28/08/2024
So...after a long hiatus due to circumstances beyond our control...no not a long stay at His Majesty's pleasure or a stint in rehab for those wits among you! ...Ethel and Mildred are venturing forth on another 'adventure' as its been so long I cannot remember who is Mildred and who is Ethel (perhaps it was rehab?) So for the purposes of this take I am Mildred. Anyway we decided a short trip would be best to begin with. To Lake Windermere in a county we have somehow missed before....sorry Cumbria but it had to come! Well I think we are in Cumbria, however we did have a long chat about popping in to see the lovely Robson Green for a cuppa until we realised he is from Northumberland ( somewhere else we have yet to visit...beware!). Journey was ok we suddenly saw a nice place to stop for a break Ethel wuth her usual driving skills took a sharp left much to the chagrin if the cars behind but worthy of Sterling Moss or for our younger readers that fellah with the nice top knot whose name escapes me for now but he used to date Rita Ora? A very nice place but it had camels, rather strange and for a moment I thought we had taken another wrong turn and somehow had ended up in Dubai but that would be silly cos I hadn't got my passport. Eating and drinking was under canvas, like a rather vast tent it was very windy so good job Ethel and I are well grounded and of sturdy build or there might have been a problem of taking off. The journey continued, we need to find water screeches Ethel for a photo opportunity which seemed a bit daft as it was torrential rain and water water everywhere! Eventually through the undergrowth and in a commercial car park Ethel found water, a lake even however I wasn't prepared to hack through the undergrowth to take a photo when we were heading for a Lake anyway...remember Windemere? On we travelled I have temporarily given up my post as chief navigator as rather delicate at the moment I can't take the abuse so left the very nice lady in the sat nav to be ignored and shouted at. Along windy lanes we travelled with puddles deep enough to swim in, where was the hotel? Satnav kept taking us to a ferry but as there had been no mention of crossing water Ethel refused to go, we would turn back only to be directed there again. Eventually we ended up where we had started from and like an Oasis in the desert we found the hotel, incidentally opposite Lake Windemere. Not allowed in the room until 3pm we courageously took a walk on the wildside dodging traffic to find nearest cafe, all I wanted was a ham sandwich 'sorry we are understaffed but you can have a sausage one' too tired to argue how that seemed a trifle daft I settled for a bag of crisps and Ethel braved the dead piggy. Back to the hotel, up a steep hill which required me to need a respirator ( did I mention I was delicate?) However Ethel the trooper that she is offered to carry my bag whilst muttering something about 'what the bleep bleep have you got in here'! Eventually got in our separate rooms, for some reason Ethel insists on this being a requirement now?? Had to go down to reception to enquire why I couldn't get my telly to work, the gentleman on the desk was rather scary looking and sounding like a prison guard froma Russian Gulag, I did think of mentioning I recently did my DNA and found I am 2.8% Eastern European and we could be related but thought better of it?! Turned out my telly was turned off at back...modern technology eh?? Went for a meal later although the place had many empty tables we couldn't eat until 7pm because they were fully booked? Personally I think Ethel upset him when she went for drinks? An hour later we were allowed to sit at the still empty table and get our meal? ....Home this morning, what could possibly go wrong? Still I've heard the weather is much nicer in Devon, only takes one wrong turning you know? Haven't mentioned what a pretty place this is and beautiful countryside...shame about the tourists!!
