We had a trip to the Lake District these last few days. It was for a birthday celebration and a treat for the boys of a traction engine day where they got to drive the traction engine. We drove up on the Friday stopping for lunch with some relatives and after consuming enormous quantities of food, got to our destination. All I can say is ‘oohhhhh’ and ‘ahhhhhrrgghh’ at some of the roads there. They call them scenic roads. I call them accidents waiting to happen. Some are so single track you barely fit on there, and goodness knows how cars pass each other, but the views are amazing and the cottages we stayed at were in the middle of nowhere with the most amazing views. At least the one we were in did. It was like being in another world, really cool!
Saturday the boys (my father and brother in law) went and did their traction engine day. We saw them off and then roamed the castle grounds at Muncaster. The castle itself is not open on Saturdays due to weddings, but the grounds were lovely, and we went round the owls before joining the workers for lunch where we had an extremely generous portion of giant Yorkshire pudding with Cumberland sausage and I mean ENORMOUS and GIANT!!
Then we further roamed the castle grounds, armed with stick this time as my poor legs were not coping well and my knee was giving me lots of whiney noises that it wasn’t happy, but I was not going to stop just because of that. It was a gorgeous day, we got so lucky with the weather as well you know.
The boys got back to the castle about 4.30 and the idea was that whilst they cleaned down the engine, we would go back and get some food ready for them and us to have when they got back and showered. We were advised to go through Corney Fell as it inspires with its views, but we ended up gripping in fear wondering if our petrol would even get us half way as we were heading into the red and the poor 1.4 we drive is no match for five people all crammed inside it. We did make it to a petrol source though where Mick lost 50p down the only crack in the entire road. What are the odds I wonder?
Then having battled through fells and petrol in a remote village, we came back through the roads of scenic doom to some cows heading out for milking. We had to stop whilst they all plodded out, every now and then one looking at us as if to say ‘you looking at me?’ and then lobbing its tongue rounds it’s head and wondering off. Number 67 cow though was the most entertaining of all. Once the first batch was out, the farmer told us to follow them (not to get milked though – haha!), and so we shimmied along behind them barely in first gear. In fact they should invent a new gear, 0.5 gear for those of you following herds of milk laden cows.
Number 67 was at the back of the herd and the poor thing had the most inflated udders I’ve ever seen. They poor thing had such a dangly lot it was causing her to walk in the most odd fashion unable to move them out from between her legs, she adopted a different stroll, each time a hind leg had to move she kind of swang it out and round and then back in again, and then the same with the other leg so it looked like some kind of four legged charlston with a twist going on. Most amusing and had us in fits of laughter as we headed back. We took so long we thought the boys would have beaten back, but we just made it back.
Sunday we decided since the boys had a hard days labour we would have an easy day and decided to get a boat trip round lake Coniston. It was really lovely weather again and we piled up for lunch there taking a picnic with us and then sitting it out on the jetti waiting for the boat to arrive. Quite amusing since we queued for ages watching the water and the ducks, the kids paddling, only to be ousted by a coach party who got priority boarding so we ended having to wait anyway! Still, it was lovely to see the view from the boat, and we went over to the house, round the gardens there and looked at a gallery or two before catching the boat back round for the rest of the trip. It was a very chilled out day indeed. I hadn’t got my stick though, so it was painful walking but well worth the view from the top of the gardens.
We sat out every evening looking at the view over the fell and seeing nature wind down for the night. The birds were lovely and we had our very own blackbird who came to entertain us with his song each evening at the top of the tree, and even a young deer came past to see us. It was lovely and I really didn’t want to come home.
My fibro wasn’t too bad all things considered. My hand is playing up a lot, and my knee was complaining big time, but the general pains were easier and the good weather was definitely to blame for that one. It makes a lot of difference when you don’t have the cold and damp. It was good to be able to chill out for a few days and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves so well worth the time out.
Roll on our main holibiogs, I want to go now!!!
Brownie points go to the clever bod who spots what is unusual about my cow......
