Hawksey finally got home at 11pm on Wed eve, so we were unpacking the car till midnight and the house looked like a bombsite – more sherry, brandy and random bottles of booze than when we left, plus a few gifts for people, as well as all the beach, clothes, gym, bike etc gear. And Maddie – we remembered to pack her too.
Then we were off up to Harrogate on Thursday morning, arriving to find David on good form but poor Mands still pretty incapacitated and on two crutches still from having slipped at pilates a week previously. Their cocker spaniel Mabel was as usual over-delighted to see Maddie and spent the next 3 days hanging off her ears or neck, or running round the gardens like a sidecar attached to Maddie the motorbike. Or just trying to hump poor Mads, who was rather bemused by all that… hence needing a very nice Mummy sofa cuddle.
Had a nice wander round a little town called Helmsley, Mands doing valiantly on her crutches – nothing was going to stop her from going to the lovely little traditional sweetie shop there! And we had a really, really good pub lunch there at the Feathers – a fantastic cottage pie for me & Mands and the boys both had the 'pudwich' – two large Yorkshire puds with pork and gravy, chips on the side – delicious!
On the Sat David & Hawksey went off to do Hawksey's 60th birthday present activity, a day of making sausages, pork pies and a side of bacon at Elite Meats in the 'Gate. All very successful and they came back with a mountain of meat each. Sadly it coincided with me getting some kind of bug so I have so far not been able to tuck into the pork pie, but am eyeing it closely in the hope some is left by the time whatever this nasty little beast is, leaves me. These are just H's sausies below!
I also had the added bonus of Sarah Hutton coming to D&M's house for a cuppa that afternoon, always great to see her and have a catch up if possible when I'm in Yorkshire land.
All in all, really lovely as it always is to see D&M. It was a bit of a struggle to get home on the train as I was still feeling ropey, and I was straight to bed for a 3 hour kip. Up then for all of 1.5 hours – and a gingerly-nibbled piece of toast – then back to sleep again till 7am!
A bit better today, though still a bit blurgh, so hopefully all systems go again v soon x