Picked up some photos this morning from the summer holidays and thought immediately of this forum and, specifically, Louisa.
Hey our lass, guess where we were this summer?
A clue for you. Someone I know gave birth to her son there and used to live along fronm there in a town called Bridlington ?
Yeah, that's right, we did the whole coast, Flamborough, Brid, Filey, Bempton (birdwatching) of course, Burton Agnes and a bunch of other places. I'd never been to Whitby before so I thought I'd drive there to check it out, I'd heard that it was gorgeous and that the Ab bey ruins were spectacular. Well, it was AWFUL ! The abbey had been landscaped around to make a modern carpark for which you had to pay a small fortune to use, and you couldn't get near the ruins themselve except through a purpose built entrancfe which had pay to enter turnstiles, and the smell of cheap ice cream and greasy burgers was overpowering. Leaving there we drove into Whitbey and it was WORSE> The shops were all tacky souvenir shops selling the worst kind of tat and the place was heaving with miserable faced families dragging their screaming kids after them, you couldn't move for the press of humanity and parking was impossible. The beach was crammed tighter than a sardine tin and the local papers all had news that the water wasn't fit to bathe in. What a DUMP !!!!
However, Filey was great. Good beaches stretching for miles, lovely water and not too many people. Sure it was popular but it had room to move. However the parking was, again, extortionate - especially since I'd just been to the South and found free or very cheap parking along the East coast of Essex, where there are also some very good beaches.
So I've now got a load of piccies that I'll try to show you sometime in the next week or so - remember I promised earlier this year ? Those of me in a swimsuit will NOT be included however (!)
Spent most of last evening stoning and preparing the plums that we picked over the weekend. We gorged on plum crumble and plum tart and I've stewed plums and frozen plums and have plums in the fridge ready for tonight when I start my plum wines. I feel rather like your Martha, as far as I understand what she's like. Later this week we have to tackle the apples we also picked - I have a rather nice old fashioned fruit press which comes into use each year at about this time and this year I think I'm going to tackle cider instead of apple wine. I have a good collection of books and among them is one from the '20's which has some rather good old fashioned ideas for fruit (as well as many interesting approaches to subjects we no longer consider thanks to modern science and medicine).
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Changing tack a little, I really hope that the UK forum can get back to a little of what it used to be before the chat room debacle - I'd like to know about all the things we used to share and worry about back before the summer holidays. Be wordy people, it's good for you and in my opinion helps bond us as a community.
That's enough from me - you can tell I haven't been out partying lately, I'm much too awake for this time of day : perhaps I'm getting older and wiser, or growing up ?
NAAAAAAAAAAHHH !!
No chance.
Anyway, your turn people.
Hugs
Jo
Tuesday already - let's yak a little
Well Spikeyjo, i have just returned from 2 weeks in Benidorm, not very brown as the weather was hot, hot,hot so had to keep put of the sun, such as in the swimming pool and the med. We only booked for a half-board hotel but when we arrived in Spain the Direct Holiday rep said sorry this hotel was overbooked so they put us in a 4* all-inclusive instead no extra to pay either,plenty to drink such as froit juices etc i only managed half a lager each night, but Bernard enjoyed a few cocktails at night some nights he had a couple of Baileys. There was food out all day in the cafe besides formal meals in the dining room, still i had plenty of meat dishes even though i am a vegetarian, because i go and feed all the stray cats nothing wrong with them having 2 weeks of feeling full up and sleeping well,now i suppose its back to eating grass for them. Why do we in the western world eat and WASTE so much food, it breaks my heart to see it.
Jo I can't wait to see those photos and my gosh but you do have a good memory. Ah Bridlington by the sea - how I used to love it. Spent so many happy times there. Even got to see Louis Armstrong in a show when I was almost due to have my son. I was so excited, DH was worried I might go into labour. But it's the beaches that are so exhilarating and loved Filey also. I used to go for walks in a park too, can't remember the name. Used to feed a one-legged sparrow nearly every day - strange isn't it!! Used to wonder what happened to the poor love. That's when I lost my budgie though. It was always out of the cage and sitting on our shoulders, inhaling smoke....lol!! Hubbie just walked out the door not knowing the bird was on his shoulder and then it was gone of course. I was then in hospital having my son. DH didn't dare tell me about the budgie flying away. Some neighbours bought me another one unbeknown to me and put it in the cage hoping I would think it was my bird. I remember walking into the living room and looking at this poor creature. It was going round and round in circles - we found out later it was blind - so the truth came out then. I feel like crying all over again!!
Shiela, it's really nice to see you again and sounds like you had a wonderful holiday - hope my next operator tells me the hotel is overbooked. I remember seeing the cats in Malta and like you felt broken-hearted at their pitiful state. Well, time for coffee - I would imagine you two are both in bed right now. Chat tomorrow after we have been to the vet with Patch - he's gone lame!! So now we have two cats that are sick and I have to go to Germany and England in October - if I'm allowed to that is!
Hi Jo! I had a fortnight or so having daytrips before my course starts - first lecture tea-time today.
I went to local places - Guisborough, Yarm, Durham, York, Newcastle, Flamingoland, Whitby and Scarborough. I quite like Whitby, much prettier than Scarborough I think. Of course, it was raining in Scarborough and not much fun trying to see a beach battling against wind and rain.
Aren't public toilets expensive? I merrily pulled out a 1p coin in York and wondered why the door didn't open. 10p. Then 15p in Scarborough.
A very sentimental journey for me as all of these were places I'd visited with my Dad. Still, it'll be easier next time for me. The North York Moors are always lovely.
This message was edited Monday, Sep 24th 2:41 PM