Last Wednesday morning saw us up early getting ready for a coach trip out.
Young Spindles was coming and as they had no hot water(gas turned off at their house...major work being completed in the road outside) he came over to ours to complete his ablutions.
He really did not fancy a cold water shower.
I had made a bacon butty because the lad has hollow legs....this was going into my bag with a drink to sustain him on the drive to Chester(yes...I know it is only an hour and a bit away).
When I stirred myself out of my sleepiness, I could hear the rain belting against the window.
This was not what I had ordered for our day out.
I wasn't asking for sunshine...I was only wanting fine. Not this deluge of wet stuff.
The sky was a shade of gun metal which made me think it was not going to fine up anytime soon.
I was not wrong there.
Davemac used to say there was no such thing as bad weather...only inappropriate clothes...yes, well I put a jean jacket on and a showerproof kagoul over it...so that might give me some protection.
I asked Spindles if he wanted to take my brolly(navy blue and quite conservative...i.e. not a bit 'girly').
He shot me a look to say 'are you kidding or what?'.
So I took that to be a 'NO'.
I put my good camera in my bag though I felt it would not get an outing if the rian continued.
We were at the pick up point(Matalan car park) in good time.
There were others already there....children, going to the zoo.
The coach was right on time and we set off through the misty rain.
Sitting just a couple of seats away from me was a gentleman I thought I knew...an Accyweb member - Gremlin.
I felt sure it was him...he was the right age, he had a very large camera bag and I had seen a mobility chariot go into the hold of the coach.
It all said to. me 'that is Gremlin'.
I told Spindles that I thought I knew the man in the seat across the aisle...and I was going to have to ask this man if it was who i thought it was...but I would wait until we got off the coach.
I felt sure that if it was Gremlin he would be venturing into the city to take pictures with HIS good camera.
I was shocked when this man chose to get off with his companion at the zoo.
I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he was Russell Taylor(Gremlin's real name).
He looked a bit taken aback....and asked who I might be.....so I told him of our connection through Accyweb. He was surprised.....and Spindles was too.
Spindles says that from now on I am going to be Miss Marble.(not to be confused with a lady sleuth of a similar name)
We stayed on the coach until we got to the city centre.
I thought we would be getting off near the Church of St John, but we were dropped off on Love Street which was even better. Right in the heart of things.
It was still raining, but not quite as heavily.
I had intended that we walk down to the riverside and have a boat trip....that we would walk the city walls, that we might even get the open topped bus for a ride round and a history lesson.
It was too wet for such pursuits so we headed for the shops....it never rains in the shops.
This is not Spindles favourite activity.... I asked him if he wanted to look in Primark.
He gave me a withering look and said 'My name is not Marnei'( his sister). so instead we went to the Chester Rows.
We window shopped and I showed him some of the things I might buy when my ship comes in( so far all that has come in is the tide).
We looked at antique jewellery...and I pointed out some of the things he could treat me to when he is rich and famous(he rolled his eyes at that suggestion, so I guess I will be getting nowt).
We looked at posh clothes shops.....did not see anything that really took my attention.
We looked in galleries and I saw some lovely pictures...but like everything else they cost an arm, a leg and a huge chunk of torso too.
By this time The lad was getting restive. Despite having a bacon butty he said he was 'Starving'...that his legs felt 'hollow'.
Well it WAS going up for lunchtime.
If it had beeen fine we would have had Fish and chips from Chip o' Dee.....sitting on the canal bank.
that plan had to be abandoned and we headed off to Wetherspoons.
The lad put away a large spicy pizza with no trouble at all....and a large glass of ginger beer to wash it down.
Because it was still very damp...we lingered far longer than we ususally do over lunch.
I asked the lad if he minded going to the Cathedral....he didn't in fact he said he would enjoy it. I think he has caught my bug for gothic ecclesiastical architecture...and history. I think he quite fancied a sit down too.
So that was where we spent a large part of the afternoon.
I was happy to take out my camera inside the Cathedral...and Spindles was happy to sit while I scurried about taking pictures.
I have added some pictures to give you a flavour of our day
To be continued.
Young Spindles was coming and as they had no hot water(gas turned off at their house...major work being completed in the road outside) he came over to ours to complete his ablutions.
He really did not fancy a cold water shower.
I had made a bacon butty because the lad has hollow legs....this was going into my bag with a drink to sustain him on the drive to Chester(yes...I know it is only an hour and a bit away).
When I stirred myself out of my sleepiness, I could hear the rain belting against the window.
This was not what I had ordered for our day out.
I wasn't asking for sunshine...I was only wanting fine. Not this deluge of wet stuff.
The sky was a shade of gun metal which made me think it was not going to fine up anytime soon.
I was not wrong there.
Davemac used to say there was no such thing as bad weather...only inappropriate clothes...yes, well I put a jean jacket on and a showerproof kagoul over it...so that might give me some protection.
I asked Spindles if he wanted to take my brolly(navy blue and quite conservative...i.e. not a bit 'girly').
He shot me a look to say 'are you kidding or what?'.
So I took that to be a 'NO'.
I put my good camera in my bag though I felt it would not get an outing if the rian continued.
We were at the pick up point(Matalan car park) in good time.
There were others already there....children, going to the zoo.
The coach was right on time and we set off through the misty rain.
Sitting just a couple of seats away from me was a gentleman I thought I knew...an Accyweb member - Gremlin.
I felt sure it was him...he was the right age, he had a very large camera bag and I had seen a mobility chariot go into the hold of the coach.
It all said to. me 'that is Gremlin'.
I told Spindles that I thought I knew the man in the seat across the aisle...and I was going to have to ask this man if it was who i thought it was...but I would wait until we got off the coach.
I felt sure that if it was Gremlin he would be venturing into the city to take pictures with HIS good camera.
I was shocked when this man chose to get off with his companion at the zoo.
I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he was Russell Taylor(Gremlin's real name).
He looked a bit taken aback....and asked who I might be.....so I told him of our connection through Accyweb. He was surprised.....and Spindles was too.
Spindles says that from now on I am going to be Miss Marble.(not to be confused with a lady sleuth of a similar name)
We stayed on the coach until we got to the city centre.
I thought we would be getting off near the Church of St John, but we were dropped off on Love Street which was even better. Right in the heart of things.
It was still raining, but not quite as heavily.
I had intended that we walk down to the riverside and have a boat trip....that we would walk the city walls, that we might even get the open topped bus for a ride round and a history lesson.
It was too wet for such pursuits so we headed for the shops....it never rains in the shops.
This is not Spindles favourite activity.... I asked him if he wanted to look in Primark.
He gave me a withering look and said 'My name is not Marnei'( his sister). so instead we went to the Chester Rows.
We window shopped and I showed him some of the things I might buy when my ship comes in( so far all that has come in is the tide).
We looked at antique jewellery...and I pointed out some of the things he could treat me to when he is rich and famous(he rolled his eyes at that suggestion, so I guess I will be getting nowt).
We looked at posh clothes shops.....did not see anything that really took my attention.
We looked in galleries and I saw some lovely pictures...but like everything else they cost an arm, a leg and a huge chunk of torso too.
By this time The lad was getting restive. Despite having a bacon butty he said he was 'Starving'...that his legs felt 'hollow'.
Well it WAS going up for lunchtime.
If it had beeen fine we would have had Fish and chips from Chip o' Dee.....sitting on the canal bank.
that plan had to be abandoned and we headed off to Wetherspoons.
The lad put away a large spicy pizza with no trouble at all....and a large glass of ginger beer to wash it down.
Because it was still very damp...we lingered far longer than we ususally do over lunch.
I asked the lad if he minded going to the Cathedral....he didn't in fact he said he would enjoy it. I think he has caught my bug for gothic ecclesiastical architecture...and history. I think he quite fancied a sit down too.
So that was where we spent a large part of the afternoon.
I was happy to take out my camera inside the Cathedral...and Spindles was happy to sit while I scurried about taking pictures.
I have added some pictures to give you a flavour of our day
To be continued.
