To prove we're back!

Nine weeks away from home but now we're back. I've not finished with our exploits back in England (and Malta, spoiler alert) but thought my regulars might like a touch of Vendée!

The Abbaye de Lieu Dieu is as imposing as ever, even if you can't get near it nowadays. It is good that it is being taken care of though.

We used to push through that doorway to see a model of how the abbey once looked. No more, I'm afraid!

Onto la Plage de la Mine...

...with hardly a soul to be seen. That's Tine in the distance!

One of my reflective shots

We love the limestone cliffs here...

...Madame giving them a bit of perspective.

Yet another geography lesson running through my head!

Look what Tine found: a piece of coral washed up in high tides.

Hexham

Our first holiday within a holiday took us to Hexham in Northumberland

You can guess what celebration was approaching!

The Moot Hall

Hexham Abbey...

...with evidence of the old cloisters.

Inside was equally impressive...

...with its wooden ceiling...

...17th Century cover for the font...

...and well-worn steps.

Space capsule in Bradford?

Yes, we were thrilled to see the capsule in which Tim Peake returned to Earth from the International Space Station, when we visited the Media Museum recently.

Tine standing next to the capsule, showing just how small it was

The 'parachute' was the length of two tennis courts though

Meanwhile in the museum we had fun in the hall of mirrors...

...and a reminder of old computer games in one interactive room.

Esholt

Esholt is a small village not at all far from the caravan

The most famous building in the village, the local pub in 'Emmerdale' on TV

...but other cottages are beautiful too.

A reminder of Le Tour de France and Le Tour de Yorkshire

The church looked lovely from the outside but sadly we couldn't visit

There's also a good walk in the woods, but recent rain meant the slopes were somewhat slippy

Can you spot the squirrel?

Back to the Old Glen (our local pub) for a well-deserved beer...

then back to the caravan and our private Yorkshire!

Brimham Rocks

Safely arrived in Yorkshire after an excellent journey, we were soon ready to explore and revisit old haunts. Neither of us had been to Brimham Rocks in a very long time.

The rocks are fascinating formations up to 30ft (10m) high...

...some balancing very precariously!

The woman in red seems to be stalking me!

Old Geography lessons came flooding back: the power of water, glaciation and wind erosion!