After Midnight

Our full day in Bradford was a Friday. We figured out via map that we were only about a mile from the Texere warehouse, and it was all downhill. Despite this, it took us about two hours to get there.

We did not count on Barbara's being sucked into a jewelry store to do her "Christmas Shopping" (in Feb) for her daughters. Beautiful silver and amber jewelry caught her eye in the window of a shop, and in we all went, and stayed for at least 45 minutes. Mary Ann warned me that this might be the beginning of a pattern.

Our next stop was Bradford Cathedral. We had to circumnavigate a large hole in the ground in the center of the city, which is their version of Boston's Big Dig. A large complex of shops and offices will be built and is intended to revitalize/transform the city. Good luck in this economy!

Once we were in the Cathedral, it took us some time to locate the object of our quest, which was stained glass designed by William Morris. Once located, we sat on a bench and gazed at the glaze. I much preferred all of the other stained glass panels, NOT by Mr. Morris, and took many photos.

We each bought some cards at the church "bookshop". Purchases were made on the honour system, with coins being dropped into one of various slots ("cards and books", "candles", "restoration" etc.) No one was on hand to sell the goods or guard the take.

We made our way back out to the main street and up a little hill, and soon saw the Texere Warehouse. We were welcomed by the various workers, and shown the "retail" section, which had a small assortment of fancy yarns and walls of spools of silk threads, cords, gimp, etc. as well as a wall of books. Mary Ann and Barbara got waylaid there, whilst I set out to explore the two floors of the warehouse. This contained aisles and aisles of yarn skeins and cones of every fibre, thickness and colour. Cotton, silk, wool, mohair, chenille, and more filled the ground floor, with the floor above containing more of the same, plus spools of fine embroidery and needlepoint threads in cotton, silk, viscose, and more. In addition, there was rug yarn, rug canvas, needlepoint canvas, and thread. Paradise for the fiber artiste! I purchased a few "locker-hooks" for rug hooking, and frame for needlework, which can be used for needlepoint or rug hooking. It will make my self-designed hooked rug of a botanical print of "muskat-nusse" (nutmeg) much easier to construct.

We tried to visit "Little Germany", a neighborhood well-marked on the historical maps, but found no evidence of anything other than buildings that looked a lot like all the other Victorian- and Edwardian-era buildings. As it was a "brisk" day, we stopped in a little place called "Yo-Yo" for a hot lunch. The woman who served us came over to see our haul and projects, and was amazed to hear that the place they had been purchased was just up the hill one street.

On our way back we stopped at the Marks and Spencer food hall for wine and cheese, and Barbara also herded us into a shoe and luggage store, where she scored a fine rolling carry-on sized suitcase to hold all her purchases.

By the time we climbed the hill back to the New Beehive Inn, we were exhausted. We tried to blog from the wireless connection in the pub, but were unsuccessful. Therefore, we repaired to our family room, flushed once, and settled in for the evening with our wine, cheese, crackers, and fruit. Mary Ann conked out at about eight pm, while B. and I watched the telly for a while. At some point around ten, I turned out the light. If only there had been a clue as to the ruckus that would ensue, I would have slept right after "dinner".

We estimated that our room was above the billiards room. We knew it was a Friday night, and that there would be people in the pub and playing "snooker". I was counting on the fact that most pubs close around eleven pm, and we'd be able to slumber in peace after that. The sound of the piped-in music just below us, and the laughter of the party-goers was really not that annoying. I had seen a "Boots-the Chemist" shop across the street from M & S, but didn't think I'd need to purchase ear plugs. I regretted that decision.

Some time after eleven pm, the live music started. I'm not sure if it was right below us, or in the "music room", which was next to the pub on the other side of the ground floor. The THUMP THUMP of the bass and the screeching of the female vocalist became increasingly annoying. They MUST be stopping at midnight, I thought. Now, I like a live rock band more than most people from the 70's, but I couldn't believe that the proprietor of the New Beehive Inn had neglected to mention to us that Friday night was LIVE MUSIC night and that we'd be right over the band. I somehow managed to doze off, but dreamed a bizarre dream about moving into an old house and finding that the previous tenants had left behind a sub-woofer in the walls THAT COULDN'T BE TURNED OFF. Hubster and I had to open closet after closet to find the secret panel that held the giant bass speakers. I awakened again after this dream, and tossed and turned until about 2 am, when the band finally stopped playing. What a nightmare!

Our trip to York on the train the next day is a complete blur. I think I made the trip with Mary Ann and Barbara, as we all checked into the next hotel together. The Galtres Lodge on Low Petergate in York was to be our home for the next two nights. We each had our own separate room; MA and B had their own en suite toilet facilities, whilst mine was just down the hall. Bliss!