(Lori) Sept 22-23 Our drive through the eastern edge of the Lake District was quite a mix of all types of English weather! We left Sheffield on a patchy, yet warm September morn and enjoyed a nice stretch down the motorway towards Pontrefact, where we would connect with the northward motorway towards Bedale, our chosen entry point into the hilly Lake district. Road construction en route diverted us along some lesser roads - twisty, windy, hilly & narrow! The countryside is very pretty (which may sound trite, but I now have a much deeper understanding of the concept "pretty:" rolling hills of variegated patterns of green & brown, with uncountable nuances of shade amidst roaming sheep and cows against a backdrop of ever changing cloud patterns.) Stunning nor beautiful are not words that properly describe the landscape - it's truly very peaceful driving through this district.

I have noticed that I feel quite comfortable with the driving now - shifting is going well, driving the motorways is great, I understand most signage & how the roundabouts work - the only thing that makes me nervous still is driving along a twisty, hilly road not much bigger than a lane lined on both sides with 5' high stone walls and approaching a bend in the road that actually rises to a hill which now effectively restricts any possible vision of approaching vehicles. A few times I've been surprised by an oncoming car or small lorry as I've crested the hill, with the lane being wide enough for about 1 ½ economy size car. But there is a philosophy of weaving & swerving here that accommodates such encounters. Just when I thought I could be ok with such encounters, we were making our way through the winding roads of the eastern Lakes District, when we passed a traffic sign that warned of tank crossings. Hmmm, there didn't seem to be any military base in sight. Lo and behold, a few minutes later, I slowed down as I approached afore mentioned limited-vision, narrow, bending hill in the road when I was face to face with a military tank barrelling towards me (and no one in Britain seems to slow down for these kinds of road narrowings....) It was disconcerting, to say the least. And then 10 seconds later, a second tank was racing down the opposite lane - at least this time the road was somewhat straight!

We spent two nights in Windermere, a small village community along Lake Windermere. A quick stop at the Tourist Info allowed a clerk to direct us to a close by guest house. Our host was so very interesting. At first meet, he came across quite brusque, but after a few minutes during which we were given the rundown on the "rules" of the house, he warmed up to us. Underneath the stiff British exterior (rather stereotyped, I admit) he was articulate and extremely funny in a witty, understated way. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at his place, managing to laugh at least every 3 or 4 minutes! Our full day here was spent at Beatrix Potter's home, Hilltop, and a visit to her husband's former law offices in Hawkshead to view original artwork from her many children's books. Her home was warm & cheery, full of her personality - Beatrix had bequeathed the farm to the National Trust, stipulating that her home not become a museum, but remain as it was in her later life "as if she had just popped out and would return any minute." It was a pleasant place to poke around, to see the corners and parts of her garden that gave rise to her imaginative stories - there were no displays or posted descriptions of objects, simply knowledgeable volunteers from The National Trust on site to answer any and all questions. It was so great to feel like one could get to know a very dimensional Beatrix - not only was she an illustrator, she was a studious observer of nature, an astute business woman, investor, respected sheep farmer, and nature conservator. I felt as if it would be so nice if she could walk through the farm door, sit down for a cup of tea and just tell me what was on her mind at that moment. - she seemed like someone you'd want to know well and spend time with.

We then had a lovely tea before heading off for some exercise. While travelling by car the 16 miles to the chose route, we came upon a rather interesting traffic jam. Being as how the roads are narrow, twisting and bending, it's not too surprising that a lorry & a tour coach would come to a bend in the road where neither could pass the other! I won't describe it here, as it requires much hand waving & gesticulating - not in an angry way, for both drivers were calmly troubleshooting the situation - but a certain amount of gesturing would be necessary just to give the proper perspective on the positioning of all additional vehicles (about 19 cars, two more coaches i.e. tour buses, and a small delivery van!) Our solution - a 3 point turn in the road & deking down a lane that we felt confident would eventually link up with another lane that would eventually get us back to the through road to where we wanted to go.

It was a good choice, only a few minutes detour - although the land was more like a paved sheepway for several miles! We hiked around a fell (high rising hill- we went up about 600 ft) near to where we were staying. The views were magnificent, the weather sunny & perfect for rambling - near idyllic with the sheep and cows roaming the stone fenced fields. It made me feel like belting out "The hills are alive with the sound of music..." OK, it was so exhilarating up there that I did in fact, break out in song - after all the sheep are sympathetic as an audience & there was no one else around. I think I've found my songster niche!!!