MORE HAPPINESS IN HARROGATE

 We arrived in Harrogate in our chauffeured driven limousine. OK,THEN!   (So we hired a cab to drive us to Harrogate so we would not have to schlep our luggage once again. That's pretty close to a chauffeured driven limo.) Door to door service.  How wonderful.  We arrived at our apartment for the stay and were very impressed with the location as well as the apartment - very comfortable.  Two bedroom and two bath.  We just have to walk out our front door, after going down a step or two, OK, 25, to be in the center of this beautiful city! It is beautiful and happy.  Harrogate has been voted the happiest place to live in Great Britain for the past two years.  I can see why!  I have friends from California, who now reside part time in NC , and part time in Harrogate!  As I was roaming the city and visiting some of the places Marge had recommended I realized Marge and Tom were my best friends in the whole wide world.  As a best friend they will surely want me to visit often, and best friends get to stay a long time!  (I know that for a fact,Marge and Tom!)

We immediately tried to find a place to eat, we were starving!  Oh dear, have I written that before?  We found a great little restaurant very close by!

That's JoAnne heading up the group.  She was really hungry!

Here she is reading the menu.  She tries to convince us she's selective, but when she's hungry , she's hungry.,

It passed muster.  In fact it was delicious and we hoped to return.  You can see how much Ginger enjoyed it.  

After eating we headed out for a walk in a park just a block from our apartment.

I don't know what got into a Ginger.  She really enjoyed the park!      

There is a section of the park that is planted in native plants of New Zealand and there is a tribe, the Maori's whose greeting is depicted in the carved tree trunk and demonstrated by Ginger!  Actually the city of Wellington in New Zealand and the city of Harrogate have a sister city relationship.  This was only one of many carvings in the park.

The next morning at breakfast Ginger and I happened to notice a clip on one of our bags of nuts that had been on the inventory list in our last abode in the Lake District.  Sharon was the individual who had cleaned up the kitchen before she left and we realized that she had committed a terrible crime.  I am only telling you this because if this should come to trial and I believe it may, I want you, my friends to be able to testify at the trial that you know of my innocence.  You read it on my blog.  I had no knowledge of the crime until I saw the clip that morning.  I am hoping we can get out of town before the authorities catch up with her.  As you know I have been planning to have her as my companion for the year but this evening I happened to notice this poster on a few trees in the area.

I'm beginning to think this may be  a pattern.  Yesterday at the cathedral in York she picked up a brochure that she said was free.  I however had paid 3 pounds for it.  She claims she didn't see the sign.  I am hoping we will make it to the airport tomorrow and she will be safe.  I will not turn her in but I plan on watching her closely from this time forward.

I digress.  Back to Harrogate.

The day after arriving we just walked around enjoying the beautiful city and the beautiful sunshine.

We then headed to the famous Betty's for a late lunch.

Here we are in the queue for Betty's.  Although a pretty long one we were in before we knew it.  

It was well worth the wait.

We ate in the Spindler Gallery that was decorated with these wonderful wood inlaid pictures of various sizes and themes.

After a great meal we indulged in a few of their desserts.

I think I have caught Sharon looking for a disguise.  I snapped this picture of her in one of the local hat shops.  i just don't know if its going to work but it might keep her safe for a few days.  On the other hand who but a thief trying to disguise herself would wear this hat.

That evening we went to a wonderful concert at St. Peter's church.  The Harrogate and the Romsey Male Voice Choirs

 perforned.  They had a great variety of numbers  including quite a few Amerian songs.  We even got to see the mayor present some awards to the choir directors and accompanists

It was a late wonderful night.

.