Ma and I both woke early....before 6am.
The Sky was blue with the 'Mackerel' type clouds.
I remarked to Ma, 'Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, not long wet, not long dry'......she said that she thought it was going to be a lovely day.
We lay in bed and talked about what we would have for breakfast.
I knew that Ma would have her usual Bacon and Egg, but she was toying with the thought of having some cereal too.
Breakfast was served in the Restaurant from 7.30.
At 6.30 I got up and commandeered the bathroom for my ablutions.
We don't do early morning cup of tea in bed sort of thing...preferring to wait until we go down for some grub.
I was soon sorted, and then it was the turn of Ma to do her morning ritual.....check the blood sugar.....then a wash and brush up.
While Ma was in the bathroom I made her bed.....yes, I know they have girls to come and do that for you, but I just cannot leave the room untidy, or the bed un-made and go to breakfast.
It still wasn't time to go downstairs, so we caught up on the news on TV.
Being close to the station meant that every now and then the trains rumbled by......and I could sit by the window and watch the commuters rushing for their trains to get to work......how glad I was that I was no longer part of that rat race, that I could anticipate a leisurely breakfast, and then the morning doing exactly what I wanted to do.
It got to 7.40 and ma could wait no longer for her breakfast so we went downstairs......Ma in the lift, Me? well I ran down the two flights of stairs......and arrived at the bottom before the lift.
Ma got out of the lift and was heading in completely the wrong direction for the restaurant.....I put her right though.
We were shown to a table by the window.
The young waitress came and asked if we would like tea or coffee, and would we like toast. Yes, we had tea, and a mixed rack of toast.....white bread, brown bread and crusty granary toast....you could also have fruited toast but you had to request that separately.
The waitress told us to help ourselves from the buffet table, she would return later for our cooked breakfast order.
There was a wide selection of juices, cereals, yogurts and they had a bowl of fruit and a platter of all kinds of melon.......there were prunes for those who like to keep their insides clean and fresh, grapefurit segments...and ruby grapefruit too.
There were croissants, pan au chocolat, and danish pastries.
Ma had a croissant...and I took her a little dish of home-made strawberry jam to put on it.......I chose a dish of fresh cherries and a satsuma.
When the tea arrived it was leaf tea......with a little strainer on a saucer.
I can't remember the last time I had proper leaf tea in a hotel.......I think it may just have been at the Peninsula in Hong Kong.......certainly a long time ago.
Ma normally has coffee with breakfast, but she had tea, and said it was the best she had tasted for a long time.
We tucked into the food I had picked out from the buffet......the cherries were plump, sweet and juicy.
Ma loved the home made jam....though she said she shouldn't really have it at all.
Then the waitress came back and took our order for a cooked breakfast.
I chose a Full English....Ma just had Bacon and Egg.
The Full English was overwhelming......and I was full fit to bust by the time I finished it.
Bacon, Egg,Sausage, tomato, Hash brown, Mushrooms, Black pudding, baked beans and fried bread.
I couldn't manage the black pudding or the mushrooms and felt terrible sending food back.
We sat and nattered over breakfast, and then some of our fellow travellers came down and sat at the next table to us.
Christina sat next to me......it was obvious that she was struggling to get stuff from the buffet......she walked with two elbow crutches, so I told her to go back to her table as I would get her whatever she wanted......she said she felt like she was imposing on me.....I told her it was no problem, and I was happy to offer.
We finished off our toast and drank the tea to the dregs, then we went back up to the room.
I was going to be going out on a jaunt by myself for the morning.....Ma was going to take her meds and read her book or watch a bit of TV.
I put my camera into my large handbag.....a bag that Ma had given me......lovely and roomy, but stylish too.
By this time the sky had turned a bit grey and rain was threatening....I put my jacket on. I didn't want to get caught in a shower and end up looking like a drowned rat.
I told Ma that I would be back just about 12, and that we would go out and grab a bite to eat...if we could manage anything after the monster breakfast.
I had planned to get on the tourist bus, but decided to have a walk around first.
Ma wanted a few bits and pieces......some face wipes and a deodorant spray.
I had gone only a few hundred yards when the strap on my handbag broke....the rivet had come adrift. I was lucky that it didn't fall to the floor...it had my good camera in it.
I walked around looking for somewhere that I could get the bag repaired.......I couldn't seem to see anywhere. Everyone I asked seemed to be a tourist like me.
I went into one of the charity shops and bought a couple of birthday cards......I asked the lady in there if she could tell me where I could get my bag repaired....she gave me directions to a place called the Corridor.......but then I spotted in the window a smaller bag of a similar colour...it was cheap so I bought it.
Just in case I didn't find the shop she had given me directions to.
I went into the Abbey......lit candles for people who could do with a lift in their lives......I also took some pictures and left a donation. I don't like to take pictures without leaving a donation......and I do feel a bit irreverent taking photo's in a church.
I visited the Roman baths, but the queue to get in was huge, so I didn't stay.
I walked through the market and out towards the Pultney Bridge.....across the bridge and down the steps onto the river bank......there were a family oF Swans......parents with five cygnets......the people on the barges were feeding them.
The sky was blue, the birds were singing and here I was taking a lovely walk down by the river. What a shame I couldn't bring Ma down here...she would have loved it.
I walked to the next bridge and then came back up to street level.......I was more or less back at the street that went down to the hotel.......I still hadn't got my bag mended.
I set off in search of the shop I had been directed to......it was over the other side of the city, near St Michaels Church.
I did eventually find it, but purely by chance.
I got the rivets replaced and it cost me £6......but it meant that I could carry on using my large bag.
I looked at the time......11.45, it was time for me to make tacks to go and collect ma for her afternoon out.
more later.
The Sky was blue with the 'Mackerel' type clouds.
I remarked to Ma, 'Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, not long wet, not long dry'......she said that she thought it was going to be a lovely day.
We lay in bed and talked about what we would have for breakfast.
I knew that Ma would have her usual Bacon and Egg, but she was toying with the thought of having some cereal too.
Breakfast was served in the Restaurant from 7.30.
At 6.30 I got up and commandeered the bathroom for my ablutions.
We don't do early morning cup of tea in bed sort of thing...preferring to wait until we go down for some grub.
I was soon sorted, and then it was the turn of Ma to do her morning ritual.....check the blood sugar.....then a wash and brush up.
While Ma was in the bathroom I made her bed.....yes, I know they have girls to come and do that for you, but I just cannot leave the room untidy, or the bed un-made and go to breakfast.
It still wasn't time to go downstairs, so we caught up on the news on TV.
Being close to the station meant that every now and then the trains rumbled by......and I could sit by the window and watch the commuters rushing for their trains to get to work......how glad I was that I was no longer part of that rat race, that I could anticipate a leisurely breakfast, and then the morning doing exactly what I wanted to do.
It got to 7.40 and ma could wait no longer for her breakfast so we went downstairs......Ma in the lift, Me? well I ran down the two flights of stairs......and arrived at the bottom before the lift.
Ma got out of the lift and was heading in completely the wrong direction for the restaurant.....I put her right though.
We were shown to a table by the window.
The young waitress came and asked if we would like tea or coffee, and would we like toast. Yes, we had tea, and a mixed rack of toast.....white bread, brown bread and crusty granary toast....you could also have fruited toast but you had to request that separately.
The waitress told us to help ourselves from the buffet table, she would return later for our cooked breakfast order.
There was a wide selection of juices, cereals, yogurts and they had a bowl of fruit and a platter of all kinds of melon.......there were prunes for those who like to keep their insides clean and fresh, grapefurit segments...and ruby grapefruit too.
There were croissants, pan au chocolat, and danish pastries.
Ma had a croissant...and I took her a little dish of home-made strawberry jam to put on it.......I chose a dish of fresh cherries and a satsuma.
When the tea arrived it was leaf tea......with a little strainer on a saucer.
I can't remember the last time I had proper leaf tea in a hotel.......I think it may just have been at the Peninsula in Hong Kong.......certainly a long time ago.
Ma normally has coffee with breakfast, but she had tea, and said it was the best she had tasted for a long time.
We tucked into the food I had picked out from the buffet......the cherries were plump, sweet and juicy.
Ma loved the home made jam....though she said she shouldn't really have it at all.
Then the waitress came back and took our order for a cooked breakfast.
I chose a Full English....Ma just had Bacon and Egg.
The Full English was overwhelming......and I was full fit to bust by the time I finished it.
Bacon, Egg,Sausage, tomato, Hash brown, Mushrooms, Black pudding, baked beans and fried bread.
I couldn't manage the black pudding or the mushrooms and felt terrible sending food back.
We sat and nattered over breakfast, and then some of our fellow travellers came down and sat at the next table to us.
Christina sat next to me......it was obvious that she was struggling to get stuff from the buffet......she walked with two elbow crutches, so I told her to go back to her table as I would get her whatever she wanted......she said she felt like she was imposing on me.....I told her it was no problem, and I was happy to offer.
We finished off our toast and drank the tea to the dregs, then we went back up to the room.
I was going to be going out on a jaunt by myself for the morning.....Ma was going to take her meds and read her book or watch a bit of TV.
I put my camera into my large handbag.....a bag that Ma had given me......lovely and roomy, but stylish too.
By this time the sky had turned a bit grey and rain was threatening....I put my jacket on. I didn't want to get caught in a shower and end up looking like a drowned rat.
I told Ma that I would be back just about 12, and that we would go out and grab a bite to eat...if we could manage anything after the monster breakfast.
I had planned to get on the tourist bus, but decided to have a walk around first.
Ma wanted a few bits and pieces......some face wipes and a deodorant spray.
I had gone only a few hundred yards when the strap on my handbag broke....the rivet had come adrift. I was lucky that it didn't fall to the floor...it had my good camera in it.
I walked around looking for somewhere that I could get the bag repaired.......I couldn't seem to see anywhere. Everyone I asked seemed to be a tourist like me.
I went into one of the charity shops and bought a couple of birthday cards......I asked the lady in there if she could tell me where I could get my bag repaired....she gave me directions to a place called the Corridor.......but then I spotted in the window a smaller bag of a similar colour...it was cheap so I bought it.
Just in case I didn't find the shop she had given me directions to.
I went into the Abbey......lit candles for people who could do with a lift in their lives......I also took some pictures and left a donation. I don't like to take pictures without leaving a donation......and I do feel a bit irreverent taking photo's in a church.
I visited the Roman baths, but the queue to get in was huge, so I didn't stay.
I walked through the market and out towards the Pultney Bridge.....across the bridge and down the steps onto the river bank......there were a family oF Swans......parents with five cygnets......the people on the barges were feeding them.
The sky was blue, the birds were singing and here I was taking a lovely walk down by the river. What a shame I couldn't bring Ma down here...she would have loved it.
I walked to the next bridge and then came back up to street level.......I was more or less back at the street that went down to the hotel.......I still hadn't got my bag mended.
I set off in search of the shop I had been directed to......it was over the other side of the city, near St Michaels Church.
I did eventually find it, but purely by chance.
I got the rivets replaced and it cost me £6......but it meant that I could carry on using my large bag.
I looked at the time......11.45, it was time for me to make tacks to go and collect ma for her afternoon out.
more later.
