We had a great weekend, we left here on Friday about 7 am, we stopped twice along the way as we weren't supposed to be in the guest house until after mid-day, we got there about 20 to 12 in the end and he said we could go in. The room was lovely, Dave and AnneMarie were very friendly adn we quickly felt like we'd known them for years. We walked into Wellington which seemed very quiet, but we did buy a few bits. At 3 pm we were back at the guest house trying to call John to pick us up, but his phone was engaged. Luckily we'd got wifi and our laptops, so I managed, eventually, to find a way of contacting him through genes reunited (as I'd not got his email address) and said we'd been trying to call but the line was engaged, I tried again and got through, he'd just got my email as he was wondering why we'd not contacted him and remembered that I'd sent him my mobile number! They had accidentally left one of the phones off the hook, he'd answered one and called Marcia to pick the other up but left the one he'd answered off the hook!! He picked us up at 4 pm in the end, it was about half an hour to his place, he has this beautiful bungalow in this really pretty village, you can see these mountains that are in North Wales, he has this huge garden with some fields too, there were sheep in one field and he called them over to us, they were Dutch I think and black, so pretty! We felt like we had known them for years (John and Marcia, not the sheep) We chatted away and then at 6.30 we had dinner, roast lamb, not the ones from the field but from someone in the village!! We then had a choice of meringue with strawberries or rhubarb crumble, well I had to laugh, lamb is my favourite meat but we don't have it as it's so expensive and on Thursday Barry had said about this rhubarb in Somerfield and I said, oh I haven't had rhubarb crumble for years!! She's sprinkled chopped nuts on it and it was lovely!! We were with them until 9 pm when John then drove us to the Park inn to show us where it was and back to our guest house. Sue and Pat had arrived before we had gone out and Karl and Sandra arrived about 6.30 pm apparently.
Saturday morning we went into Telford for a look around, Barry had to go to his meeting at 2.30 so Katrina and I went back into town and round the park, I must upload the pics to truprint as the park was lovely. They're on facebook if you still get onto that! We didn't go to Birmingham in the end as it would have cost £8.50 each for the train and apparently there wasn't much more there than we could see or do in Telford!
Saturday evening we went back to the guest house and at 6 pm I think it was, we went to the pub opposite with Kev and Katrina. Sue, Pat, Karl and Sandra joined us about 6.40, we got a big table as Pat's son was coming with his girlfriend. We had a carvery and if you ordered before 7 pm it was 2 for £9.95!! It was ok but not great but we had a laugh being so many of us there! We sat in the lounge after and at 8 pm Dave from the guest house came along and joined us, he bought us a drink too and we sat chatting till about 11 pm!!
The breakfasts in the hotel were brilliant, you had a choice of cereals, fruit juices, then a fried breakfast, 2 sausages, thick sliced bacon, egg (scrambled, fried or poached) beans, tomatoes, toast, it was all freshly cooked too and very nice! We said goodbye to Dave (Annemarie had gone to her mum's as James (their 3 year old) wasn't very well) I hugged him and he said that we were welcome back anytime, we had really enjoyed being there, he was on our level with his sense of humour, a really lovely guy and he is the same age as me!! His birthday is in November so I'm a few months older.
Sunday morning we had convention, boring!! It started at 10 am and we had a break about 11.30 for 15 minutes, then it restarted until 12.25, all that distance just for that!! I had a go on the hamper raffle for a quid but didn't bother with all the others, there are too many of them!!
We had lunch in the car and Barry and I both dropped off, we were so tired! We went back in at 2 pm as the 2nd session started at 2.30, We've taken part in the 50/50 club, we pay £12 a year (only £8 for what's left of the year) and you get entered into this draw each month. We were with the men for the 2nd half, I sat in the row behind Barry and he and the other area presidents were called up and installed, I found this a bit too formal, this one guy marching about, I'd have felt really stupid! They did the raffle, I won the hamper!! There are loads of things in it, chocolates as well as ham, tins of stuff and jars of stuff! Convention finished at 3.30 and after saying bye we set off. We got to Stoke Talke Travelodge about 4 pm and checked in, the room was ok but the place was full of teenagers, they'd all booked in to go to Alton Towers on Monday!! We were told about a carvery just down the road, so went for that, it was really nice, much better than the one on Saturday night, the annoying thing is that in the week and Saturday it's only £3.50! It was £6.95 each on Sunday!! I had a bath Sunday night but it wasn't very warm, I was tired and aching and wanted to relax. Next morning Barry tried the shower and couldn't get hot water, I did my hair in the sink. We set off at 8.30 and arrived at Eastham railway station, Merseyside about 9.40. It was just down the road from the travelodge but the carpark was free so we parked up and got 2 return tickets, it was only £5.40 for the 2 of us!! It would have cost us more than that in parking if we'd gone into Liverpool itself! It took half an hour to get there, we walked round a bit then went to McDonald's and had burger fries and coke, we'd complained last year in Yarmouth and got a free meal each, so used the ticket!! We walked down to pier head and got our free ticket for the mersey ferry. We could use it all day if we wanted, it was very interesting as they give a commentary about the city, we went to Seacombe and got off to go to the space museum, this was ok but more for kids really, but again it was free (from the competition I'd won last November) We went back to Liverpool and heard how the Liver birds were supposed to be eagles but ended up the wrong type of bird!! That the female is facing the Mersey looking for the sailors safe return, and the male is looking to the town for the pubs, if they ever go then Liverpool is supposed to be no more! Unfortunately because it was bank holiday the boat was packed on the way back, screaming kids, couldn't hear much!! I was so annoyed! Oh they do play a little bit of "Ferry cross the mersey" bit corny ha ha!!
We went into the world museum that is free but didn't see all of it, an excuse to go back really!! Plus it was bank holiday so meant that there were kids everywhere making it harder to see things! We had some chips before going back to the train and travelodge.
Tuesday I was up early, had a shower and at 7.45 Bill called me to arrange a time, I wasn't sure if he would come or not to be honest as I'd not heard from him all weekend. We walked into Eastham village and asked about eating and were told about this pub called the Eastham Ferry and it overlooks the mersey. We called Bill and told him and he said he'd meet us at the travelodge anyway and we can go to the pub after. He eventually arrived at 11.30 and I hugged him, he gave Barry 24 bottles of Guinness and me 2 bottles of wine in a presentation box for a special occasion, so I told him it was my birthday and he said Is it? So I kissed him to thank him for the wine. we went to the pub but it was closed until mid-day so we walked to the jetty that overlooks the mersey, the weather was gorgeous and it was lovely standing there looking towards Liverpool, bill kept saying how lovely it was and he wanted to stay there all day. I said, so do I! We went into the pub and Bill got me a double Tia Maria and coke and he and Barry had a lager shandy, then he got me another double tia Maria and coke, then he ordered lunch, I went for scampi and chips, Barry had 10 oz gammon and Bill had rib eye steak, it was lovely as the last visit was a bit rushed but this was more relaxed and we had more time to chat with him. He'd had his hair cut and was telling me he hated it. We went back outside and stood talking for a little while, it was 2.30 pm when we eventually said we really need to go now, I don't know when we'll see him again, we left there and went to auntie Pauline's, we had a lovely few hours with her and she did us dinner, we had a homemade steak and mushroom pie which was delicious, she also gave me this lemon flavoured drink they got from Italy, it reminded me of lemon sherbert bonbons! We left auntie Pauline's at 7.20 and got home at 11.20 pm, we had a lovely time away and I can honestly say it was one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time! I did thank Barry for letting me meet with Bill, he said that if he'd said no I'd have made his life hell anyway!! But Barry had been ok with him, no awkward moments, he said the daft thing is I really like him!
I have felt really tired since coming back home I suppose the heat has done that too, it's been absolutely gorgeous but today it's a bit dull, very close though.
Well that's it, a really good weekend and now we are looking for places to stay next year because national convention is at the Thistle hotel Brands Hatch of all places!! Why they keep picking the bank holiday weekend I don't know and such stupid areas that cost a fortune!!
We have area president's evening next Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it, we have been practicing our jive and can even do that now, so we will be able to dance a fair bit instead of keep sitting out!
I will go now, we have Zeus coming at 6.30 tonight so are trying to Zeus proof the house, poor Shintu will be really stressed by Monday morning when Kelly comes back!!