends and family, got some time for rest and relaxation, and ate some really great food. Here are some pictures from our trip: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hulk at Universal Studios Orlando</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogsmeade</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogwarts!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pictures were talking to each other. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn French- the Fat Lady.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ol-Ul6Gjcm8/T3xS5PU65jI/AAAAAAAACDg/xFjk2ru1QkU/s1600/080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ol-Ul6Gjcm8/T3xS5PU65jI/AAAAAAAACDg/xFjk2ru1QkU/s640/080.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sorting Hat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0j1LpSo07J0/T3xS8-aGtrI/AAAAAAAACDo/S8mTPGM6UaM/s1600/096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0j1LpSo07J0/T3xS8-aGtrI/AAAAAAAACDo/S8mTPGM6UaM/s640/096.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterbeer! Yum!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Ta41H_f_7c/T3xS-j870xI/AAAAAAAACDw/sI_7sXfjLtE/s1600/113+-+Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Ta41H_f_7c/T3xS-j870xI/AAAAAAAACDw/sI_7sXfjLtE/s640/113+-+Crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark, Lee, Chas, Todd, James, and me at Universal</td></tr>
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The major event and reason why we were in the States: March 24- Ordination and Consecration of Bishop Greg Brewer! This was a beautiful service and is now posted on YouTube (<a href="http://youtu.be/dQIgp1_AOtI">part 1</a>, <a href="http://youtu.be/w03QgBodINs">part 2</a>).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rev. in front of the Bishops</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zaRdyxDqEe4/T3xTCdpqEPI/AAAAAAAACEA/vUAvIIT97mk/s1600/126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zaRdyxDqEe4/T3xTCdpqEPI/AAAAAAAACEA/vUAvIIT97mk/s640/126.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bishops Consecrating Greg Brewer as a Bishop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right Rev. and Mrs Brewer announced</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yt0GWqYbVR4/T3xTJqGyIHI/AAAAAAAACEQ/7Hqc6qzLObo/s1600/189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yt0GWqYbVR4/T3xTJqGyIHI/AAAAAAAACEQ/7Hqc6qzLObo/s640/189.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating after the consecration</td></tr>
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As it turns out, my good friend Shannon Weber married Matt Wolf the day after the consecration and Todd and I were able to go see this awesome event and spend time with some friends that I haven't seen in a while. We had a blast and I feel very lucky to have been able to be there!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yBq2GTQjG_E/T3xTMXwoYOI/AAAAAAAACEY/dsH7W8FeQDE/s1600/239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yBq2GTQjG_E/T3xTMXwoYOI/AAAAAAAACEY/dsH7W8FeQDE/s640/239.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Shannon Wolf!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M8sAnVJ1M4I/T3xTOonEG5I/AAAAAAAACEg/epJVn-n05h0/s1600/284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M8sAnVJ1M4I/T3xTOonEG5I/AAAAAAAACEg/epJVn-n05h0/s640/284.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends from University at the beach-side wedding reception: Jen, Liz, Ann, me, Jonelle, Steph</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnQfIxwkoBM/T3xTSq5BIAI/AAAAAAAACEo/L3kumGH2sDU/s1600/301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnQfIxwkoBM/T3xTSq5BIAI/AAAAAAAACEo/L3kumGH2sDU/s640/301.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the beach</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHpESmphImc/T3xTUXbfe1I/AAAAAAAACEw/IkmKfSl5lPc/s1600/341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHpESmphImc/T3xTUXbfe1I/AAAAAAAACEw/IkmKfSl5lPc/s640/341.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got together for breakfast the next morning- Bride and Groom came too!</td></tr>
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My parents came down for the consecration and stayed for a vacation. Todd and I got to spend a few days with them in St. Pete where we went to the beach, shopped, and got to visit with my grandmother and her sisters. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5rmxwb1aI_w/T3xTdn4okYI/AAAAAAAACE4/-z93eDab0oQ/s1600/350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5rmxwb1aI_w/T3xTdn4okYI/AAAAAAAACE4/-z93eDab0oQ/s640/350.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Pete Pier- Feeding the Pelicans</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarium at The Pier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1N67Et8Cd5o/T3xUHHIzlNI/AAAAAAAACFY/eo8DsepNZeY/s1600/378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1N67Et8Cd5o/T3xUHHIzlNI/AAAAAAAACFY/eo8DsepNZeY/s640/378.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diner breakfast with my mom, me, Aunt Gwen, Aunt Barbara, my grandmother, Todd and my Dad (taking the picture). </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We also spent a few days in New Smyrna. We had great food here, did some shopping, and spent more time with family. We stayed in a very nice condo right on the beach. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pfr27NMc_KI/T3xUIx4Nc0I/AAAAAAAACFg/i3z5J74eOV0/s1600/P4010011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pfr27NMc_KI/T3xUIx4Nc0I/AAAAAAAACFg/i3z5J74eOV0/s640/P4010011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balcony view from our beach condo</td></tr>
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We had a great time and it was nice to be able to visit with so many people who we love and miss. We were pretty spoiled with the tons of sunshine and warm weather that we got on our trip and as appropriate we returned to England while it was raining.Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-55039657278961858722012-03-11T20:18:00.000+00:002012-03-11T20:18:00.097+00:00Baked Apple PiesI'm a big fan of reusing or re-purposing just about anything I can think of- especially if I've created it with my own two hands. Most of this is because I'm just cheap, poor, and it gives me satisfaction when I can take something that I already have around the house that is being unused and fashion it to use vs. buying something new.<br />
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I also hate throwing away food. So... <br />
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Everytime I make a pie crust I have those extra bits that don't go into the pie, you know the bits that you pull off around the edges of the crust that you just throw out! So here's what I do:<br />
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I combine my extra bits and roll them out to pie crust thickness on two layers of saran wrap and put two more layers on top. (I've already got out the rolling pin and flour!) I fold the saran wrap over and freeze the dough. (In my tiny freezer this is the easiest way to store anyway) When the apples in my kitchen start getting to the point where they aren't quite bad but aren't super yummy to eat anymore, I take out the pie crust and peel and core two apples. I, then, set each apple over the crust and surround each apple with the left over pie crust including the bottoms, but not covering the top.<br />
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I make a cinnamon sugar mixture: 1 part cinnamon, 3 part sugar. I fill the apple cores with 1/2 Tbsp of cinnamon sugar and place 1/2 Tbsp of butter on top. <br />
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I put the dough wrapped apples in a pan and into a 350 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes until they look like this:<br />
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Whala! My own little baked apple pies. Perfect with some vanilla ice cream!Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-79980427344401734532012-03-10T16:58:00.000+00:002012-03-10T16:58:11.607+00:00The Making of a Dress Form<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qjx7IaroN-c/T1t1WnlX71I/AAAAAAAACCE/tfLM-FPjNyA/s1600/P3090059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qjx7IaroN-c/T1t1WnlX71I/AAAAAAAACCE/tfLM-FPjNyA/s400/P3090059.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Notice the new hairdo)</td></tr>
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One of my recent projects has been making my own dress form...cheaply. Dress forms run into the hundreds of dollars and even the cheapest adjustable forms are around $100. So, I decided to try to make one myself. <br />
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I found a few online <a href="http://etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/03/dress-form-tutorial-want-to-make-exact.html">tutorials</a> that said I could use duct tape to make a dress form. <br />
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My good friend Amelia was kind enough to spend a Saturday morning duct taping the top half of my body for this project while we made some lard- yes, lard, that's a whole different story.<br />
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I got some very funny looks from her 4 boys! I think they were jealous of my armor!<br />
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When the form was finished, I tried to follow another <a href="http://lulushion.blogspot.com/2011/06/making-of-form-part-3-stand.html">tutorial</a> on how to make a stand for the dress form.<br />
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As with most problems converting US instructions into UK instructions product availability was my obstacle.<br />
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I ended up with what I thought were about the same products from my local hardware store. Dun, dun, dun!<br />
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When the stand kept falling over, I enlisted the help of my husband and his BA in Engineering degree to get this thing to stand upright so that I could go about filling it.<br />
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We ran wood rods down the middle pipe to give some stability and used left over pipes to reinforce it from the sides. I then fastened my stand onto a wooden deck tile to give the bottom some weight.<br />
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I also bought a can of insulation foam to fill out the inside of the dress form.<br />
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The plan was to fill the form with grocery bags and insulation foam, but my foam turn out not to be the magical expanding polymer I had remembered from organic chem lab in college. Therefore, Todd and I smushed many grocery bags (and some cotton I had laying around) into the form to fill it out. <br />
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I tend to have grand illusions of glorious results when is comes to my craft projects and they tend to turn out like <a href="http://craftfail.com/2011/08/cookie-monster-cupcake-fail/">this</a>. <br />
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So, instead of a sleek standing duct taped body double I have a decent dress form on an imperfect stand for which I only ended up paying around <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 14px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">£</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>20.<br />
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Now all I need is some time to make some clothes! Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-6537689143090904862012-02-26T18:03:00.001+00:002012-02-26T18:03:52.864+00:00A trip to HarrogateYesterday:<br />
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Jeremy Bergstrom, who is in town for his viva (PhD thesis defense), was awakened by a morning snarf! <br />
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Todd, Jeremy, and I traveled 1.5 hrs to a cute little town called
Harrogate. It's located near York and was a fun little town with some
cute shops to see.<br />
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We wound up at a shop for lunch called "crepes and creams" where we got the yummiest savory crepes and milkshakes. <br />
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Salmon and cream cheese crepe! Yum!<br />
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AND<br />
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Chunky monkey milkshake- vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, bananas, coffee and chocolate syrup! Slurp!<br />
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We topped off our lunch with a gourmet cupcake from "<a href="http://www.cupcakesbycharley.co.uk/images/flavours.jpg">Cupcakes by Charley</a>". <br />
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After lunch, Todd and Jeremy found a bookstore (like you had any doubts!). Meanwhile, across the street, as if it new that I needed some magical place to linger while the theologians did their favorite thing, was a shop called "The Remnant House". There was more beautiful fabrics than I've seen here and I felt like
singing and grabbing hold of the fabrics like Maria in the Sound of Music
when she realizes that she can use the drapes to make play clothes!
Drapes people! She is my inspiration!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3pRuskKK0s/T0oBFjPMToI/AAAAAAAACBU/on6lBqLdx64/s1600/Sound-of-music-curtain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3pRuskKK0s/T0oBFjPMToI/AAAAAAAACBU/on6lBqLdx64/s320/Sound-of-music-curtain.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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But, alas, the store was packed with people (it was Saturday after all) and to save myself the embarrassment I instead looked quietly through the fabrics. I found a beautiful fabric that I considered trying to make into a dress for a friend's upcoming Florida wedding. But when I discovered that the fabric I fell in love with was 12.99/meter I decided that my sewing skills would need to be perfected before such expenses could be justified!<br />
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On the way home, we stopped at Ripon Cathedral, which has a lot of history but is really well maintained. It has a small library of Roman artifacts that were found on the site and displays many of the silver vessels used previously in the life of the cathedral. It also has a small crypt below the sanctuary. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanctuary</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd headed down to the crypt.</td></tr>
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The strangest thing we saw here was a wooden hand protruding from the organ case above the choral stalls at the front of the church. Apparently, the <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BPxgTMOFcOw/TMSerZcxpDI/AAAAAAAADRo/6q90mGnsU5E/s640/Ripon+Wood+Hand+Choir+Director.jpg">wooden hand</a> moves up and down with the organ pedals to conduct the choir. I find this a bit strange, but it was fun to see.<br />
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We had a nice time on our trip and got to eat some really yummy food....always a must for any Brewer adventure. <br />
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-3527131978256168762012-02-25T19:06:00.000+00:002012-02-26T17:33:35.641+00:00Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finally, the sun is sticking around a bit longer in the day. It's setting around 6pm and it is out when I wake in the mornings. My daily commute to and from the rail station is now in the sunlight instead of in the dark. Well, it's not exactly sunny, but it's certainly brighter. Early spring flowers are also appearing here as well. It's certainly a nice perk after a long seemingly sunless winter to have crocus and daffodils out already. I'm highly enjoying their presence.<br />
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This picture is of crocus blooming in front of St. Andrew's Church- a view from my journey to school/work from the rail station in Newcastle.Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-24025088067650753802011-11-25T12:06:00.002+00:002011-11-25T12:10:31.113+00:00Parker Dance PartyTodd and I, along with our friends (the <a href="http://mcfarlandmusings.wordpress.com/">McFarlands</a>) babysat over this past weekend for our friends (the Parkers), so they could have a weekend getaway. They have four children ages 8,7,4 and 1. It was a fun weekend with lots of games and fun outings. One of the things we did before bedtime each night was to have a dance party. Here are two clips of the kids dancing. (Bad video quality is because it was shot on a cell phone)<br />
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Graham (4) in front with his book light "microphone", Isaac (7) and Ewan (8) dancing from the sofa:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzyPpsc390yFButd10ophtJtnFSFj5GcguX5aCqp2xtUX4x8Qq0ZdipD3mcarF7U-cAIaCHztv6z3U0TdUt3w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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Graham and Jude (1):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzAEgSe4nekryRcJ7Jg9CNw1BEvKpRQ8u9ktYd-CIpKDDFTUv06R4xwfcoICfvUqdVi8aqVJzhmT82bdF_Iag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-71476446012814035782011-11-01T16:55:00.003+00:002011-11-01T17:30:31.805+00:00Dog IntelligenceWhen we are not trying to turn Maggie into the first pea-diving aquatic dog, we have fun with Maggie and Belle in other torturous ways. To further procrastinate on my school work today, I set up a camera to see if Belle really is the "Pinky" of this "Pinky and the Brain" duo or if she is just "unmotivated". Here's what I found:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='460' height='381' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxt1QnKkYoSfj13_ok5eBRgQUzLsS_yxJzchSj1hPjEpj0NrfzZeb75iVosPoBastfTNaYr6qUPpYHAd4PwOA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />Turns out we have a new Brain!Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-91045529716159062822011-10-29T14:39:00.004+01:002011-11-01T17:33:33.663+00:00Maggie diving for peasWe made it a bit harder to see if she would still go for them! Here is the video in slow motion:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1mOxSw__jPo/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1mOxSw__jPo?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1mOxSw__jPo?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-40187704685983441982011-10-27T18:53:00.002+01:002011-10-27T19:09:29.325+01:00Silly Dog TricksNothing gets between Maggie and her food!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dynVeF_XUGVQ8WDiflouyUo0tIZFmaGkPmSr_tDGP4yIWZYadOI9E-NPX980PbKSxjFMpaOCpp85EoHAUorPg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Todd Brewerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00772180067629494117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-58091152908862756132011-10-19T12:00:00.000+01:002011-10-19T12:00:15.244+01:00Car drama<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-97A-7nZYx6g/Tp2RbNob7OI/AAAAAAAAB4s/YzYRY_Ja66g/s1600/P111012002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-97A-7nZYx6g/Tp2RbNob7OI/AAAAAAAAB4s/YzYRY_Ja66g/s400/P111012002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sad me at the accident site with unnamed car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A week ago today, our 2001 Vauxhall Astra was hit by an oncoming car. It wasn't a long time that our car was with us- just six months.<br />
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I had just been saying to Todd and Jonelle the week before that this car had a death wish and would turn on us like old yeller!<br />
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But some kid from down the road took care of that for us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumper and headlight-shouldn't take long to fix?</td></tr>
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We thought it would not cost too much to fix the car- it just looked like our front bumper had come off of the car. But upon body shop inspection it would have cost twice what our car was worth to fix.<br />
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At least we remembered how to do this car buying/searching/taxing/MOTing stuff in the UK. <br />
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So, with our Mercedes rental car (I know, right- not our pick, but we
likely) we drove to see this little no-frills beauty- 2005 Hyundai
Accent.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New nameless car- maybe we'll name her so she'll be good to us</td></tr>
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The first car I ever purchased was a Hyundai and I never had any problems with it until it finally said "when" and died where two lanes converged 20 feet in front of a single lane bridge. I liked my first car and generally felt amicable toward Hyundai automobiles thereafter.<br />
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This is a picture of our new Hyundai parked in front of our house. We got a great deal (so far, so good) and I'm hopeful it will prove as reliable as my first Hyundai experience. <br />
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2941238547401888943.post-24915345191820441322011-10-18T10:21:00.001+01:002011-10-18T10:21:19.120+01:00Jonelle's visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's so nice when friends from home come to visit us here. We spent just
under a week with Jonelle, who I lived with for six years in and beyond
school. We had a nice time catching up and seeing some pretty cool
British sites.<br />
Here are some pictures from her visit:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alnwick Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-faYgAKP4GSM/Tp02lzKMRnI/AAAAAAAAB2U/n3m0YTUNrvE/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-faYgAKP4GSM/Tp02lzKMRnI/AAAAAAAAB2U/n3m0YTUNrvE/s320/4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parts of Harry Potter where filmed here and we got to watch some school children have a flying lesson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5jxtdOglsU/Tp02cQcYtLI/AAAAAAAAB2M/y_DhwQG5N6c/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5jxtdOglsU/Tp02cQcYtLI/AAAAAAAAB2M/y_DhwQG5N6c/s320/2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found a castle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BWNOZwGEes/Tp03BNIEOKI/AAAAAAAAB2s/S5tW1rZsINQ/s1600/42.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BWNOZwGEes/Tp03BNIEOKI/AAAAAAAAB2s/S5tW1rZsINQ/s320/42.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindisfarne (Holy Island)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F_tnWvUUl0w/Tp03SdfmgrI/AAAAAAAAB28/cZ2UfaTvV7g/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F_tnWvUUl0w/Tp03SdfmgrI/AAAAAAAAB28/cZ2UfaTvV7g/s320/044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was windy and cold, but still Lindisfarne was beautiful</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vicJIEGbrBk/Tp03cqPJq1I/AAAAAAAAB3E/bS1H68XD2Fc/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vicJIEGbrBk/Tp03cqPJq1I/AAAAAAAAB3E/bS1H68XD2Fc/s320/046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof that Jonelle has been to the North Sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNiIbcsEZww/Tp03jcqs0DI/AAAAAAAAB3M/jS-goHXdhew/s1600/50.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNiIbcsEZww/Tp03jcqs0DI/AAAAAAAAB3M/jS-goHXdhew/s320/50.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little break from the cold</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ0wE-ccBSc/Tp03se2deYI/AAAAAAAAB3U/hwmZNZJrQKI/s1600/51.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ0wE-ccBSc/Tp03se2deYI/AAAAAAAAB3U/hwmZNZJrQKI/s320/51.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoking her Dad's pipe on Holy Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BygfCShOhi8/Tp04mjYTZUI/AAAAAAAAB38/r_ltIg1u4mQ/s1600/089.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BygfCShOhi8/Tp04mjYTZUI/AAAAAAAAB38/r_ltIg1u4mQ/s320/089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large section of Hadrian's Wall. The wall was built by the Romans in AD122 and parts of it still exist spanning across Northern England<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruins of Benwell Roman Temple- Part of Hadrian's Wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting in a turret</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The barracks at Chesters Roman Fort.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient monuments can be hazardous- especially when you can climb on 2000 year old buildings!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The baths at Chesters Roman Fort</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum of things they found near the fort</td></tr>
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When we were in Alnwick, Jonelle got a great shot of Todd doing his favorite thing!<br />
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We had a great time Jonelle! Come back and visit us again!Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18340095811582980696noreply@blogger.com1