The Grand Tour Part 11 and Doll-A-Day 2023 #187: Not Elves on the Shelf

   Yesterday we talked about our visit with our friend Cheryl in Clacton-on-Sea. For some background, Cheryl started out as my penpal years ago. I went to England in 1985, and we got to meet in person.

Cheryl took this picture of me in Trafalgar Square on the day we met. I don't have access to all my pictures right now, so I can't show you any I took of Cheryl that day.

When I went back the next year, Cheryl and I actually took a trip to Amsterdam together.

Where, once again, Cheryl took this picture of me, and my pictures of her are at home.

   And in 1989, a couple of months before Ken and I got married, Cheryl came over and we took her on a different Grand Tour.

Ohio...

Niagara Falls....

Cheryl and I preparing to go under the Falls.

Ken and Cheryl at Niagara Falls.

I have a great picture of Cheryl, and me, in Toronto, but also, it's at home. Ken takes forever to compose a photograph, and Cheryl doesn't have the patience for it. So there is a wonderful picture  where I'm smiling, and Cheryl is in mid "Take the picture!" It's hilarious. Maybe I'll update this post next week...

When we went to England in 2015, Cheryl came to London for a couple of days to hang out with us.

Yes, I'm standing up straight, and she's squatting to get in the picture with me.

   This time, we went to Cheryl. On the first day we were there, Cheryl took us to Colchester to see Colchester Castle and we went to a small museum full of toys and dolls. We also had to make a shopping stop, due to our desperation to find another suitcase before we had to move on to Germany. One of our big cases had a shattered wheel. We knew we couldn't move those things without wheels. So we managed to finally find a couple of shops that had suitcases. Here you can find suitcases all year long, a million different places. In Clacton there were two places with cases at that time of year, and they had about two or three each. It was like Goldilocks looking for a chair: one was too small, one was too big, (expensive)...except none of them were just right. We settled on one that was a bit smaller than the one with the broken wheel, and more cheaply made, because at least it was pretty big, and didn't cost a million dollars. 

  While we were shopping, Cheryl developed some stomach problems. She didn't feel well, and once we got back to her house she went to bed a little early.

  The next day we went around Clacton a bit. Clacton-on-Sea  is a seaside town, as the name implies. We went down to the pier to 'see the sea'. 

But it wasn't the sort of day you'd typically do that. 

It was cold and rainy.

And VERY windy!

Yes, it was as cold as it looks. 

  I remember when I was in Clacton in 1985. Cheryl and I were looking at postcards of Clacton, all sunny beaches and happy bathers, and Cheryl laughing and saying, "Clacton never looks like that!" It certainly didn't this day.

  Ken tried to get another almost-Mr. Whippy ice cream, once again, without success.

We walked around town a bit. Cheryl was still not feeling well. She was supposed to take a group for a run, but everybody bowed out due to the rain. On the way back to Cheryl's I couldn't believe my eyes. We passed this:

It's a Masonic temple, but the thing is, it has my name on it! 

You never see that name on anything, including people, so I was flabbergasted to find it in Clacton. Cheryl circled back around so I could take a picture.

  Cheryl had planned a trip to a dollhouse/miniatures shop for me, but it was closed!

  So we relaxed at Cheryl's while I fought a bit more with the luggage. I was getting worried we were not going to be able to get everything home. I had had Cheryl buy me some English magazines I wanted, because they were much cheaper there than buying them at home. I also had her buy some of my favourite deodorant for me to take home. Okay. I know. Deodorant, what?! But I am really picky about smells, (and, if you believe my family and friends, about everything else too.), and I really love the blue Mum deodorant. It used to be called Cool Blue, and now it's something else, but it smells the same. I had her buy me loads, like, a whole box full. So I was worrying about the weight. I was heartened by the thought that we still had two more lots of gifts to drop off, one in Germany, and one in Belgium. And they were both heavy. That should free up plenty of weight, right? 

  While we were out shopping for cases the night before, I had bought a second Christmas elf. Wait. A second one? Yes. I bought one in Hull too. I actually saw one later I liked, but didn't buy for financial and weight reasons. But at this point, I was being optimistic. I still thought I could make it work somehow. And at that point, I might have been able to.

  So here are my two little guys. They are today's dolls. These pictures were taken before the fire.

They aren't really that little. They're about a foot tall.

 Anyway, I mentioned before that I saw a million different rip offs of The Elf on the Shelf in all the places we went. I bought the rather nice elf in Hull at the 1 pound shop. And he was, only a pound. (A little over a dollar.) He's the guy on the left. 

He has a sweet face and he was 'made by elves' and 'North Pole approved'.

His name is Ernie. Oh. Look what else his tag says: "Keep away from fire." Were they psychic or what?

  His suit has painted on buttons and a glued on collar and belt.

But at least he has 'real' hands that are stuffed and sewn on.

The one I bought in Clacton made less pretense about him being a 'bad' elf.  

In fact, he seems downright proud of it.

The Elf on the Shelf seems to have gone from an elf who watches  to make sure the children aren't bad, to a little wretch who gets up to all sorts in the middle of the night. His tag even says, "Watch out! Elf is about!" Next they'll be selling us elves to watch our elves. But I digress.

  He has some stitched detail on the front of his coat, and a sewn on belt, but glued on dots for buttons.

And his hands are just flat pieces of felt, glued to his wrists.

   They both have pointy toed elf feet, but flat hand guy also has flat feet. I guess he couldn't get into the army. But at least their feet are stitched on, and not glued.

In Hull I also found this backpack. It's a Christmas ornament, made of felt, and the perfect size for a camping elf...

It even has a rolled up sleeping bag, that you know I took out to see if it could be done. The sleeping bag is pretty small though.

It fits Hull elf Ernie pretty well.

  Clacton elf was a bit more than Hull elf, but not by much. Ken couldn't believe I wanted to buy something else, considering. I got the usual, "Tam!' But what harm could one more little felt elf, who weighed practically nothing and could be shoved in a pocket if I really had to, be?

  So I now had two elves, which is nice, because I love elves, and Christmas, and bringing home Christmas ornaments and things from vacations. Unfortunately these two were still hanging on my bedposts when the fire happened. In a future post we'll see what they looked like after the fire, and what they look like now.

  We left VERY early the next morning, and poor Cheryl even drove us to the station.

Still squatting to get in the photo with me.

  And what of our curse? Let's get serious here for a change. Of all the people who fell upon bad luck during our trip, Cheryl fared the worst. Let's be clear, she's doing pretty well right now, and will be fine. But after we left, Cheryl made a doctor's appointment and had some tests done. Her stomach issues were signs of a serious problem. Cheryl has leukemia. She was lucky it was discovered early and can be controlled by medication. But she has been very tired and Cheryl is used to being very active. So, you know those 'prayers and good thoughts' people are always asking for? Well, whatever you believe works, it would be nice to send some of that Cheryl's way. Ted needs her.

Even if he pretends not to.

    That's today's doll(s). See you tomorrow.

The Grand Tour Part 9: Hull, The Olde White Harte, Hull Minster, and Haworth

   This post has been in  my drafts for over a month. It's time I get moving on these posts, because I'm starting to forget things.

  The next day after the kids arrived back in Hull, from London, we spent most of it walking around Hull. I had been to Hull before, but this time we saw parts I had never seen. I told Ken, it was one of the best days of the trip so far. 

Ken got to show the kids where he had his first bank account, but it's no longer a bank. And yes, they are hams.

Emma and Ivy with the Queen Victoria statue that's on top of the public restrooms!

This is the same Victoria statue you saw in a previous trip post, telling how Hull had been transformed into 1940's London for a day, for the filming of an episode of "The Crown".

  We saw some of the original wall around the city.

And we had snacks and a drink at a pub called Ye Olde White Harte, built in the 1500's. (Not to be confused with a more modern Hull pub called The Old White Hart.)

Emma is hinting at something. What could it be?

There was a room upstairs that was absolutely beautiful. It appears to be used as a billiard room these days, but this is the room called Ye Plotting Parlour, where the decision was made to deny King Charles I access to the city, and thus to the arsenal of weapons in the city, in 1645, becoming to first act of the English Civil War war. Oliver Cromwell was received in this room.

I couldn't believe they had that rough plywood cover to the billiard table leaning against that beautiful historic fireplace!

We moved it.

The stairs up to the plotting parlour.

Tammy World found a beer wagon just her size on the windowsill.

  We visited Hull Minster. 

  I was amused by the sign outside the entrance: Burgess of Beverly Dairy Ice Cream Sold Here. It just seemed strange.

Ken taking pictures.

Each pew had something different carved on the post.

  The ladies seen below were part of a knitting circle that was using the center of the church to knit.

And yes, we did buy an ice cream in the minster!

  After leaving the Minster we headed back toward the way we had come, as we were trying to go back to a shop where Emma had noticed some things she wanted. She hadn't wanted to carry them all day. It was getting close to closing time, so we had to hurry. I was trying to 'paint with a camera' again. 

That's Ivy in the long coat.

My sister asked me why the streets were so empty. Because I waited for that moment!

The sky was making it easier to 'paint'.

These pictures were taken out the window of the shopping mall!

  

  Around this time we also found out that Ken's friend Paul had fallen, and his wife, Stacey, and their  daughter had Covid. So we ended up not being able to visit them. They did send over a lovely gift, made by Stacey. 

(Emma had to tote it home for us because our cases were too full already. We 'socially distanced' it  in a plastic bag to be safe!) We also heard from our friends in Germany that they had Covid too! It was up in the air as to whether or not they would be completely clear of it in time for us to visit. AND, my friend Jenny, who had fallen and broken two ribs right before I saw her, had gotten sick, and coughed so hard she hurt her ribs on the other side! Plus, she had developed a problem with her hand, and could hardly use it for about two weeks! Our curse continued.  

  The next day we, and the kids, traveled to Huddersfield to Ken's sister Diane again. The girls got to visit with Diane and family, and Diane presented us with a family gift we had been waiting to open until the girls arrived.

It's a music box, and as it plays the little taxi drives around the Houses of Parliament.

  The family, which included Diane, her daughter Jane and her partner, and Diane's son Steven, took us to Haworth, where the Bronte's lived. We drove through the Moors to get there, and I saw a wood pigeon walking by the side of the road. I had never seen one before. They're huge.

   I was corrected for pronouncing Haworth as 'Hay-worth'. Finally Diane said, "How-worth. Say it!" "How-worth?" I never knew Diane could be such a taskmaster! However you pronounce it, it is a beautiful place. 

Ken in front of the sweet shop.

  We got there a bit late in the day, and since we were traveling with Ken's family, as I've said before, we had to stop and eat first. By the time everybody was finished eating, it was getting to the point where everything was getting ready to close. The kids scurried off to the shops, while Ken and I went to see the parsonage, where the Bronte's lived. I won't bore you with the whole house, but I thought some of you might find the clothing interesting.

  This statue of the sisters is in the garden.

Charlotte Bronte's dress.

This cabinet contained some of the clothes the sisters actually wore, including Charlotte's wedding bonnet and veil, top left.

  This sleeve came from a dress worn by Charlotte Bronte.

A fragment of Charlotte's actual dress, and a piece of the recreation of one of Emily Bronte's dress, done for the film "Emily".

And actual large piece of fabric from Charlotte's 'Thackery dress'.

  We also had a quick look at the church where the Bronte's father was the vicar. You can see the outside of the church in the picture above with the red phone box in front of it.

  It got dark before we could do much else, so we missed seeing the graveyard. It's supposed to be interesting. Emma and AJ checked out the graveyard instead of the house.

  Check out the Doll-A-Day 2023 #175 post to see what I bought in Haworth.

   We left Haworth and went back to Huddersfield for the night. In the morning we headed back to Hull, and spent the day with Ken's sister Marjorie and her husband. You might remember that our 'curse' had put her husband, Cliff, in the hospital with two hernias to be repaired. He was home and feeling better by then though.

  The next day there was a family get together. 

Ivy got to spend some time being abused by her younger cousins.

During it an announcement was made. Remember Emma was hinting at something in the picture in The Olde White Harte? She hadn't told us yet at that point, because she hoped we'd see the ring and ask, but she and AJ had become engaged in London. I told her I had noticed the ring, but thought it was up to her to mention it. So we knew, but she kept it to herself otherwise until we had the family get together where Ken was allowed to announce it to the family.

The couple toasted.

  And the next morning we all left. The kids left before we did, in the middle of the night, really. We left later in the morning, and caught the train to Clacton  to visit my friend Cheryl. We saw Cheryl on our last trip too. This time we got to spend a couple of days with her, and meet her cat Ted, who looms large in her life. Ted rules the roost! 

  And there I will leave things until the next time.