Driftwood and Weather

The cold winds shook the caravan, just a hundred feet from the beach and the North Sea we could have easily have been lost adrift at sea in a life raft with the caravan moving around as it was, even though it was anchored to the ground and we were in fact quite stable.
We were cosied up inside, the fire on, a glass of wine or ale in hand, laid on the seats and covered over with a duvet, watching a movie, loving every minute of our long weekend away at our holiday home by the sea.
That night we cuddled up together as it was very cold in the caravan, even with the little heater on in the bedroom, we didn't care, we loved it!

The next day was just as windy, we ate when we wanted, cheese and biscuits here, a sandwich there but we wanted a cooked meal. Unfortunately we were missing a few things to cook a bigger heartier meal, which we would have to wait until the following day to get, when we were to be joined by Caron's nephew and his girlfriend.
It didn't matter though, it was Saturday and the club/restaurant was open. by now it was raining as well as windy and we got ready with a slight dread at the thought of the five minute walk to the restaurant in such miserable weather and could have quite easily stayed in our caravan until the following day but we wanted a meal and a few drinks and to see what was going on.

The site was holding the International Beach Fishing Championships and for a cold spring weekend the site and the Bar were busy, the barman (new to the site for the upcoming holiday season) noted we didn't look like we were there for the fishing, we were not wearing all weather fishing gear and stinking of sweat and salt for starters.
We ate and inevitably we got drunk, we watched the awards ceromony for the days fishing competition and then we watched the classic rock covers band before heading back.

It was a new day and it started off with plenty of sunshine, later we were joined by Dan and Sammy, we visited the supermarket as they had a car, we got supplies and then spent the night getting merry and playing a party game I had got her for Christmas called A Game of Wine, much fun was had.

The following day we ate breakfast and lounged around, enjoying having nothing to do and nowhere to go, after we were showered we decided to take a walk and get some fresh air, we all got wrapped up and ventured out but within 10 minutes the sunshine was gone and the bad weather was back. We headed straight back to the caravan and watched as the rain gave way to a heavy but short lived snow storm and then sleet. Dan and Sammy left for home a little later and I read for a bit, then it was bright again, so Caron and I decided to head back out for a walk on the beach.
It was still a little cold and breezy but we walked hand in hand keeping an ever watchful eye out for interesting stones, fossils and juju. We came across a few nice big pieces of driftwood and if I could have then I would have taken them with me, they were interesting and could have been made into something beautiful for the home, a lamp stand or a shelf perhaps, sadly we couldn't take them with us!
We had another cosy night in watching tv before retiring to bed knowing the next day we were heading back home to Hedon and our flat and that we would soon be back at work, but we made the most of our time at our retreat on the last day relaxing and reading, with the sun shining once again!

Finally visiting my birthplace - York

To say York is the city where I was born, it's a real shame I hadn't properly visited the great and scenic city before!

I had done a booze cruise down the Ouse before, kind of a works night out and I had run a 10k around the city center a few years back, in fact that was when I realised I needed to come and pay a proper visit!

Caron and I chose to take the two hour bus ride from Hull which wasn't too bad and late on the Sunday morning we arrived in York, We didn't have to check in to our hotel until 14:00 so headed to Lendal Cellars for a beer in a subterranean vaulted cellar. It was a beautiful, gothic environment to enjoy a pint of ale or a glass of wine in Caron's case. Not only that, it was very warm on what was a very cold day!

We then headed back out into the cold to explore a little more, meandering the city streets checking out the shops and more potential watering holes. A short while later we discovered The House of the Trembling Madness, set on three floors, the ground floor being a shop selling all kinds of craft ales and beers, a visual treat in itself, shelf upon shelf of tipples from all over the globe. The basement was again beautiful in itself and this floor was dedicated to spirits from here and there. The top floor was a fantastic if small bar and looked wonderful in it's medieval environment, the crap taxidermy adding to this with great effect. We stayed for a pint but as it was full to the brim with people from all over the world eating and drinking we had to settle for the little bench at the top of the stairs to rest our feet.

We had to move on of course and headed back out to explore the streets, taking in the famous shambles, a small collection of higgledy piggledy buildings down a narrow street which transported you right back to the middle ages. 

We had to check into our hotel of course and it was time to head there. We wanted to make the most of our time and have a proper night of it, so after checking out the room and dropping our things off we headed back into the center and two a great but overly expensive bar called Missoula which had it's own terrace overlooking the river, far too cold to make use of at this time of year though so we took a seat by the window. 

We later visited the pubs along the river, the ones you see in the news every few years because they have flooded, and the marks where there on the walls in the pub (the Kings Arms I seem to recall) showing where the river level had reached over the years.

We walked again visiting a few more places before finishing our evening in ....................... drinking wine before walking back to our room.

The following day my lady wanted to do a bit of shopping so after checking out of our hotel, off we went again, at least it was more opportunity for me to take photo's, after grabbing some things here and there we needed something to eat and paid another visit to ......................... for lunch, Caron having................... and me choosing ............... and I got a fantastic ...................... a fantastic concoction of IPA, whisky, ginger ale, lemon and ice presentd in a metal tankard, very refreshing.

After our lunch we visited the National Railway Museum for an interesting if slightly geeky look around, although it did provide some great photo's!

Finally it was time to get our bus back home to Hull, a great couple of days!

La Piola and cycling to work

So yesterday, after we had been for our run and watched the Wimbledon tennis final between Nadal and Djokovic, Fruitfingers and I decided to take a stroll seeing as the weather was so warm, sunny and generally glorious. We had only been walking a few minutes when Fruity suggested we eat out seeing as it was approaching teatime.
We decided that we would walk to Newland Avenue (a popular area of Hull generally inhabited by lots of students and an increasingly vibrant cafe/coffee house scene) and see where we fancied eating once we got there. After walking past a few places we like, we decided to experience a new place 'La Piola' a restaurant/cafe/bar, a venue we had been wanting to try out for a while.
We entered the restaurant and asked to see the menu and deciding that the prices suited us, we chose to sit out front on the veranda in the sunshine, in a nice spot with partial shade.
After a few minutes a very friendly waitress came and took our drinks order (a bottle of house white) and a short while later we supped wine and chilled water and awaited our meals. Fruitfingers ordered a simple pasta dish of Linguine, tomatoes, cream, mushrooms and pancetta and I ordered the Pizza Deviola - topped with red onion, fresh chilli, Oregano, and lemon soaked Olives. The food was reasonably priced and a standard portion size and tasted absolutely fantastic!!! Usually when I order a pizza out, I feel a little bit like I'm missing out on experiencing something a little more special to mark the occasion of eating out and not just something I could have ordered from a takeaway, but this pizza was something special and taste wise, I could not fault it. Fruity also enjoyed her pasta, of which I had a little taste and concurred, it too was a tasty and very enjoyable dish. Definitely a place to go again and I'm certain we will! Later we took a stroll back home and inevitably drank another bottle of wine.

So today is Monday and this meant back to work! Although I wasn't looking forward to another week of late finishes due to the day being unintentionally dragged out by the joys of training new starters and delays due to the plant standing down for a Cyanide charge, I was looking forward to trying out my new bike on the way to and from work. So I didn't find it too difficult to arise from my eternal pit of sleep and tiredness.
The ride in at 05:30 was nice although a bit tough, due to my thighs being very sore from the weekends jogging escapades, and when I left at 15:45 the ride home was a speedy dream! My other ride is described by my colleagues as an armchair on wheels, my new bike....a multicoloured razor blade! I now look forward to meeting up with Nick and Col from East Coast Bicycles and other customers tomorrow night for a single speed jaunt around the streets of Hull, ending in a beer or two at Pave bar.