Last week my best friend Milly came over from Milan to see me. This was her first trip to the north of England.
We'd worked together, well she was unlucky enough to be my assistant in London for four years, before we both went our seperate ways.
I'd encouraged her to visit places that I love in Britain whilst she was living here. She loved Cornwall, Oban and Brighton. Sadly always alone, as we could never have the same time off together.
She flew into Manchester from Milan and didn't really know what to expect of Lancashire. I think she thought it was going to be like All Creatures Great and Small mixed with Coranation Street. Well I suppose it is a bit!
I picked her up at Church and Oswaldtwistle station. Joy and big hugs all round.
She thought the train journey from Preston had been stunning. It is, especially the bit between Bamber Bridge and Pleasington, the part that goes behind Houghton Tower and over a steep ravine with a stream at the bottom is breath takingly beautiful.
The weather was appalling whilst she was here. She looked doubtful when everyone told her just before her arrival we'd had the hottest July on record. I didn't have to put the heating for her, but I think she wished she'd packed a warmer wardrobe, rather than a few flimsy silk things.
The first full day here she got to experience our normal Tuesday trip to Accy market and lunch out. We decided as a treat we'd fore go the Church Street chippy and instead had a very pleasant lunch at the Calder.
Milly loved the Market Hall and Town Hall, and this is when she said Accrington was just as pretty as Wimbledon village, one of our favourite places to mooch around after a Sunday lunch when we lived in London.
Ossy Mills was also a big hit. This involved at first a a reccy, followed by calls to her Mum about the measurements of their new crystal dining table, followed the next day by a buying trip. Her purchase only limited by the amount of stuff she could cram into her case. Her Mother had given her £200 to buy a nice Eygyptian cotton damask table cloth whilst in Lancashire. She'll have two by now....and hopefully £195 change.
She was a little disappointed we didn't have any good bookshops in Accrington, but was more than happy to come away with fifty pounds worth of new books from the Oxfam in Clitheroe for the princely sum of eight pounds fifty.
It was interesting to see how someone who has never visited Hyndburn before saw it. We all like a moan about the bad things that we have to put up with, but it was great that someone thought we live in a beautiful part of the world.
The Lancastrian people must also get a mention. Milly loves us, and everywhere she went was met with genuine warmth, even whilst enjoying good old fashioned English grub....in Franco's.
All in all my best friend loves it here almost as much as I do.
Has anyone else had any comments, both good or bad, about a first time trip to Hyndburn?
(By the way I'm back. I had a bad time health wise before Milly's trip, but am back bigger and badder than ever.
)