Busy days

In thoughtful mode. Maybe

Sorry everyone, don't know what has happened to time recently, but I haven't found time to update this, and now I'm struggling to remember what we have done recently.

First of all Grannie came up for a couple of days two weeks ago.  We showed her around the village then took her on a scenic drive to Settle, lunch at Settle followed by a play and mini walk around Clapham and coffee and cake at the good tea room we found with Bob.

On the Saturday we dropped Grannie off at Lancaster station after a visit to Williamson Park and its very good cafe.

Sunday was yet another nice day, so we decided it would do us all good to head out into the hills for a walk. As we've done before, we parked the car at Blindbeck Bridge in Barbondale and walked the 2+ miles along the footpath through the forest to the excellent Barbon Inn in the nearby village. It's a good length of walk, and it passes the magic tree, where there always seems to be a piece of chocolate nestling in the roots for Tom. There's also a little stony beach on the river where we have to stop for a 10 minute stone throwing break.

The stone throwing beach

As always, lunch was excellent - tasty food and outstanding service. Unlike last time, however, Tom decided he could manage the (uphill) walk back to the car. We were a bit sceptical as to whether he would make it all the way, but we were happy to be proved wrong. He did the whole walk (4.5 miles altogether) in excellent spirits, and even had the energy to hurl another 20 or 30 stones off Blindbeck Bridge before we headed home in the car. I think the walking stick he got for his birthday really helps when we go out walking. It has 2 magnifying glasses built into it, and also has 2 secret compartments for stashing sticks, pine cones etc. It also features a compass, which he's convinced is a clock, but that's a job for another day...

Last weekend we went to Manchester for the weekend.  It was Cake International in Manchester, we thought we would combine it with a visit to the Komorowskis - especially as Leia and Tom get on so well.  So, we did what has become our 'usual' thing - drove down, looked round the Go Outdoors Store (huge place with lots of pitched tents - Tom goes nuts and runs his heart out in and out of them whilst we look on in amusement), then to Wing Yip to do an Asian shop and then to Glamorous Restaurant for proper Chinese.  We met up with some of Matt's friends at the restaurant, including a car sick teenage girl and two young boys - don't think they were impressed with our choice of food which included ducks feet (I went a bit wrong here - its the sort of place where you aren't sure what you are going to get when you order it because the translation of the menu into English is really bad - this is a place where the main customers are Chinese - very few white people there)

Cheeky face

We then arrived at the Komorowskis - Tom and Leia immediately got reacquainted with each other, we didn't really see them for the rest of the day.  We admired the house (very very nearly finished - looks really good). Spent the evening drinking G&T and chatting about nothing much.

Sunday was Mother's Day, I got a lovely card and a Herdy garlic pot so was pleased.  I then got treated to Eggs Benedict by Adam (very nice) before heading off to the cake show.  As is usual I got horrifically lost.  The show was at Event City - next door to The Trafford Centre.  You would think it would be an easy place to find.  Not so, the main problem is that Adam and Karen live right in the centre of Salford meaning that to get anywhere from their place you have to negotiate lots and lots of busy junctions, it is very easy to choose a wrong road, and once you have gone down one wrong road, you've had it.  I was quite stressed by the time I got there.  Problem is that I go wrong at the same place every time, you would think I'd have learnt by now, but no, not so!

Anyway I had a lovely time at the Cake Show, it wasn't too full, meaning I could see all the stalls.  It was quite a bit smaller than the Birmingham one, but certainly lots to see.  I ended up spending more than I thought I would, but hopefully it was all good useful stuff which I will use again and again.

Leia, Tom and Dora

I finished up at the show at 2.30, and after only going wrong once on the way home (much happier) I arrived to find Matt waiting for me.  Karen had taken the children to Waterstones for story time, so we walked briskly up to catch up with them.  Tom wasn't the best behaved, mainly through tiredness than anything else, a babyccino and marshmallow kebab at Starbucks perked him up, so we headed for the Football Museum where we had a great time - playing football and Tom and Leia just running round.  We then walked back to the house where Adam had made a roast chicken dinner - very good it was too.

We then drove home, Tom slept most of the way, we just had to deposit him into his bed when we got home.  We went to bed quite early, however, Matt wasn't feeling very well.  He had been complaining of pain in his hand joints during the day, by the time he went to bed his shoulders, neck, arms, legs and hands were hurting.  He was cold and shaking and getting quite scared as to what was going on.  I called NHS direct but they were only taking life threatening calls.  After a lot of googling I found the out of hours service linked to the surgery here (which is in Cumbria and not North Yorks - of course!) They were very efficient, Matt had a long chat with the Dr who came to the conclusion that a night in an unfamiliar bed coupled with plenty of G&T meant that he most likely slept in a weird position causing joint pain.  He was told to have a hot bath and then bed.  That's what he did, he felt much better, even more so the following morning.

That's about it.  I've started to get some cake orders - through advertising in the Kirkby Lonsdale Newsletter which is good.  I did one last week and have two next week.  My Easter Egg animals are now also on sale at Kitridding Farm on sale or return, so we will see how that goes.  I'm also involved in the organisation of the village Easter Egg Hunt and am getting to know people through that.