in a little village in england

it's hard to believe that just a week or so after seeing my dad's parents in turkey, we were driving the countryside of england to visit my mum's parents in their village in northern yorkshire. growing up in canada while my grandparents were overseas meant visits were less often, but highly anticipated and i looked forward to the few weeks out of the year when my grandparents would come to visit, or when we would go to spend a few weeks in england with them. my grandad is the master joke teller and my grandma has the most amazing laugh and they're coming up on their sixtieth wedding anniversary next year. although i missed and still miss them dearly, i don't think any of the time we did spend together ever went unappreciated and we filled our time together to the max, staying up late around the dinner table telling stories and laughing, that is what i remember most. i'm so thankful we got to spend these few days with them.it's funny how reflecting on our time spent with both my sets of grandparents this summer has made me realize how things can be worlds apart and yet very much the same... sitting outside, drinking tea together, sharing stories, going on walks, looking at old photographs. it just means something to me to think that the world over, most of us simply want to do things for the people we love.. most of us simply want to spend time with family enjoying the simple things.july 2013 // north yorkshire, england