Mosaic Monday #49: And perhaps a hedgehog

We're going on vacation!  I must admit, I am amused by the concept of "vacation" for folks who are retired.  "Vacation: An extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling."  We are already enjoying leisure and recreation, and we sure are extending it.  Our destinations are Northeast England and Hamburg, Germany, which ticks the box for time away from home/traveling.  That settles it, then.  As of today, we are officially on vacation!

Faithful readers know my in-laws live near Durham, England.  While I may have lost count of the number of times we have returned to the village of my husband's youth, I maintain my enthusiasm for our visit and all it has to offer.  These last few days, as the clock wound down to our departure, I found myself daydreaming about the trip, and all the things I am anticipating.

Such as the chicken.  No, not chicken you eat, but the hen that is cared for by my father-in-law.  I probably won't be up early enough to release her from the hen house, but I like to pair up with Dad to check for eggs and tuck her away safely for the night.

Re-uniting with family and friends is always a highlight of our visits.  I am blessed with terrific in-laws, and I am looking forward to spending time with them, whether it's looking after the hen, watching soap operas (East Enders and Coronation Street) with my mother-in-law, or experiencing a new pub for a bar meal.  In recent years, my in-laws have become quite adept at carving pumpkins, which is catching on in the UK.  Since we can't be home for the Halloween costume contest in Whitefish, at least we can get in some pumpkin action.

My husband's one and only cousin began singing publicly as part of a duo about four years ago, and recently she made the transition to a solo act.  I know it is easy to be biased when it is family, but let me tell you, this woman can sing, and plays guitar and piano to boot.  We are delighted that she will have a gig during our visit - my dancing shoes are packed and ready to light up the dance floor.

The first time I lived in the UK, I worked with a woman who has become a life-long friend, even though we might only see each other once a year.  It has become our tradition to savor afternoon tea while catching up on 12 months' worth of news.  Our last "outing" was in July 2018, and she put on quite a spread at her house, which we enjoyed in the summer sunshine of her back garden.  We haven't firmed up arrangements for this trip, but I am already salivating for the finger sandwiches and pastries that I know will be part of our get-together.

After a couple days getting acclimated to our new time zone, we'll jet over to Hamburg to visit one of our former au pairs.  We hope to participate in Oktoberfest, complete with dirndl dress and lederhosen, but in any event we'll be content to tour this magnificent city in the capable hands of our au-pair-who-became-a-medical-doctor.

This week, I mentioned my daydreaming to a friend in Whitefish, and she quipped, "Surely you're not looking forward to England's cuisine."  Truth be told, foodstuffs were top of mind.  A full English breakfast.  Toasted tea cakes.  Pie, peas and chips (meat pie, mushy peas and French fries).  Bourbon biscuits (cookies).  Sunday dinner (usually roast beef, roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, peas, Yorkshire puddings - popovers, gravy).  Fish and chips, at the seaside.  A cheese board for dessert, preferably with Tawny Port.

With all those calories on offer, I am committed to my running regime, and also thankful that walking the public footpaths will be high on our agenda, regardless of the weather. There may be sheep, and there will certainly be a pub somewhere along the way.  Possibly a random castle, and assuredly an ancient churchyard.

And if I am REALLY blessed, a hedgehog!

Note: given our travel on Sunday into Monday, I may be delayed in commenting, but I will be on line.  I also plan to post Mosaic Monday per the normal schedule.  Hope you join us!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
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Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

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