Visit from Scotland

With Wallace and Gromit

So on Tuesday, before the children had even gone back to school, we got a message from Neil and Sharon up in Dollar all depressed about going back to work (they are both teachers) asking if they could come for a visit.  We weren't doing anything so we agreed, we always like having people to stay and didn't do much entertaining last year for obvious reasons.

Tom went to football training in the morning (very muddy it was too!) whilst they drove down - they got here for 12.30 so we got out all the left over Christmas food (mainly cheese) and had a deli lunch.    We then headed out to Oxenber Woods near Austwick for the short walk.  It wasn't a particularly nice day (low cloud, mist, fog etc) but the worse of the weather held off for the duration of the walk so we couldn't complain.  Meant the kids had a good run about and we all got plenty of fresh air.

The evening was spent having a beer or two.  The kids were actually quite tired (always the case at the start of school) meaning that bed time (all three sleep in Tom's room) got to sleep without any of the usual nonsense.

Gayle Beck

Sunday, the weather was still pretty bad, it was thick, thick fog in Ingleton.  After looking on some webcams, we decided that Hawes would the be best place to go (strange because it is higher up). We were right though, the clouds lifted as we went higher and higher.  Neil was very pleased because he really enjoyed his last visit to the cheese factory and was hoping to visit again.  We did the museum and were hoping to see some cheese making - but for the third time in a row we were unlucky!  Oh hum, the kids enjoyed the extra interactive displays though and everyone enjoyed the tasting room (again!)

We headed into Hawes for lunch and after a circuit of the village to try to stimulate an appetite we headed to Penny Garth cafe for a greasy spoon lunch.  Sharon went for the chip butty (my last lunch pre-op) and was completely flawed by it.  I was hoping to have another as a mental note of the end of my recovery, but to be honest, I know I can't eat it all and don't want to.

We said goodbye to the Blezards from Hawes as it made sense that they headed further North from Hawes.  We headed back home ourselves.