We couldn't find a chippy anywhere.
A seaside resort without a chippy? Unheard of......but I couldn't see one, or smell one either.
I suggested to Ma that we settle for something else.......she very reluctantly agreed. We headed off in the direction of BHS.....they had a coffee lounge upstairs, and they did light meals.
Ma settled on her favourite......a baked potato....except today it was second best.
She had a lovely salad and coleslaw and the spud was filled with tasty cheddar cheese.
I didn't want a sandwich, I didn't want soup......but I spotted something which took my fancy......a triple decker Victoria Cream and Jam sandwich....that was for me, with a large mug of coffee.
Ma tucked into her lunch and said it was lovely......almost as good as Fish and chips......she kept eyeing my cake.
I wasn't sharing it...no way!
She asked what other cakes they had......so I went and had a look for her.....cream crisp, savoy, viennese jam tart(raspberry or lemon) butterfly buns, scones, muffins.....the list went on.
Ma said that she would have a jam tart.....raspberry......and in a bag to take away.
So that is what she got...except she took it out of its bag and began to munch away on it.
It was quite big....saucer sized, and i knew that her conscience about her blood sugar would stop her from eating it all....or perhaps I should say, I hoped it would.
It did, she wrapped about half of it back in its bag and saved it to take back to the room.
We looked round the shops......Ma wanted some postcards, so I bought six, and stamps......we sat in the sun.
Me, well......just people watching. Her, scribbling on the cards....trying to remember addresses.
All of a sudden I could smell vinegar.......and chips...... a couple of doors up from where we were sitting was......you've guessed it.....a chippy.
I asked ma if she wanted a portion to eat as we walked along.
'No' she said glumly, 'it's too late now....Ive eaten that big spud and the jam tart'
Then we headed for WH Smiths.......the post office is in there.
Ma wanted to get the cards posted......a couple of them were for Oz, so they had to be stamped separately......and Ma got her pension too.
I had spoken to Ma about not going to Dover on the excursion the following day, and suggested we do our own thing and take the local bus to Canterbury.
Ma didn't seem too sure.
She thought that it might be a bit hard on me. I told her that we were going on the bus.......I wasn't going to be pushing her to Canterbury.
I showed her where the bus station was, where we would catch the bus....I asked if she had brought her bus pass....the bus pass I had oined her to get especially for such circumstances.......she delved in her bag and fished out her purse.....then a lot of rummaging ensued, and a pulling out of papers......then she said 'NO' she hadn't got it, it was in her 'other' purse.
I asked her 'other, as in back at the hotel'
'no....other as in back at home in Accrington' was her reply.
My eyes rolled heavenwards......and she saw me.
'It's your fault' she said.....'It's your fault for making me have two purses'
I told her that the idea was to have two purses with you, so that you could have one with just a bit of money in, just enough for the days doings, and the other with the rest of the money in it....and this purse was to be zipped into the inside of her handbag, and only taken out in the room to replenish the purse with the little bit of money, for the daily doings in it.
This was since she thought she had lost her purse in Llandudno, and contributed to my grey hairs.
Somehow she didn't quite grasp the concept.......so she hadn't got her pass and all her pension money for two weeks was in her purse
.
I told her that the bus pass thing didn't matter much, but the pension money did.
We would just have to be vigilant....I suggested that she hide the money in her knicker leg....no-one would get it there
.
I also told her that come the morrow we were going to be on the bus to Canterbury......and she sort of agreed.
By this time it was getting on for 4pm, so we decided that we would stroll in a leisurely fashion, back along the cliff top to the Hotel.
Ma offered to 'shout' me tea and a cake along the way....but I didn't want to spoil my evening meal and graciously declined.
It was a lovely walk back, sunny but with a cooling breeze.......but I was still ready for a glass of something cold when we got back to the hotel.
We had to walk through the bar to get to our room so I parked the chair and went and got myself a half of lager......not something I usually drink....but I had a thirst on me.
By the time I got back to Ma the lager was gone....down the red road......it hardly touched the sides.
Ma suggested that I have another......she was paying......but I said 'no'....she was leading me astray again.....I was going to be half cut before I went down to dinner.
Now.....I know that most of you will be grinning and wondering how you could get half cut off a pint of lager....well, when you drink as little as me, it is not only possible, but very likely.
When we got back to the room Ma settled herself in the recumbent position and I went and got myself showered....ready for dinner.
A seaside resort without a chippy? Unheard of......but I couldn't see one, or smell one either.
I suggested to Ma that we settle for something else.......she very reluctantly agreed. We headed off in the direction of BHS.....they had a coffee lounge upstairs, and they did light meals.
Ma settled on her favourite......a baked potato....except today it was second best.
She had a lovely salad and coleslaw and the spud was filled with tasty cheddar cheese.
I didn't want a sandwich, I didn't want soup......but I spotted something which took my fancy......a triple decker Victoria Cream and Jam sandwich....that was for me, with a large mug of coffee.
Ma tucked into her lunch and said it was lovely......almost as good as Fish and chips......she kept eyeing my cake.
I wasn't sharing it...no way!
She asked what other cakes they had......so I went and had a look for her.....cream crisp, savoy, viennese jam tart(raspberry or lemon) butterfly buns, scones, muffins.....the list went on.
Ma said that she would have a jam tart.....raspberry......and in a bag to take away.
So that is what she got...except she took it out of its bag and began to munch away on it.
It was quite big....saucer sized, and i knew that her conscience about her blood sugar would stop her from eating it all....or perhaps I should say, I hoped it would.
It did, she wrapped about half of it back in its bag and saved it to take back to the room.
We looked round the shops......Ma wanted some postcards, so I bought six, and stamps......we sat in the sun.
Me, well......just people watching. Her, scribbling on the cards....trying to remember addresses.
All of a sudden I could smell vinegar.......and chips...... a couple of doors up from where we were sitting was......you've guessed it.....a chippy.
I asked ma if she wanted a portion to eat as we walked along.
'No' she said glumly, 'it's too late now....Ive eaten that big spud and the jam tart'
Then we headed for WH Smiths.......the post office is in there.
Ma wanted to get the cards posted......a couple of them were for Oz, so they had to be stamped separately......and Ma got her pension too.
I had spoken to Ma about not going to Dover on the excursion the following day, and suggested we do our own thing and take the local bus to Canterbury.
Ma didn't seem too sure.
She thought that it might be a bit hard on me. I told her that we were going on the bus.......I wasn't going to be pushing her to Canterbury.
I showed her where the bus station was, where we would catch the bus....I asked if she had brought her bus pass....the bus pass I had oined her to get especially for such circumstances.......she delved in her bag and fished out her purse.....then a lot of rummaging ensued, and a pulling out of papers......then she said 'NO' she hadn't got it, it was in her 'other' purse.
I asked her 'other, as in back at the hotel'
'no....other as in back at home in Accrington' was her reply.
My eyes rolled heavenwards......and she saw me.
'It's your fault' she said.....'It's your fault for making me have two purses'
I told her that the idea was to have two purses with you, so that you could have one with just a bit of money in, just enough for the days doings, and the other with the rest of the money in it....and this purse was to be zipped into the inside of her handbag, and only taken out in the room to replenish the purse with the little bit of money, for the daily doings in it.
This was since she thought she had lost her purse in Llandudno, and contributed to my grey hairs.
Somehow she didn't quite grasp the concept.......so she hadn't got her pass and all her pension money for two weeks was in her purse
.I told her that the bus pass thing didn't matter much, but the pension money did.
We would just have to be vigilant....I suggested that she hide the money in her knicker leg....no-one would get it there
.I also told her that come the morrow we were going to be on the bus to Canterbury......and she sort of agreed.
By this time it was getting on for 4pm, so we decided that we would stroll in a leisurely fashion, back along the cliff top to the Hotel.
Ma offered to 'shout' me tea and a cake along the way....but I didn't want to spoil my evening meal and graciously declined.
It was a lovely walk back, sunny but with a cooling breeze.......but I was still ready for a glass of something cold when we got back to the hotel.
We had to walk through the bar to get to our room so I parked the chair and went and got myself a half of lager......not something I usually drink....but I had a thirst on me.
By the time I got back to Ma the lager was gone....down the red road......it hardly touched the sides.
Ma suggested that I have another......she was paying......but I said 'no'....she was leading me astray again.....I was going to be half cut before I went down to dinner.
Now.....I know that most of you will be grinning and wondering how you could get half cut off a pint of lager....well, when you drink as little as me, it is not only possible, but very likely.
When we got back to the room Ma settled herself in the recumbent position and I went and got myself showered....ready for dinner.