We both had a day off work on Friday which, combined with tomorrow's Bank Holiday gave us a nicely elongated 4-day weekend. Well it did me anyway...Fran had to work on Saturday!
On Friday we took a ride up to Arnside to visit Gill and Eddie who had been up there for the best part of the week. They had, of course, been down to Wembley last weekend as my son-in-law is a die-hard Blackpool fan and consequently is in a bit of a euphoric state at the moment. Though that was tempered on Monday when his colleagues phoned him at Arnside to tell him that the Blackpool football team were boarding an open-topped bus for their victory parade along the Promenade - right outside the window of his office...
For anyone who doesn't know where Arnside is - and let's face it, until Gill and Eddie started going up there that included me - it's in Lancashire just before you crash into the Lake District. Go to Milnthorpe and turn west basically.
So we did. It's one of those remarkable places where the incoming tide comes in so fast that there is a
bore, a wave that immediately raises the water level by a foot or two. We missed it by about five minutes...
Eddie and Gill had the use of a cottage right overlooking the cove and I have to admit it was an excellent view from the cottage windows. It was so nice I could easily have stayed in the chair by the window and had a nap for the afternoon, but that wasn't going to be allowed...
Fran and Gill decided we could go to the sandwich shop and buy something for lunch. Or rather that they would do that whilst Eddie and I went to book a table at the pub on the corner for later on in the day. They trotted out whilst Ed and I got ready at our own speed and following on, we found the pub as yet unopened which meant we had already failed our part of the duties.
Undeterred, we went off to find the two ladies, looking in every sandwich shop Arnside posesses (there aren't
that many. We still totally failed to find the two missing wives and walked across to the jetty to have a vague look to see if they had fallen into the sea or were being held by pirates or used as bait by anglers or anything like that.
None of these possibly implausible things had happened as it turned out. They had, of course, found other shops of interest and were immune to our anguished searching of rock pools and tidal races. Sheesh! They hadn't even been to the sandwich shop yet!!!
Why is it too, that when faced with a choice of two or three cafes or sandwich shops it's a darn near impossibility that the female sex are able to make a choice between them? It mesmerises me. I'd look at a menu and if there was something I liked I'd go in. But women always have to look to see whether the next one might have spelt the menu in a way they might like more...
I reckon if I was a cafe owner I'd put in brackets after every menu item:
(we'll make it the way you like!) That would get them in. And of course if anyone did ask you could just laugh and say "
I always make it like that"!
We ate our lunch watching trains going over the long bridge over the inlet, there being great excitement when one came from each direction, crossing each other midway along the bridge!
Arnside... it's the sort of place for simple pleasures... Thanks Gill and Eddie - we had a great day!
The photos date from August 2005 - I didn't take any on this visit.
Large versions of the photos: You'll find them in my
North West set at Flickr.
Grace Margaret Statham weighed in at a mere 4lb 12oz, being a few weeks before schedule. She was just so excited at meeting us all she just couldn't wait!
And here Miss Franny comes over all lovey with her. I did myself... She's gorgeous!
For anyone who doesn't know where Arnside is - and let's face it, until Gill and Eddie started going up there that included me - it's in Lancashire just before you crash into the Lake District. Go to Milnthorpe and turn west basically.
So we did. It's one of those remarkable places where the incoming tide comes in so fast that there is a bore, a wave that immediately raises the water level by a foot or two. We missed it by about five minutes...
Undeterred, we went off to find the two ladies, looking in every sandwich shop Arnside posesses (there aren't that many. We still totally failed to find the two missing wives and walked across to the jetty to have a vague look to see if they had fallen into the sea or were being held by pirates or used as bait by anglers or anything like that.
We ate our lunch watching trains going over the long bridge over the inlet, there being great excitement when one came from each direction, crossing each other midway along the bridge! 
We had Gill and Eddie, Mum and our great friends David and Jeannie.
Fran and Jeannie had decided (in advance I hasten to say) to be twins for the night and we had a very laughter-filled night with a brilliant meal - starters: chicken liver pate with toast, onion relish, green salad and cherry tomatoes or melon with summer fruits coulis or prawn cocktail. main course: chicken marinated in white wine with a white wine and cream sauce with choices of potatoes au gratin, boiled new potatoes, cubed roasted potatoes with green bits on (fancy names?!? what do you want fancy names for?) and a choice of veg with sliced carrots, asparagus spears, peas and mixed cauliflower and broccoli. Sweets were mandarin orange cheesecake, chocolate gateaux or an assortment of cheese and biscuits and we finished with coffee and mints. All complimented with pink cava, chardonnet, or decanted merlot - hey, can be good with chicken if you're not that fussed!
Me and my little girl!
It was the wedding rehearsal last night.