Last weekend was a blur of activity – we were away from home for about 75 hours but packed a lot in, some of it planned, some of it happy quirks of fate / timing – also known as Grapefruit Wheat Beer moments on the 27 Hours in Twizel blog.

After about three hours of travelling, we arrived in Chester-le-Street mid-afternoon. Our adventures started with a visit to the Angel of the North – we’ve passed it many times but never popped in for a closer look. Well worth the 20 minutes and back on the bus.

Saturday morning started with a parkrun (of course) – about 10 minutes walk from our home from home Airbnb, we went to Riverside parkrun on possibly the hottest day of the year so far. Even at 9am, it felt very warm, which makes it even more surprising that I ran my fastest parkrun of 2023. The route was lovely as it circled the park and followed the river bank for a while. A beautiful course in a lovely setting – and our visited coincided with their 500th event too – cake time of course!

Our next stop was Durham County Cricket Club’s stadium (clunkily currently known as the Seat Unique Riverside) , which is right next to Riverside Park. We managed to find a shady spot, and settled in to watch England beat Sri Lanka – it was all over slightly ahead of schedule with a comfortable England win, which wasn’t too much of a disaster – it gave an opportunity for an afternoon nap before an evening stroll around the grounds of Lumley Castle. We were trying to follow a path, but it is possible we were slightly off track as we found ourselves on the 10th fairway of the neighbouring golf course!

Sunday morning started early – we were heading for York but got off the bus in Durham for a little explore – we’ve not been there since 2009. On a day where it seemed to be raining, thundering or lightening everywhere else, we found clear blue skies for our mini-stopover. We followed a riverbank path for spectacular views of the cathedral, then made our way up the hill to discover not one but two unexpected opportunities.

The first was in the Cathedral – it was the last day of the Gaia exhibition – a giant inflatable artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram showing the earth’s surface as if viewed from outer space – using NASA imagery to illustrate. New Zealand, appropriately, was covered by long white clouds. (It will be in Lichfield Cathedral later in September until December – pop in if you get the chance, worth a view).

The second was a heritage open day at Durham Castle, which is now part of the university and only occasionally open for public tours. It is a mix of student residences and historical artefacts – the vaulted basement now hosting the student bar – my mum remembered going to a ball at the castle with my dad back in the student days – with Cleo Lane and Johnny Dankworth as the entertainment!

Just time to wander back down through the lanes of Durham and then we were on our way to York.

And so to York – arriving just time for a walk to the Minister to hear the bells chime at 5 o’clock. Before leaving the next morning, I even fitted in a run – taking me along the river bank, round the city walls and down to Clifford’s Tower – all the highlights.

And then it was time to go home again – with one last adventure before back to work on Tuesday – we went to see Two Door Cinema Club at the Students’ Union at Keele. Loved the music, but felt very old!

---

And this weekend?

I needed a bit of a rest. A quiet weekend. I wanted to relax and recharge.

So I made some soup.

Cauliflower and chickpeas from the Happy Soups book – much tastier than it sounds, thanks to the cumin and paprika. It is ready for blending, to be served with some sour cream for tea.

Some weekends are for busyness and exploring, some weekends are for making soup.

---

50 for 50 #8: 50 posts for my 50th birthday to be posted before I’m 51.