Tricycle for two

 Annie and Emily received a package soon after Heather's treasure box arrived from Canada. They borrowed the Playtime Lexie and Jenny outfits from Heather's box as Jenny and Lexie were still admiring their ice skates from the treasure box and decided to go for a ride on their new transport - a tricycle!

Annie and Emily borrowed Jenny and Lexie's new 'Playtime' outfits to take the new tricycle for a spin while in the background Jenny and Lexie discussed their ice skates.

"Hold on tight Emily" said Annie

The little tricycle is metal and plastic, quite well made, though it has a screw in the back which won't tighten so it has a bit of a wobble.

Annie wearing Jenny's 'Playtime' dress

Emily wearing Lexie's 'Playtime' dungarees and 'Just like me' hat

I bought the tricycle intending to recreate a scene which had been set up by another Jenny & Lexie enthusiast in the old J&L Yahoo group but in the event Annie and Emily were keen to play instead. I used my macro lens on the camera to capture the close up photos of the vinyl girls, who have the most wonderful, delicate eye painting.

Chloe and Max discover York

 After 6 months of no outings or nights away from home due to the pandemic, it was strange to venture out and travel to another city. However some items needed to be delivered to my elder daughter who had just moved from one singing job to another, now that choral singing is permitted again (under strict health and safety conditions), so I braved the motorway and took a pair of Kruselings for the journey.

It was a cool, grey Sunday morning in late September when Chloe and Max found York Minster and the heart of the city.

York Minster and the heart shape in the West window

Max and Chloe found York Minster on the map

The real York Minster towered above them as they stood on the bronze map

On the south side of York Minster, the Christian Roman emperor Constantine the Great (274-337) languished on his seat of power, the sign nearby explained that he had been proclaimed Roman Emperor nearby, in 306.

Max and Chloe stood at the base of the ancient Roman column which was found inside the south transept of the Minster in 1969 during excavations.

Max and Chloe were impressed by the ancient Roman column

The Roman column towered above Max and Chloe

Inside York Minster the rows of chairs for the congregation had all been spaced well apart and faced the temporary altar at the West end, so the congregation would sit with their backs to the choir.

The York Minster choristers, songmen (lay clerks) and choral scholars have to sing in a much larger space than they normally take up, 2 metres apart, with their own music stands and currently without the pipe organ which is undergoing restoration. However at least they are allowed to sing again after 6 months of no choral singing in churches and they made a wonderful sound.

Max and Chloe were impressed with a beautiful illuminated map of York Minster in an ornate carved frame.

The illuminated map of York Minster with Max and Chloe 

The York city wall provided some wonderful views of the city and York Minster

Max and Chloe admired the view of York Minster from the city wall.

At Monk Bar (a large gate in the wall) was a model shop with some wonderful displays

The Tour of Porkshire (Yorkshire) featured pigs riding motorcycles!

York has Christmas all year round because it has a branch of the famous Kathe Wohlfahrt shop, housed in an ancient Tudor building (1434)

The window display of the Christmas shop was stunning

Max and Chloe particularly liked this miniature Children of the World music box

Some of the wooden Christmas decorations were truly astonishing

They could not resist visiting The Shambles, a very old Tudor street in York

 

Chloe and Max discovered a miniature Mongolian Ger (Yurt) in the room where they were staying overnight. It was a bit too small for them to creep inside.

The miniature Mongolian Ger even had the samovar for making tea to welcome guests

The two Kruselings enjoyed their visit to York and its famous Cathedral to hear live choral singing once more.