A New Abode

Just a heads up to let you all know I'm moving!

Michelle and I have finally found a fantastic apartment to share in Denham. Denham, for those of you not in the know, is considered quite posh. It's on the overland train route, so I'll be able to get to work in less than 15 minutes!


We're moving in on 1 August, so I'll send you all an email with my new address and phone number. And I'll post some pics of the place on this site!

Still haven't gotten the pictures of my London adventures developed yet, so stay tuned to this site for that!

Adventures in York, Chapter 7: And Finally To Tea!

We finally arrive at Betty's Tearoom which is very modern and posh and famous for its breads and pastries. In the corner a pianist tickles the ivories, sending melodies wafting through the room. From Bach to the Beachboys, he can play it all. He even plays the ABC song for a little girl at the table next to him.

I order a cream tea whilst Jimbo orders a more manly chicken sandwich. By this time we are both ravenous and very much looking forward to our tea.

I was unfortunately a bit disappointed. For a place famous for it's breads and pastries, the

scones were a bit dry and rather ordinary. They'd run out of clotted cream and served me butter instead. SHOCKING! Jim said his sandwich was fine, but I didn't believe him. Then again, I'm not a fan of white bread. In any case, I think we were both starving to death so we weren't too picky.

We made it back to the car without getting a parking ticket and headed back toward home. Strangely enough, the drive back took just an hour. Hmmmm.... I'm not saying Jimbo got lost on the way there or anything. Oh, no. Not at all!

Adventures in York, Chapter Six: Down the Snickleways

Off we went to find some refreshment in the form of afternoon tea. In order to get to the tea rooms we had to go... back up the road and down another and up another... and through the snickleways.

The snickleways are the narrow back streets of York. The word was coined in the 1800s by a writer to describe the narrow maze of streets where here lived. The word is actually a conglomeration of three different words:

Snicket - passage between walls or fences
Ginnel - passage through building
Alleyway - narrow street or lane

When you step into the snickelways, it's like taking a trip back in time. Magical!

Adventures In York, Chapter 5: Down in the Dungeons

We tromped off down the street. And up the street. And then back down another street. Finally arriving at the York Dungeon and two very long lines.

One line stated that it was for people who didn't have tickets yet. The other was for those who already had them. My brilliant deduction: We have York Passes, so we don't need tickets. So, we get in the que for the people who already have ticket. And we wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Then a bus arrives and all the people in the que climb on to the bus. That is when I realize we've been standing in the bus line the whole time. Jimbo laughed at me. Naturally that meant I had to cause him bodily harm in the form of a punch in the arm.

We then moved to the proper line, only to find out from the ghoulish tour guide (I'm not being mean, he was actually dressed like a ghoul. Or maybe a ghost. Little fuzzy on that.) that we were in the wrong que. Even though we had York Passes, we still had to go through the ticket line.

By this time, I think Jimbo wanted to punch me in the arm. But being a gentleman, he gallantly refrained.

After about 40 minutes of waiting, we were finally allowed into the dungeon. Which isn't really a dungeon at all. It's actually more of a haunted house sort of thing.

First stop is a "doctor's office" from the 14th century where an assistant dressed in a bloody smock with her face whited shares (in lovely, gory detail) the trials and tribulations of "the Plague". And just in case we don't get the picture, there's a fake body on the back table that appears to have been left in the middle of an autopsy. I think it's supposed to be funny, but I swear I started giggling.

Other stops along the way were a torture chamber, where the same ghoulish tour guide of earlier showed off his devices with great pride. Not to mention, described their effects in detail. A 16th century inn keeper told a delightful tale of hanging and revenge, naturally involving a ghost. And a judge accused one of the poor ladies of the tour of "witchcraft" and "dancing naked in the moonlight" (poor thing was scandalized), and then found one of the men guilty of something equally silly and sentenced him to clean all the toilets in all the pubs in York. Poor guy is probably still there.

So, the York Dungeons were a bit silly and cheesy, and while I strongly advise against visiting them if you are at all claustrophobic, they were good fun. Certainly a laugh.

After our "frightening" tour of the Dungeons, we decided it was time for tea...