<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/happy-family-durhamnov17.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4653" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/happy-family-durhamnov17-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>Val organised a few days in a cottage near Durham so the "family" could get to see the <a href="http://www.lumiere-festival.com/durham-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lumiere event</a>. Unfortunately Val wasn't well enough to attend which was a real shame.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/shilden-loconov17.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-4652" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/shilden-loconov17-150x200.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /></a>Before travelling into Durham we visited the Shildon Locomotive museum. I do like engineering and it's interesting to be reminded how we used to lead the world in technology. Politicians try to convince us that we still do however we don't. Google, Facebook and Uber didn't start in the UK and the 21st century technologies we did have are now owned by international conglomerates e.g. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_Holdings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ARM Holdings</a>.

The rest of the family visited two years ago (November 2015 - Jane and I didn't go because she wasn't well enough) and were of the opinion that it wasn't as good as then but I still enjoyed wandering around the city and looking at the light installations.

[gallery type="rectangular" size="medium" ids="4651,4649,4650,4648,4646,4647"]

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/beamish1nov17.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4645" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/beamish1nov17-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>On the Saturday the majority decided to go to the Beamish Museum. It isn't cheap but it is really worthwhile and considering it was a Saturday it wasn't too crowded.

The old buses and trams are great fun. The area that was set in the 1920s was excellent. Shops full of items that were still in use by my parents in the 1950s, such as a <a href="https://www.vinterior.co/listings/vintage-rug-beater?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgNrQBRC0ARIsAE-m-1z18bwA2a7IEn4gM-_eZPi4J1w5zJaP3eP9QRi-33FrixeMzg9h3pUaAs7XEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wicker carpet beater</a> and yes you can still buy one on the internet (for heavens sake why?). It was a great day out even if the temperature barely got above 3 degrees all day.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logie-steadingnov17.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-4644" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/logie-steadingnov17-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>Sunday morning I left ahead of the rest to travel north to the Highlands to visit Tony and Jude. My theory was that Durham is on the way but of course the Highlands are deceptive because Durham is only one third of the way there so I still had a six hour drive.

True to form it rained incessantly for the two days I was there and all the way home but it wasn't about the weather it was about having a good time with dear friends.
There were times on the way back when I thought I was sailing the MX5 down the motorway rather than driving because it was so wet and windy.