Blackhall Mill & Adventures with Lesley

August 22, 2010
This morning, Joshua and I woke up and immediately started packing. Linda and Nick, another neighbor and friend of Lesley's, came over to say goodbye, and we lingered in the living room, eating breakfast and telling everyone about the rest of our trip. At 11, we finally saddled up and headed out, waving to Lesley and Linda as we went.

Thankfully, we didn't have to cycle back up the massive hill to rejoin the Derwent Walk; instead, we rolled down through Rowland Gills and joined the cycle path number 14. Most of our journey today was traffic-free, and for the first 25 miles or so, we navigated our way through Newcastle and Tynemouth just by following our little blue and red signs. The path itself was also pleasant, and we found ourself cycling along the Tyne, through Newcastle's Quayside, and past bustling markets, modern buildings, and a fabulous arched bridge.


In Tynemouth, we stopped on the beach to eat our little plates of baklava and other philo-dough treats. Joining up with cycle route number 1, we finished the C2C route, and again headed North. On the other side of Tynemouth, I recognized the beautiful old buildings high up on the hill and the small, protected beaches down below. When I was a little girl, Lesley took my family down here and I used to swim in the Northern Sea. It was warm today, and there were plenty of people worshiping the sun and salt water, but I can honestly say I felt no desire to swim in the sea. Even at a balmy 80 degrees outside, that water still looks bitterly cold.

Finding our cycle route again after a couple of miles on an A road, we followed the path through the residential streets of Blyth and Ashington. Back on the Coast, we enjoyed miles of level trail and back road. To our right, villages and holiday homes sat nestled in sand dune brush, and to our right, the sea stretched out for as far as we could see.

Our path went off road for a few miles through dunes and a dirt track, and after nearly 60 miles of cycling, we stopped for food in Amble. With the sun setting earlier and earlier, we suspected that we might only have a couple more hours of sunlight. It was already 6, so we forwent pretending that it was lunch and settled on a snack of bread, cherries, and shortbread. Heading back onto the road, we almost immediately punctured a tire and spent minutes of our precious sunlight changing it.


After 10 more miles, we passed my favorite stretch of beach near Alnmouth, and now, we're a mere 3 miles away from Castor, where we were yesterday. We've decided to be rebels today, and rather than stay in a Camping and Caravaning site, we've plonked down in the dunes. It's not legal, but you can't see us unless you're right on top of us. The spot we've chosen is perfectly beautiful, and as we ate the rest of our meal - bread, cheese, humous, and strawberries - we felt like renegades.


Now, I'm writing in the tent, listening to the waves. It's time to go to sleep.


August 21, 2010
I woke up Saturday morning feeling a little bit ill from all of the cheese and wine I had consumed the night before. Apparently, the intense culinary delight of fondue is not without consequences. Don't worry. The consequences are worth it, and I plan to repeat the experience when we go home to Minnesota. Come eat fondue with us!

After fixing breakfast and lunches for a little picnic, Lesley, Linda, Joshua, and I hopped in the car and headed for the beach. The Northumberland Coast is one of my most favorite places on Earth, and I was so excited to share this pretty landscape with Joshua. After a twisty, turny, windy drive, we arrived just North of Castor, situated between a bay, sand dunes, and a beautiful old castle.

Walking along the coastal path, we passed strange and striking rock outcroppings. We paused for photos on one of them, and then we just sat, listening to the waves. Continuing walking, circumnavigated the castle and walked through a field of sheep. In Castor, we stopped by the harbor to eat our sandwiches, and then we headed into town to look at a gallery with pottery, jewelry, and paintings of the seaside.

On our way back along the coast, we wandered through tide pools and over rocks covered in mustard-yellow lichen. Lesley insisted that this was the most beautiful place on Earth, and we agreed that it was very, very beautiful. The last time I came here, I probably would have simply agreed. I thought it was the most beautiful place on Earth. In particular, I had loved the beach just South of Alnmouth, with its long, wide sandy bay, grassy sand dunes, and picture-perfect seaside village. I wouldn't say that this place has become any less beautiful in my eyes, but I've also seen so many new places, and I've realized that the Earth is a really, really, really beautiful place. I don't know if I could pick just one place and call it Most.

Back on the beach, we laid in the sand. While Lesley and Linda acted as sports commentators for the fish-diving sea gulls, Joshua and I read our books. As the sun set, Joshua progressed from reading his book to digging an enormous hole in the sand. When he was finished, we repacked our day sacks and headed back towards the car. On the way home, we took a detour to see the Harry Potter castle in Alnwick, and then I fell asleep as we drove back to Blackhall Mill.
Home again, I took a shower while Joshua went out to the shed to do a little bike maintenance. Lesley made us pasta with zucchini for dinner, and while we ate our last supper together, we talked about the families of our present and our future, and we confirmed that we were all very, very fond of one another. Lesley and I got a bit teary eyed again, and we stayed up far too late, not wanting to end our conversation.

August 20, 2010
On Friday, we all woke up late. For breakfast, we ate fruit, yogurt, and muesli, and before we left, we fixed a lunch with some of the leftover fish.
In Blanchland, less than an hour's drive from Lesley's house, we parked the car and started walking up. Pausing along the way to enjoy views of the valley and the approaching Moors, we walked past sweet stone homes and farms. Just as we crossed the gate into the Moors, it began to rain. Trying to remain upbeat, we surged on through the heather, but within minutes, the driving rain had soaked us through. For the next couple of hours, we leaned into the gale and pulled our hoods over our eyes to avoid the rain. Lesley kept on asking, philosophically, "is this what we decide to do for pleasure?"

Finally, just as we reached the fence where we had begun our Moorland loop, the rain began to let up, and we stopped briefly to eat our fish wraps. The wind, however, did not let up, and after a few minutes of being buffeted, we packed back up and headed for the car. Shedding our soaking garments and changing out of our dripping shoes, we sat in the car with the doors closed for a just a moment. After listening to the wind howl and having hair and rain whipped about our faces, the stillness and silence of the car provided quite a contrast, and Lesley and I started laughing. We agreed that the weather had been a bit extreme.

Back at the house, we changed into dry clothes, and Lesley and I went out to the garden to appreciate the sunshine. Apparently, Blackhall Mill exists in its very own little micro climate, and here, it did not rain all day. With the sun shining, it was actually quite warm, and we began to thaw out. In the shed, Lesley showed me where her clay is, and while she grated cheese for fondue, I molded a scary face. I love making noses, so I spent the most time forming nostrils and an aquiline bridge. For the eyes, I carved deep hollows and adhered two button-sized pieces with slip for eyes. The only thing keeping it from being terrifying is a cute little pout. I couldn't quite manage the Chesire cat grin.

Back inside the house, we tidied and rearranged the living room to fit 6 people. Setting up the fondue set in the middle of the table, we watched while Lesley fiddled with the purple Methylated Spirits. At one point, she nearly burned the whole house down, but she and Joshua put it out quickly, and there was no harm done. (I was absolutely no help under pressure. Apparently, the sight of flames blocks my neuropathways and sends me running in the other direction.)

At 8, Linda, Karen, and Dominic arrived, and we all began drinking wine and snacking, while Lesley warmed the wine. Lesley's neighbors are also some of her closest friends, and dinner with them was so much fun. They are the warmest, most beautiful group of companions, and besides the fabulous company, my first taste of fondue was amazing. We gobbled down little pieces of bread, skewered and dipped in sharp, melted cheese, and when we were done with the bread, we dipped whatever else was on the table. Although Lesley had started with an inconceivable amount of cheese, we finished the whole thing, licking our skewers and fingers when it was all done.

August 19, 2010
Joshua requested a day of relaxation. We've been traveling for nearly two months now, and the last day we took to do almost nothing was in Capiliera, Spain. While I wrote for hours and hours on the couch in Lesley's living room, Joshua finished his impossibly long fantasy novel. Lesley moved about her lovely garden, fixing, weeding, and planting.

After Joshua finished his book, he helped Lesley trim the hedges with power tools, and I completed my writing by posting it online. For lunch, we ate the selection of cheeses Lesley had picked up in Durham with crackers and fruit. While Joshua went upstairs for a little nap, I went on a run along the footpaths behind Lesley's neighborhood. Using my iPod as a timer, I ran up the hill for 25 minutes, and then I turned around and headed back again. Listening to Alexi Murdoch, I thought allowed myself to think about school for the first time in a while. In fact, I had spent most of the morning writing and thinking about teaching, and I was finally starting to think about whether or not I really want to try teaching again. I vacillated between revulsion and compulsion, and once I had returned from my run, I looked up teaching programs in River Falls and Stout. I don't know if I'm a glutton for punishment, or if I'm just drawn to it.

For dinner, Lesley cooked a brown trout that her neighbor, Marlon, had caught in Durham. The zucchini and green beans were from the garden, and it was the Real Deal: local and delicious. For a special treat, Lesley poured us all shots of her home-made cherry brandy, and we sipped the sweet liquor, listening to her describe how she pitted the cherries, layered them with sugar, and then drowned them with brandy. We talked until late, and when we were too tired to talk anymore, we went to bed.

August 18, 2010
A long time ago, the Romans conquered England. The curly, bearded emperor of Rome ruled the vast majority of Europe, but when his army encountered Scotland, they found a surly race unwilling to relinquish an inch of heather. In the end, whether to keep the marauding Scots in or out, the Roman's built a wall along the Northern most border of England.

Although I've been to the Northeast when we've visited Lesley in the past, we've never made the trip to Hadrian's Wall. With Joshua the History Buff in tow, we decided to make the journey. Less than an hour away from Blackhall Mill, Hadrian's Wall still runs nearly from sea to sea, and a hiking trail accompanies the length of it. Beginning at a National Trust gift and tea shop, we snuck inside to look at the souvenirs and wait out a torrential downpour. Lesley donned a Roman helmet and a Scottish short sword, and she and Joshua engaged in a re-enactment of Roman-Scottish hand-to-hand combat in the middle of the gift shop. I browsed through a series of kitchen accouterments designed to perfect the poaching and boiling of eggs. One egg-shaped appliance used mercury to judge the temperature and solidity of the yolk, and another claimed to produce square poached eggs (all the better for square pieces of toast).

Outside, the rain finally subsided, and we began our walk. Having woken up a bit late and gotten out of the house a bit later, it was already 1:30 by the time we started, and most of our hiking companions appeared to be going in the other direction. Does a wall conjure up visions of flat land to you? I had imagined that the Romans would sensibly take up the path of least resistance and build a wall on level ground. In fact, this assumption had even led Joshua and I to consider crossing England along Hadrian's Wall, rather than the Pennines, with the thought that we might avoid epic hills.

It's a really good thing that we didn't make that assumption, because the wall is HILLY. There's hardly a flat stretch for miles and miles, and in fact, the whole thing looks a little bit like a roller coaster. Climbing up, we got warm and unzipped our jackets. At the top, the wind blew hard, and we zipped back up as we carefully navigated our way down over haphazard, rocky steps. At the bottom, the wind would cease, and climbing up, we'd get warm again.
Despite the fickle weather, the views were spectacular, and we enjoyed cliffs, heather, sheep, and rocky climbs. At a Roman rest-stop, we found a sheltered corner and ate our sandwiches. Lesley described what it's like to be a Social Worker, and I considered the possibility that the jobs that matter the most are valued the least. Why is that?

Over the wall, we turned to make our loop, and we crossed a few fields with cows. Apparently, my fear of cows isn't entirely unfounded - people have been trampled on footpaths before - but these pooping heffers left us alone. while I tried to entice sheep to let me pet them, we enjoyed the sunshine and more views of hills and a cliffs. Unable to interest the sheep, I demanded that Lesley teach me French. I learned my numbers one through ten, hello, goodbye, my name is Ellie, I'm hungry, and ice cream. I discovered that, although French people are generally really, really mean, their language is completely beautiful and even more fun to speak. Se la vie.
After four or five hours, we arrived back at the car park and bundled in. At home with Lesley, we had a delicious dinner of roasted root vegetables with wine, and for dessert, we ate Scottish strawberries and chocolate. It was the perfect day.