The weekend

Here is part two of what happened last week as, at over 3000 words, the previous post was well long enough without my rambling on for another extended period of time about the awesome weekend we had. However, now you've had 24 hours to get over it, I’ll not spare you any longer so here it is.

 

Getting started on the Red Arrows Hawk model

We got back from our New Year boating trip feeling really pleased with the time we had had, but also quite tired. It was a quiet evening on the Friday and an early night and when we woke up the next day, to a relatively dry start, we felt a lot better. I had booked us a hotel in Keswick for the Saturday night as a bar I follow on twitter had tweeted an advert to a gig they had on which looked amazing, and it would give us the opportunity to catch up with another good friend of mine who I hadn’t seen for a while. We were in no real rush, however, to set off and so I got to start the day by getting going painting the Red Arrow 1:72 model plane that had been delivered in the week. I did not notice the time passing and spent an hour or two huddled over the kit trying to remember how you are supposed to get an even finish. By the end of the morning I was happy with the progress I had made, though one side of the plane is not finished all that well. It is a learning process and this is the reason I bought the kit.

 

My mate's wife makes the cakes; they are AMAZING!

Once the time was made apparent to me I rushed around to get ready and we managed to leave the house on time to drive up north. It was a pretty easy drive, though the first hour or so was through horrendous rain. As we approached Keswick the skies cleared and it was gorgeous by the time we found our hotel and checked in. We didn't stop in the room but went straight out to the market where I bought some more of the chipotle which I had enjoyed so much on the way to Bulgaria last year (wow – last year, now!) as well as a number of other jars from the same stall, then some super smelly cheeses which we chose with care. We’d arranged to meet my friend about 3pm at his café but were both feeling really hungry so we headed over early, got ourselves a seat, and had a very nice light lunch including this awesome Pecan and Maple Syrup cake (A had a carrot cake) which was scrumptious.

 

The look of a man about to dive into a serious burger

My friend turned up and we spent the next couple of hours sat in his café chatting and catching up which was really good fun. Too soon it was time for us to say goodbye and get the stinky cheese back to the hotel (actually, we put it in the car so it wouldn't stink the room out and thus stank Thomas up instead) and then walk back to the Filling Station Café for the evening. This was a way out of the centre and it felt like a long walk as the temperature had plummeted and we were really cold however when we got there we were very glad to have made the effort. We were made very welcome by the serving staff and settled ourselves in a booth where we had a couple of drinks and then ordered food which came quickly and was outstanding.

 

Petrol can guitar and box drum - Phil Saunders

Slightly later the owner arrived and recognised me and then we sat and drank beer and waited for the act to arrive. It turns out that he had been sat in the corner for a while and then, when he set up, I realised that we’d seen him busking in the centre when we were walking back to drop the cheeses off which was ironic as I hadn't stopped because we were in a rush to get to see him live later on. He took  a little while to get rigged up but it was fun to watch as he had a load of home made gear, including a guitar made from a petrol can, and a box-drum with a Mercedes badge on the front.

It was starting to fill up by this point and the café is so small (only four booths) that we decided to shift around so we could allow someone else to sit down. This was a good move as two gentlemen came in and joined us and we ended up having a really nice chat with them. They were massively into their blues and told me about lots of gigs they had been to and then, at the end of the night and after we had decided that more beer was a bad idea, one of them went and bought us a beer. It’s nice sometimes to be sociable, much as it goes against my grain. By the way, if you want to skip the super long chatty intro in that video, go to about 5 minutes 30.

The walk back to the hotel seemed much shorter than on the way there, though that could well have been because I was desperate for the toilet and so A had to almost run to keep up with me. It was still cold though it didn’t feel quite as bitter as earlier but there was a lot of ice around and A did slide just the once. When we got in the room we made a cuppa and then jumped into bed. I’d booked the last room going which turned out to be a twin room so we spent the night swapping beds; first A was in mine then she went to hers then I chased her and on it went through the night until I woke up and checked the time and found it was about 8am. Both of us woke with no hangover at all which was amazing but we’d forgotten to let the owner know we didn’t want breakfast so I popped down to tell him and pass on greetings from my friend (who knows everyone in Keswick).

 

Reflections in Derwentwater

Sunrise reflected on ice

Snow on the distant mountains

A taking a picture

Sharded ice on the grass near the lake

The sun has risen

We had a cup of tea then checked out, dumped our stuff, and walked down through town towards the lakeside. It was a stunning morning, very similar to the last time I was in Keswick when I had taken Julian for his test trip and stayed at the campsite we were now stood in, photographing the gorgeous views across Derwent water. I make no apology for the number of pictures above. It was stunning.

 

A giraffe sculpture

Once we had taken every picture that we could think of, and repeated a few, we headed back towards town and breakfast. The Strawberry didn't open until about 10 and so we had some time to stroll around. A was looking for some good quality walking boots and with all the camping shops that are there, and the fact all of them had sales, we spent some time popping into a few shops and checking out what was on offer. We were not going to buy anything until after breakfast as some of the larger shops didn't open til 11, but we actually ended up finding the boots that she was to buy a bit later in one of the smaller shops. We went right up the high street and out the other end before turning round and back to the café. It still wasn't open when we got there but the waitress waved to us through the window then a few minutes later opened and we went in to the warmth.

 

Tea, and breakfast

We were brought oodles of tea (I get this treatment everywhere I go, I don’t know why) and then ordered a Full Cumbrian each which arrived shortly after and with extra sossidges as they spoil me here. It was outstanding, every single item on the plate tasting better than ever, and I finished it all then some of A’s bacon and her black pudding and finally we were satisfied. We finished our brews and headed off to the shops where after trying on a couple of different options A went for the first ones she had seen (standard) and then I asked about the bivouac gear I need for the trip back to Bulgaria and also the whisky festival. I had no luck at first but as we headed back towards Thomas we saw one last shop and popped in and I bought a super warm sleeping bag and a self-inflating bed roll and now all I need is the actual bivouac tent.

 

I will be modelling this scene in my train set

The drive home was pretty uneventful once we had reached the motorway, as I took the scenic route from Keswick and we worth both astounded again about how gorgeous the lake district is and the stunning views from the road made me want to stop and walk. A dozed in the car and we played the CD we’d bought the night before and then, with a small amount of traffic just before we left the motorway, we were back and home finally. I went straight into the back room to do some more painting while we had some daylight, and we also measured Harrison up so I can book the ferry tomorrow. I have also been winning some 00 gauge track on eBay over the past week so I can build a bit of a trainset in the roof and on the way we stopped at a particularly beautiful section of the M6 to photograph something I want to model.

So I've sat on the sofa typing both blog posts, eaten some pizza, chips and garlic bread, and A has dozed and cooked and is now reading the curry cookbook that my parents got her for Christmas and shortly we’ll be getting an early night as we’re both pretty tired. Tomorrow is back to the grindstone again for both of us, though by the time this is published that will be the day before yesterday; it’s kinda like time travel isn’t it. We have a couple of quiet weekends ahead before the chaos begins which will only end when we’re on the road back to Bulgaria. I’m going to try and enjoy them as much as possible.