Sat 4th
Another day of doing nothing Deb style, which means doing, doing, doing! I am shattered, but had a lovely day all the same. Deb took me into the Lake District and in Keswick we mooched through the shopping area and market. I found for the first time in ten years something that may replace my bumbag that I use as a handbag. I find carrying ‘normal’ girls handbags cumbersome and painful to my neck and when I first found this bumbag it had masses of organised space that I could segment off and find things in the dark in.
I don’t and never will understand why woman carry great big black holes with no inside pockets, that take hours of emptying to find the nail file that has got lost of the bottom of tons of unnecessary crap. Then the bag is so big her partner asks her to carry his wallet and keys to save the inside of his pockets getting ripped….
I am very happy with my purchase that is a specially designed ergonomic style just for girls like me with a back complaint. It is red and full of pockets on the inside, some with zips and a large middle section for the things I need the most like wallet and reading glasses.
We eat lunch in a cyclist café that serves lovely three bean chilli wrap and salad and great coffee. I hope you notice how many times I now am able to say great coffee form somewhere other than Chez Hobby. Deb gets chatting to four fellows who are cycling from one side of the country to the other over three days. They are all on snazzy sparkly bikes and talk seriously about the trip. I smile to myself as I have just watched them eat great big portions of food topped off by crumble and custard and one has a beer. I’d hate to eat that much and then get on my bike and cycle hard. I’d be throwing up hard three miles down the road. Each to their own!
Walking down the road towards Ulverston Water I am aware of how many collies there are in the Lakes, called Jess. Deb has one and it seems every other dog is also a collie and I reckon 70% have Jess as a name, even the boys. Keswick is fabulously dog friendly and has a policy of dogs being allowed in all premises. We had a mooch in clothes shops, outdoor shops, shoe shops, café’s and all without exception let us in with both dogs. I love it. Strolling down alongside the waters edge for a rest we sit in a field that is full of people all with the same intention in mind. The water is packed with sail boats, row boats and sightseeing boats all enjoying the September weather of sunshine and warmth. The grass we sit on is full of sheep shit, ‘God damn Canadian honker’ shit and dog shit picked up and put in a plastic bag and left…great!
I find a spot with just grass and put a carrier bag on it and sit. No-one seems to be bothered by the mass of animal waste however except Deb and I as some are barbequing, others sitting canoodling, families picnicking. The British attitude to getting on with it is ever present. I am just glad to sit awhile and enjoy the view which is spectacular and I’m mighty glad to have an opportunity to be in the Lakes.
Later Mary the potter comes for dinner at Deb’s and we have a pleasant evening. I take my leave early (11pm), leaving the girls to natter and finish the wine. My body aches and I need to lie down. To be honest there is only so much pottery conversation I can join in on, so am happy to leave. I get walked to the Hobby in the rain and a stealth mission to ‘borrow’ a metal table and chairs from a small café garden that opens onto the pavement where I am parked, is hatched and I laugh into my hand as Mary and Deb run up the road with said furniture under the cover of darkness and rain. It was my suggestion as the lady that runs the café just up and left it one day, complete with food and furniture in situ, not even locking the door. She lives in the village and even after it flooded did nothing with it. All the windows are open and it sits going mouldy. It’s a terrible shame.
I look out of the window by the bed a little later and see a man go to walk into his house, but a busy spider has woven a web across the door and he walks straight into it cloaking his face. He jumps back horrified and rubs his face clean and even though he has taken the web out with his face he bends double to get into the now open door. I chuckle to myself grateful it’s not me, I’d have had an hysterical fit and screamed the place down…brrrrrrrh!
Sun 5th
More relaxing with my lovely friend. The more I relax the more pain I feel. It just shows how strung up I had become. How does that happen? I was a reasonably chilled person a few years ago. Stress is insidious and creeps up unexpectedly, makes itself at home without consent and just stays. Deb has treated me so beautifully, like royalty. I am very good at looking after others and not so good myself and she has looked after me the way I care for others and it has healed a part of me that I didn’t realise needed it so badly. I am truly blessed in this space. It is tempting to stay forever. I have laughed until I cry, slept well, eaten lovely nourishing food and had exercise. It’s no wonder I feel a lot better. I tell Deb and she feels the same as me about my stay and asks me to stay longer. We agree on a few more days. This is addictive.
I have missed things and stopping makes me think about them. I miss my girls, especially as Cara’s pregnancy rattles on. I have missed sailing and as the Autumn shows itself Oop North, I am aware how I have left the summer by the sea down South. My friends whom I share good coffee with and quality conversation and Jakes cheesy chips. Jakes is a student take away near the Uni and it serves the best the best chips with a deep layer of melting cheese. Perfect for those moments of ‘I can’t be bothered to cook’ moments…..aah yes, Jakes cheesy chips….
The girls skype me for a webcam chat. It makes me miss them more as Cara pulls up her top exposing her wriggling belly. I decide to go home a week early and plan a different trip for the intervening time.
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