On Thursday, May 12th, Gertie and I were in Janet’s kitchen about to begin the making of the “cake pops” for the Sasha Celebration weekend. Gertie is wearing a newly made outfit that I had asked Janet to make for her arrival. I love it! 🙂
My camera for the trip was my cell phone camera. The lighting is not the best but you can see Janet diligently working on the cake pops. Janet had a mold formed to make many tiny ball-like shapes and she placed cake batter into the mold and baked it until done and then she put all of the cake balls into the freezer until time to frost them.
A much better photo of Janet and Gertie with the cake pops. We put sticks into each cake ball and placed them on the cardboard rings you see in the photo. The blue frosting was first, then the white and last, the red frosting. I thought it was brilliant idea for the SCW! 🙂
Gertie was a tremendous help that morning. 🙂
What a fun time we all had in Janet’s kitchen with tea breaks of course! 🙂
Next, we walked from Janet’s house to the seaside to enjoy the view of the North Sea and to go to lunch! 🙂
I took a few photos along the way. We walked above and along the beach that you can see in the distance. So beautiful.
A lovely view of the King Edward’s Bay and you can see a ship in the distance. 🙂
I never tire of views of the sea though that day was brisk and overcast, it did not rain. It was wonderful to walk and look and just take it all in. Only a 10 minute walk from Janet’s house. 🙂
We found our way and walked down to see the restaurant straight ahead neatly tucked in the hillside at King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth. 🙂
The view overhead was very impressive. I think it is the Tynemouth Priory and Castle imposing upon the skyline.
But we pressed onward to our luncheon destination. 🙂
Here we are! It is Riley’s Fish Shack where we ordered mackerel that came with tasty side dishes. I did not photograph the meal this time. I think it was because we were actually sharing our table with others since it was crowded that day. Most of the people dining were eating indoors rather than in the outside area due to the cool winds. The view was fabulous and the meal was delicious! ❤
A map to show that we were in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area that day. The previous day we visited Northumberland area and visited Alnwick Castle. You can see how very close we were to the Scottish borders.
We returned home after lunch and spent some dolly time with Janet’s lovely and varied doll collection. Later we began our packing and preparation to leave the next day to join many friends at the Sasha Celebration Weekend in Nottingham.
There was a small package for me waiting at Janet’s house. A dear friend who lives in Spain had made gifts for Gertie and for Finn and posted them. She knew that I was going to make a day trip to Paris during my England stay and voila, wonderful french outfits for my happy pair. How very thoughtful to send gifts. ❤
Gertie loves her new dress which has Eiffel Towers in many colors, ric rac, and wonderful buttons! It fits her perfectly. 🙂
I love her dress too! Her sandals were made by Janet. 🙂
Thank you dear friend for such a lovely gift. ❤
Finn loves his wonderful France shirt! 🙂
I love it too! A perfect fit and a perfect boy’s shirt. Thank you my friend for your thoughtfulness. ❤ xxx
I had the best time with Janet in her part of England. Her hospitality was warm and kind and wonderful. I love this part of England so very much and I was just captivated by every aspect during my stay. I will always be grateful to have had this time with Janet and her husband Billy in their home in England. ❤
Thank you for visiting Sasha Shangri-La today and the next post will finally be the Sasha Celebration Weekend. 🙂 xxx
Sasha Shangri-La 
Wonderful photos Ginger…I am glad you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for sharing xx
Thank you Lel. I am glad yo are enjoying the photos of the trip. It is taking longer to post them than I thought it would but I do enjoy the writing and the remembering of the happy times. 🙂 xxx
Gosh! What another wonderful day spent with Janet! I love eating in these Fish Shacks situated on the edges of the harbours and beaches. They have such character and atmosphere and the fish is always so fresh and beautifully cooked..
I hadn’t ever heard of ‘Cake-pops’ until Janet explained to me what they were. A super idea and looked far too good to eat!
Having spent a good ten years of my life living by the sea I’m always envious of anyone living near the coasts, breathing in the surrounding air filled with those health giving ions.
How wonderfully thoughtful of Sharon to make Gertie and Finn those very special outfits for their visit to France! His shirt went perfectly with his VS trousers! Loved Gertie’s newly commissioned Janet outfit too! What a lucky little girl she is!
(Noticed too how she had bought her little rag doll and Finn his puppy. I too let all my Brood take something of their choice with them to the SCW to keep them company whilst away from home in that strange environment.)
Was interested to see that map as hadn’t realised just how far Janet had to travel to the SCW compared to my very short journey (just over an hours quick driving!) from just below Manchester.
Thanks a mill for another super and very interesting post.
It was my first fish shack Kendal and I loved it too! Janet mentioned it when we were talking about the visit ahead of time and I said it sounds perfect! And it was perfect, very fresh and very delicious!
The cake pops were new to me too and it was fun to put them together. I would never had thought of making them though and that was a nice, creative surprise gift from Janet.
Sharon’s package was a delight to receive! The outfits are amazing and so very generous. Finn, Gertie, and I love them!! Sharon posted the package since she thought she was not coming to the SCW……so it was just fantastic to meet her there….I was pinching myself….pure joy! 🙂
Thank you for writing Kendal. I love to receive your writings! ❤ xxx
Another lovely and interesting post about your time spent in the North East of England with Janet….it looks like you had a great time and yet another interesting and tasty meal by the sounds of things. I wonder how often, when the weather is bad, that the tide comes right up to the front of that little restaurant, sat so precariously there on the edge of the sand!
I’m glad the kids (and you!) liked their little pressies and that they fit well.
And Gertie was really lucky to have another new outfit made by Janet too! But then girls always do like to have lots of clothes, don’t they 😉
I’m glad to read that you enjoyed your time in the north east and look forward to reading how you got on ‘down south’ 🙂
xxx
Thank you Sharon! I am sipping my coffee this morning and catching up on reading blog comments. I wondered the same thing about the closeness of the Shack to the water’s edge. You can see a definite intertidal zone area right there next to the walkway as you approach, so the water must get pretty close pretty often to have that influence on the beach. I hope the Shack is out of harm’s way because it was so charming and so tasty and a really great place to visit. 🙂
The pressies were such a surprise and just perfect for Finn and Gertie. Thank you again my friend for your kindness. I want to confess to you that I sadly did not take them with me on the Paris trip. The reason was due to the length and pace of that day trip. We left the house at 6 am and returned after midnight and we knew it would be a very rigorous day with customs and security inspections both ways, and catching trains, buses, and taxi cabs and so I only took a small fanny pack to conserve energy and to keep my hands free to navigate the trip. Finn and Gertie were not happy about this and especially Finn since he is the most adventurous of the pair. I think they understand though. 😦
Gertie loves her new dresses and she would be a spoiled little girl if not for her sweet and humble nature. I re-plaited her hair yesterday after I put an outfit on her. It was very messy from her trip to England but it made smile to remember the trip and meeting my dear friends in England. 🙂 xxx. XXX
What a lovely time you had with Janet ,Ginger. How wonderful to be so close to the sea that you could stroll along the beach and stop in for a lovely meal.
I love Gertie’s Paris dress, such perfect fabric and a beautiful colour and design and Finn’s shirt also perfect for your trip to France.
Looks like your trip was filled with fabulous places and friends. :)xxx
Thank you Dee and I agree that it would be amazing to live near the sea. I particularly loved the ruggedness of the land next to the sea and the sea’s vigor and just the pure beauty of it all. We have the ruggedness of the land where I live but alas, no sea! Seeing the housing architecture was interesting and it seemed a lot of renovation was going on too. Also, a lot of people were walking, some with their dogs, and biking too. It was a very active and vital area. 🙂 xxx
Great photos, thanks for sharing your memories. My mum has the view of the monastery and castle from the other side as she lives just south of there😍
Hi Tricia! I am so glad you enjoyed the post. What a nice view for your Mum! I loved my time there and it just flew by! 🙂 xxx
The pop cakes were a great idea and it looks like you had a wonderful time with Janet. I’m glad you got to see some of the North Sea coast and seaside, sampling some more British caught fish too (those bracing sea breezes will have given you an appetite I’m sure). Finn and Gertie’s Paris themed clothes by Janet a lovely.
Thank you doll Mum! We had a great time in the kitchen making cake pops! The North Sea was just so beautiful and the food was wonderful. The Paris themed outfits were a gift from Sharon Humphreys and I just love them! Sharon had mailed them to Janet’s house to make sure I received them while on my trip. That is another reason why I was so surprised to see Sharon at the SCW! A very happy surprise!
I had the best time with Janet in her part of England. It is a place of great beauty. ❤ xxx
I was able to see all you lovely posts while I was away Ginger but unable to comment. Everyone just warmed my heart and now i am able to view them all again on a grander scale. I love these memories of ours, especially the cake pops and my angst over how they weren’t ‘perfect’!! xxx