Fun Times

Don't know what got into me last time I posted; there were/are indeed some things to write home about!  For starters, James (Demetrios' godson) and Kim took us out to dinner.  Letting the young people pay felt bad, but the thought that they wanted to made our hearts swell.  They're always good company, too.

A few days later, last Thursday, we went out with James' parents, David and Julia, to the Swan Inn, probably the nicest restaurant in the area.  It never disappoints, as David likes to say, and we enjoyed our evening with them very much.

Saturday was bright and dry and actually warm (for the first time all summer), so we hopped on a bus and went to Southport, one of our favorite places to visit, a Victorian seaside resort town.  We had a wonderful time poking around in the shops in Lord Street, the main drag, with its glass arcades and its red brick-in-asphalt paving. 

Bought me some much needed comfortable shoes.  They're absolutely hideous, but there isn't much available here in my size (10) and I was desperate.  I walked out of the shoe store singing:

I got some shoes,
You got some shoes,
All of God's children got some shoes.
When I get to heaven gonna put on my shoes,
Gonna walk all over God's heaven
Heaven,
Heaven,
Everybody talkin' 'bout heaven ain't goin' there,
Heaven,
Heaven,
Gonna walk all over God's heav'n!

After a lunch of sandwiches, we walked along the pier, and just enjoyed the sights of holiday-makers having fun. There's a miniature railroad and a golf course, and motor boats or speed boats to rent. People were picnicking on the sand; a few had braved the mile-long walk across the sand (and mud!) to reach the surf, where they were getting their toes wet.


This photo of Southport is courtesy of TripAdvisor

There is even an area like a skateboard part, but for bicycles.  We watched the kids doing all sorts of fancy things on their bikes.

We sat by the Carousel for 15 minutes and enjoyed seeing the children having such a good time, and their fathers, riding with the youngest kids while their mums took pictures, pretending (unsuccessfully) they were only there for their children and weren't particularly enjoying it themselves

Yes, There's A Victorial Carousel, Too

We didn't particularly want to do any of these things ourselves, although when Nick and Sharyn get here at the end of August, we may like to do a boat ride - or even the small plane ride.  Watching the other people seemed to us the main form of enjoyment.

We had tea in the Nostalgia Tea Room, one of our favorite places in Southport.  The waitresses dress in black, with white, lacy caps and white aprons.  The service is excellent, the house blend of tea is delicious, and you get all the trimmings.  To be traditional, I chose a fruit scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

And then our age caught up with us; we were tuckered out and we found it was already 5:30 anyway, so we took the bus back to Ormskirk, getting off very near our own, swett doorstep.