Here's a little something for the 'homesick' !

[floridapete]

I just thought that I would bring a touch of England in Sprintime into the Forum for anyone over there who is feeling a little homesick in season-less Florida.

Here is a picture of our 13th century village church and village green in Skelton, near York, where we have lived for 13 years now. It is ablaze with daffodils, crocusses, yellow aconites and deep blue daisies right now.

Having spent five of the last six winters in Florida - we were always pleased to be back at the end of March to find the daffodils welcoming us back home again - ready for another beautiful English Spring and Summer.

This year we haven't been to Florida for our winter but it's still good to see Spring breaking through here with the magnolias in bud, the blossom trees starting to flower and the roses showing promise of blooms soon to come.

Enjoy - and get the Kleenex out for that tear in your eye ! ;)

[DavidL]

'Season-less' florida?? Don't know what you mean by that. We do have 2 seasons, heat on or heat off!! Thanks for the photo, for me, it gives of an air of relaxation. Regrettably while I was in the UK, I did very little travelling 'North' of Leicester, but did have some wonderful clients in the southwest.

[JulieC]

Daffs look wonderful, cherry and apple blossom is what I will miss most, I used to love that. We do have seasons, Winter is a definite season here and this is our spring and the summers are sweltering. The clothes shops have jumpers, coats and boots in in Winter!!
Pete, I didnt realise you had spent this winter at home and it has been a bad one by all accounts too, how did you find that after five winters in Florida?

[floridapete]

Daffs look wonderful, cherry and apple blossom is what I will miss most, I used to love that. We do have seasons, Winter is a definite season here and this is our spring and the summers are sweltering. The clothes shops have jumpers, coats and boots in in Winter!!
Pete, I didnt realise you had spent this winter at home and it has been a bad one by all accounts too, how did you find that after five winters in Florida?

Curiously, the 'bad' winter that many have complained of has not been the case here in our part of North Yorkshire. We are protected by the vale of York which is a plain set between the Pennines to the west, the north York Moors to the north east and the Yorkshire Wolds to our east. So they got the snows, we didn't !

In fact, apart from seasonal coldness some days, the weather here has not been anything like as bad as they seem to have had it in the south west, Wales, even as close to us as scarborough (40 miles away) where they has snow drifts one day - and we didn't get any !

A winter back home, after five winters in Florida, has been a refreshing change - believe it or not. Having said that we ahve only been here because of commitments in York and the UK which have kept Jean and I busy with other matters since May of last year. They will end in two weeks time.........then I might get bored again ?

However, then we will go off for two weeks in Tenerife (now there's another paradise discovered) before coming back to York for a lovely English Summer - without the torrid heat of Florida.

Our five winters in Florida were very enjoyable as we got about to see a lot of the state - not just in Orlando and Central Florida - did a lot of 'local' things, enjoyed the natural environment more than the theme parks, did as many things as possible that were 'free', and tried to live like Floridians rather than tourists (except we didn't need to work).

But we were always glad to be leaving by late March when it started to get hot - to get back to the more comfortable temperatures (for us) of England.

We also missed many of the 'roots' aspects of York and Yorkshire while we were away - Florida is such a superficial, sometimes bland, place which has very little by the way of heritage, history, culture, community. I guess that I would get brain-dead if I spent any more than a winter there at any one time !

But to each his own I guess ! ;)

[floridapete]

We've had a glorious Good Friday here in Yorkshire with wall to wall sunshine and blue skies all day long.

Jean and I decided to take a trip to the coast (about an hour away) and set out for Scarborough. Once there we parked up on the south cliff and walked down through the Italian gardens to the shoreline where the rocks and rockpools are.

The tide was well out so it had exposed miles and miles of golden sands, some still glistening with the remains of waters left behind the receeding tide which reflected the blue skies above.

We went down onto the beach and walked all the way across the sands to the centre of the town, near the harbourside.

There we went up to the quayside and found our favourite restaurant, the Golden Grill, which specialises in fish dishes and seafood straight off the boats in the harbour.

We went for the 'all in one' fish and chip tea with all the trimmings, two kinds of bread and butter, a big pot of 'rosey lea', mushy peas and some tartare sauce. All that for just £7.50 a head (call that $13.50 and you'll get change). It was great and just the kind of fish that we should eat on Good Friday !

After that we walked on towards the harbourside and the coastal road around the ancient castle on its headland hundreds of feet above us.

After a brief rest in sunshine, looking out to an absolutely calm sea, we retraced our steps but this time up through the town itself and over a bridge across Valley Gardens to the South Cliff where we had left the car.

As it was an uphill walk all the way back we had to do it in stages, from one bench to the next, taking in the view at each stop, as you have to when you reach a 'certain age' !

By the time we got back to the car we must have walked miles !!

Here are some pics - hope that enjoy the views as much as we did.

It was still a golden sunny afternoon when we got back and the sun is only just going down right now (8pm.)

Let's hope that the rest of the Easter weekend stays the same !

[JulieC]

The picture of fish and chips would have been cruel if they hadnt opened a Cookes takeway next to the Lord Raglan Irish pub in Downtown Disney, theirs are as good as at home, though no mushy peas.

[Bobby]

I loved your tale of your escapades for the day in the North of England, and of course it was too hot here in the Central Florida area today.

Nice to share each other's lives either side of the pond.

The pictures look great!

Hope you have great weather for the Easter weekend!

Bobby

[floridapete]

The picture of fish and chips would have been cruel if they hadnt opened a Cookes takeway next to the Lord Raglan Irish pub in Downtown Disney, theirs are as good as at home, though no mushy peas.

No- mushy peas are a difficult concept to translate to the American mindset - there would probably be some Food and Drug Admin. ruling against them anyway !

I once tried to explain them to an American friend - he just couldn't handle it. Likewise his wife could not accept that boiling water poured into a china tea-pot would not crack it and ruin it for future display in her china cabinet !!

Curious these Yanks ! ;)

[JulieC]

Actually they sell chip shop style mushy peas in the ethnic area of Publixes in the tourist areas on 192 and 27, though they are over £1 for a small can,

[JulieC]

Actually they sell chip shop style mushy peas in the ethnic area of Publixes in the tourist areas on 192 and 27, though they are over £1 for a small can.

[mark]

Hi

I really miss snow. Seen it in Celebration, but not quite the same is it?

That's the downside of Florida all the seasons seem to merge, hot hotter and hottest

[Ron]

Hi

I miss seeing the Blue bell fields my mom used to take me to see them when I was a kid.

Cannot remember where they are now