Easter Weekend at Bay View

So, this Easter weekend when the workers have two Bank Holidays tagged onto their weekend we had planned to go and spend the holidays in our caravan in its new home, Bay View.  Unfortunately the wickedly cold weather we’ve been having made us all think twice and we decided the nights would still be far too cold to spend in a van.  The days are glorious but the nights are a different matter.  However we did go up there yesterday to give it an airing and a spring clean.  Caroline and I did what we could (which truthfully was very little) then William set to with a bucket of hot soapy water to wash down the exterior of the van and after standing all winter and being towed up the motorway a wash down was definitely needed.  Caroline and I offered our help in this task but it was rejected so guilt free we happily went for a walk.

Leaving the caravan park behind…

..this is the view in front of us.  It looks across the salt marshes and bay to Cumbria with its snow topped hills in the distance.  We intend to spend a lot of time in and amongst those hills this year taking in all that the spectacularly beautiful Lake District has to offer.

Turning left there’s a path which we followed.

Charlie was with us, of course.

Passing this pristine farmhouse along the way.

And ending up at Bay View Garden Centre where Caroline found a little garden table and chairs set that she fancied.

On the way back after a lot of scooting and having fun, Charlie sat down and said he needed a break! 

He also needed to see what was over the other side of this dry stone wall.

Caroline and Charlie ventured down onto the salt marshes for a bit of a ramble.  

Bay View is a relatively new site and there are still several mobile homes for sale.  We peered through the windows of a few.  The lucky owners of these homes will have a superb view of the setting sun each night. 

The stone building on the left is one of the original farm buildings and inside it houses the bar/cafe/restaurant/kids playroom etc.

And yesterday this roaring fire was a welcome sight.

Here’s another view of it.  I took this picture in early February when William and I had a drive up there one Sunday afternoon.

We finished the day off with a drink in here and then headed down the motorway for the just over an hour long ride home.  I’m sure we’re going to have lots of good times at Bay View.  Now if only spring would arrive!

The Best Place …

…to be in this rotten weather…

…is beside a roaring fire in an old public house with a good friend having a good old natter.  That’s exactly what Lesley and I did on Thursday afternoon.  We spent a lovely, easy going, albeit cold, day together in Hebden Bridge.  We started off with a coffee break, followed by a mooch in and out of a few shops. We spent a fair amount of time in the antiques centre.  I really enjoyed that discussing all the old stuff.  I can remember as a child being in similar places with my mother and Auntie Edie and hearing them saying to each other as they picked up this and that, “we used to have one of these in our house, do you remember”.   Here I am now, many moons later, saying very similar things.  Time is marching on.  It’s scary!

This was what my bedroom window looked like this morning.  I could barely see out of it because of the way the snow fell during the night..  It was blowing a gale all night alongside the snow falling causing snowdrifts in all sorts of unexpected places.

This unwelcome weather is once again causing all kinds of disruptions up and down the country.

It has disrupted our plans too. Our caravan is now sited at its new home in Bay View.  We had hoped to spend our first weekend up there this weekend.  

But with temperatures and weather like this it just hasn’t happened.  It’s Easter next weekend and we’re hoping to get up there on Friday.  Fingers and everything else crossed we will!

Braving the elements today Caroline, Charlie and I did our grocery shopping together.  We called in at a little Starbuck’s on the way and I snapped this lovely pic of them with my iPhone.  I love it!

Spring Flowers.

In search of spring flowers William and I took a trip to Bents garden centre yesterday afternoon.

We found plenty.  Pretty pansies…

.. pretty primulas all in my favourite colours.

I like the reds and yellows too.  William would choose these rather than the lilacs.

Bents’ is a humongous garden centre with everything it’s possible to need for a garden and then some.  They have a large home wares section too with both ornate and useful stuff.  Happily there’s also a very lovely restaurant.  Pricey I might add, but good quality food and they don’t scrimp on the portion sizes.

Now and again a treat is necessary.  We tucked into a cream tea with strawberries and clotted cream for two.  Very nice!

We both spent some time looking at the housey stuff then William wandered off and left me to it.  I found him sitting on this bench.  His feet didn’t reach the floor and he was sat swinging his legs like a little boy.  It was soo funny.  I couldn’t stop laughing!

It was Mother’s Day a week ago yesterday and these are my happy, sunny, spring flowers off the girls.

On Mother’s Day the kids all came round and I did some baking with the boys.   See the scales and Pyrex dish above?  They were wedding presents and are still serving me well after all these years!   In fact they’re so old they’re fashionable again.  I see things like them in magazines all the time.

I loved the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett  and last week I watched the DVD, courtesy of John and Lesley.  I think it stayed more or less true to the book.  I’d definitely recommend it.

Lastly my sock knitting is coming on a treat.  I was very happy with them until I noticed that I had done the cuffs different to each other.  Hence the third one on the needles – I’d like a matching pair and there’s sufficient yarn in one ball for three socks.  Shame there’s not enough for four!

That’s it for now.

Kathleen.

Just Like The Mediterranean.

Driving home over Blackstone Edge today the colour of the sky, filled with huge fluffy clouds, was absolutely gorgeous.

 

 

The reservoir was half frozen over and looked like the Mediterranean Sea in colour.  Honest, it did!  

 

 
 A welcome change from Friday's greyness.

I'm thinking again..

...this time that spring has lost its way. 

Caroline and I walked round Watergrove Res this morning in decidedly unspringlike weather!

 

We endured fog, wind and drizzling rain.

 



Not to mention it was cold too.  But do you know, despite all that we enjoyed ourselves.  We chatted all the while and were just plain happy to be outdoors no matter the weather.  We're Lancashire Lasses you see - made of strong stuff!

 

 

 
Yesterday it was World Book Day.  Lots of children, Charlie included,  got to go to school in fancy dress.  He was a very cute little knight in shining armour.  Caroline brought him for a visit after school with his new book - Pirates Love Underpants (or something very close to that).  Victoria and her boys joined us too.

 

Nicholas wasn't well on Monday so was kept home from school.  I looked after him for the morning.  He was well enough to go out for a little walk.  We wandered round the back of our house where the little stream runs which in good weather the boys like to play in.  No, Nicholas didn't fall in it this time, thank goodness, but he sat and dangled his legs over the edge and his croc came off.  It ended up in the stream.  I had to clamber down there and risk falling in myself to fish it out!   Nicholas was very amused.  Me, not so much.

 

And finally, my desktop PC has gone kapput!   Not very happy about that but fortunately I know a very nice young man who will hopefully mend it for me.

Prince Charming aka Charlie.

Saturday morning Charlie was here for an hour or two before his cousins arrived.  Engrossed in play he didn’t mind me pointing the camera in his direction too much.So I snapped away and got some typical-Charlie-face pictures of him. 

Here’s Charlie the helicopter pilot.  This little boy is all about imaginative play.  He’s very polite and loves to give compliments.  He stands to one side and says “ladies first”.  Of course, he can be a little monkey too.  He’s the baby of the family and I love him to bits.

Kathleen.

Fun and Fresh Air

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that all three grandsons were coming to stay with us last night and by 2 o’clock yesterday they were all here.  I knew the best thing to pass the time away happily was for us all to be outdoors and not  cooped up in the house.

 

So fresh air it was and where better than Ealees.  It’s right on our doorstop and has everything we need.

 

The boys can run free  and find the ever-needed sticks to carry and throw around.   Note Charlie’s got his gun – he’s never without one.

A river.  They were warned not to get their feet wet, they didn’t have wellies on.

The visitor centre for an ice cream fix for the boys and coffee for the grownups.  After refreshments they played in the play area for a good while.  Granddad, not known for his patience, showed great patience waiting while the boys burned up energy on the climbing frames, swings etc. 

Then retracing our steps a couple of hours later we set off homeward bound.  As previously mentioned the boys had been warned not to get their feet wet.  I should have known  it was too good to last when we got to the end of the first half of the walk with three pairs of dry shoes.  Minutes after I snapped this picture of Nicholas he missed the stone he was aiming for and landed on his bottom instead.  Wet through!

Ordinarily it wouldn't have bothered him but he was a bit under the weather yesterday and when he picked himself up he covered his face and burst into tears.  I think the humiliation was more than he could bear.  Also, it doesn’t feel too good sitting fully clothed in freezing cold water does it?  I loved him better but it didn’t make his pants any drier for him, poor thing.

Safe to say there was no more water fun after that.

There was a whole gang of workers digging away and clearing the land the other side of the fence above.  It’ll be interesting to see what’s happening there.  My guess is it’s something to do with the big American style barn that the owners are wanting to build on the land there.

A bit of excitement on the way home.

A tractor and trailer passed us.  I know.  Heady stuff this!

Then this little soldier took the lead and it was left right left right the rest of the way home.

Kathleen.