Best Of

A small step forward yesterday, we went out to a pub for lunch with our regular Lunch Club chums, mainly ex colleagues, must be nearly a year since we attended the last one? It went much better than I thought it would and good to catch up with people, even if much of the conversation was about health issues! I was worried how I would cope food eating wise but I needn't have worried. Margaret had her Vatican knife with her. I can almost hear you asking what is a Vatican knife? Margaret used to carry a fruit knife which had its own cover, so hardly an offensive weapon. Many years ago we were on a coach trip to Italy and one day we visited the Vatican and in particular the Sistine Chaple(absolutely amazing if you can get there) The guide happened to ask if anyone had any knives before we went through security, so up steps Margaret with her fruit knife. Which from that day onwards has been called the "Vatican Knife"

David

It's a problem for MiL as well @DavidKlyne. It was one of the main things she was worried about particularly as her left arm had Stroke Distonia. Nowadays she chooses meals such as soup or sits next to a friend who will cut a meal up for her if out eating with friends. Obviously we do it if we take her out. Glad you enjoyed it, probably more than you thought you would.

Well, the rain continues to fall.☔️

I agree with what you say @DEBSC about appreciating where you live. I'd like it even more if the weather, as a general rule, was better but COVID lockdowns and restrictions helped me appreciate some of the forgotten local corners around here. Here is a view looking down towards the town of Ruthin and the valley it sits in with the mountains of Eryri and the Carneddau range behind it. The photo was taken, obviously, in better weather when walking up the local Clwydian hills nearby.

Finished our Christmas present! Off to the village pantomime tonight - oh yes we are!!

@Takethedogalong great pictures. We really enjoy going to Saltburn for a visit, it’s on our list when we have some slightly longer days. Glad you had a great weekend.

Cold, dull day today but we went to Burton Agnes to see the snowdrops anyway.

Lovely weekend away for us. Not a nice drive up in pouring rain, but hotel was very nice, comfy, clean and a really good couple of nights sleep. Stopped off in Thirsk on way up. We had a wander around Middlesbrough Sat morning, found church where OH’s Granny got married. Had lunch at a very nice eatery, then back to hotel for a cuppa and to get our stuff for match. Twenty minute walk to ground, great atmosphere inside, not many seats empty, apart from away fan allocation, hardly surprising as it’s a long way from Norwich. Good game, Boro scored early, and took the wind out of Norwich’s sails, then both teams had some near misses. Only 1-0 in the end but it certainly wasn’t boring. We ambled back to town centre with everyone else, then had a nice meal in hotel. Decent breakfast next morning, then we headed off for a bit more Middlesbrough exploring. Church where OH’s Mum and Dad got married during WW2, house where his Grandma lived, and some of the Uni buildings he recalled from is time at Teesside Uni. Drove up to Saltburn, very busy there, loads of surfers out and plenty of folks in pier and beach. We only stopped briefly, drove on coast road down to Whitby, and had a good two hours walking the “new town” up to North Cliff area, then down from jawbone to harbour area. Ages since we have walked this side, glad to report that Bothams Tea Rooms and bakery are still thriving, closed on Sundays though. We made do with a nice ice cream instead. Down across moors on A171 into Scarborough, then onto A64 to York, pick up A19 to go home via Selby. Interesting drive home.

Riverside Stadium, just before kick off. Plenty more fans filled the empty seats. We can’t get tickets for match close to home sold out.

Whitby, churches up on South Cliff. Lovely blue skies.

These are “The Herring Girls” part of a sculpture trail around Whitby, lots of different aspects celebrating the port’s fishing heritage.

Final photo is the “Scales of Justice” sculpture outside court rooms in Middlesbrough. Wonderful expressions on the faces of the two children😂

Do you feel old?

Conversation with my almost 5 year old grandson yesterday who's doing space at school.

We're sitting on the sofa learning the planets, with very good songs courtesy of YouTube on Daddy's phone following something they'd watched and sung in class.

"I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up." Me, "you'll need to learn and study lots"' And we discuss weightlessnes. Zero gravity and the simulators they put astronauts in that spin and twist...…

On the song, there's the sun and all the planets in the order from the sun singing/rapping about their properties. Earth's moon is going round the earth. "That's where the rocket has been." "Yes" say I.. "When I was a little girl, about the age of naming his eldest cousin in NZ, I watched the moon landing". "Did you watch it on your phone?" "No on the TV in black and white"....... 🫣🤔😲🤣🤣🤣🤣

The talk of respite care brought back memories of my father in law. Every other Christmas he went to OHs sister, but with all her children and grandchildren staying there wasn’t much room and it was hectic. So it was fully agreed that FIL would sleep at a very nice Home just close to them and be collected each morning after breakfast then taken back in the evening. New Years Eve he asked to go back at around 9pm. The next day he seemed very tired. On speaking to the staff it transpired that, while all the other residents slept he had celebrated New Year in the staff room, and while the staff had maybe had one drink to celebrate he had had a few. He had kept them all entertained with stories of him being in a plane flying during the war. And then stories of him being a publican for very many years. They asked if he could come back the following year. 😂