Buildings, Boats, the beach and a Band.

On my first moring in Bridlington I walked around town looking for a bank machine to get some cash out.  I knew my mum would be wanting some treats and I also needed to be able to buy myself some meals lol.  The breakfast was enough to last a day, but I felt I should get myself an evening meal for sure. 

For breakfast I had fruit salad to start and orange juice. Then this feast.  There was actually so much food I took the toast up to my room and had it for my lunch with some Dairylea cheese triangles. It is a treat as we can't get Dairylea in Canada. 

 I eventually found a bank machine right beside the public library. Here is the entrance to this beautiful building. 

 The library holds a lot of memories for me.  When my mum had the flat, and  I visitied with the kids, we used to always go to the library to access the internet there.  This was the place I got all my contacts for planning our Two Tall Women tour in 2003.  It seems so long ago, and now I can access the wifi on my phone in my B and B and not have to worry about connecting to the web at all. 

After getting my money I decided to wander round the streets and capture some of the lovely buildings in Brid.

On my afternoon walk to the care home I saw this little second hand shop and loved the name. Junk and Disorderly :-)

On my second day I decided to take another route to the home and walked past this beautiful crescent of houses. This is so commonly associated with the town of Bath in my mind. It is so nice to see some here in Bridlington.  

Then I hit the harbour, which is so vibrant and full of life.  I got a few pics of the ships there and the light in the sky was quite dramatic. 

And here is another tall ship, not as dramatic as the one I saw in Bristol, but lovely in its own way.

The sun rising over the harbour was stunning.

I took some time and walked out onto this harbour wall. It kind of reminds me of the French Lieutenants Woman story.  

Further up the bay on the promenade there are some coffee shops before you get to the amusement arcades. I loved these lamps and had to get a shot of them.

The amusement arcades are such a staple of the British seaside experience.  It is something that does not exist on the Canadian beaches at all. Inside they are so noisy and over-stimulating and so exciting when you are a kid.  I used to love going to them when i was younger, and remeber taking my kids to them as well. I actually got a great video of being inside one but I can't post video on my blog from my phone.  If you are interested in seeing it, it is on my instagram account, just search for pamsbeautifullife. Here is a shot of one of the many arcades along the Bridlington seafront.

Once past the harbour and the amusement park and arcades, you get to the uninterrupted views of the North Sea along the north bay.  

Every time I walked along this stretch of the promenade, the light was different, the clouds were different and the ocean had a different feel.  Consequently I took way too many pictures.  Here are a few for you to enjoy.

I never tire of walking along the seafront and feeling the wind blowing and buffeting me as I push into it.  I just love watching the eternal washing of the waves into shore.  It soothes and heals the heart, that is for sure.  

While in Bridlington I had to prepare for my Christmas with my family in Elswick.  Also I had to get gifts for my mum and my Auntie. Every day I visited my mother I got a list of things to get her. I was surprised at how many humbugs my mum could get through. :-)  

There is a small shopping centre called the Promenade and as I was walking through there one day I heard the sounds of a brass band. As I rounded the corner there was the Hunmanby Silver Band in all its glory, playing Christmas carols. It was just perfect.

As I left the shopping arcade I was greeted by a choir of carol singers, which just added even more Christmas spirit to my shopping trip.  

After a week in Bridlington, luxuriating in the company of my mum and experiencing the glorious ocean daily, my brother came to pick me up and drive us across country to my sisters for Christmas.  We had one last visit with my mother and bid her a fond farewell. I will miss her, but hopefully see her again soon. 

Wind, Waves and Sandy Lane.

The walk from Brentwood House to the Sandy Lane Home can take me through the centre of town or I can detour down to the promenade and walk along the beach.  The promenade in Bridlington is quite beautiful.

Even in the middle of December I often met couples walking together enjoying the wind in their faces.  

Also people could be seen with  their dogs, who loved to be set loose to run  on the beach and to splash in the waves.

It is always so beautiful, whatever the weather to walk along the North Bay. The sands are golden. Since I was last here, there seem to be so many more pebbles and rocks covering the sands.  

As I visited my mum twice a day; once in the afternoon when she was sitting in the lounge with all the ladies, and again in the evening when we were tucked away in her bedroom, usually watching telly, I had time to `enjoy both the townscapes and the sea-views.

This row of hotels is typical of those you find in Bridlington.  These ones are at a right angle with the prom.

I passed this magnificent church every day.  

The view off to Flamborough Head is quite wonderful.

It is an eight mile promontory between Filey and Bridlington bays The chalk cliffs are home to thousands of sea birds, and the cliffs are apparently of international importance because of their geology.  

It is a great walk along the shore to Sewerby  Park, and my mum loved to go there when she could walk distances. It is en route to Flamborough Head.

My Mum is a twin and it is quite special to be able to go and visit her and know that she is in the same home as my Aunty.  They always sit beside each other in the lounge.  This lounge has a spectacular view over the bay and they are so lucky to have such a gorgeous  location.  This particular home is excellent in the care they shower on the residents. It meets her needs perfectly. She feels completely safe and protected here.  She suffers from anxiety and short term memory loss and and they understand her needs so well.

One day my cousin, whom I hadn't seen for years, visited my aunty and brought along his daughter and daughter-in-law. They each brought their young children, one was a year old and  the other was eighteen months.

It was amazing how the presence of the small children brought light and enrgy into the residents, not just my aunty and my Mum.  They were singing nursery rhymes with them and clapping hands along with the toddlers

When not visiting my Mum I managed to get some of my Christmas shopping done and take in some of the seasonal sights of Bridlington.  More of that in the next post.

Across Country to Bridlington, and My Mother.

Travelling by train really is a great way to travel here in England.  Even if it involves lots of changing stations along the way.  Luckily my family happily drive me to the nearest station, in this case Kirkham, a mere ten minutes from the village of Elswick, where my sister lives. 

The journey from Kirkham to Bridlington  involved many changes.  First stop was Preston, just ten minutes away.  The new elctronic signs make it so much easier to find the correct platform than when I used to travel by train years ago. I found the platform for Manchester Oxford Road and was surprised to see Horwich as one of the stops on the journey.

 It was a packed train going to Manchester Oxford Road, standing room only, but luckily I had booked ahead and had a reserved seat. :-)

People were crammed into the aisles and it was a very interesting journey as I was opposite two very vocal and demanding children with a very patient father.

Something realy special happened on this trip. I went right through a little stop called Horwich Parkway.  My very good friend in Canada comes from Horwich, so I had to take this picture as I thought of Carole.  It was sad to think her sister Charlotte was so close, yet so far away. 

Manchester Oxford Road seemed to be fairly quiet too. I loved the big old clock there. 

From Manchester I got on a train to Seamer that passed through Leeds, a place I would be visiting later in December. The ultimate destination of this train was Scarborough, where I went to college for three years. However, I was getting off in Seamer, in order to get to Bridlington.  It was quite a long wait in Seamer, buffeted by the cold wind, and I was very happy to board my train to Bridlington. 

The station at Brid was all decked out for Christmas and made for a wonderful welcome to the east coast. I felt good to be back in this city which I had first visited when I was eighteen. I was working as a chamber maid in Scarborough through the summer season and took the bus down one weekend to visit my family who were vacationing in Bridlington in the caravans on Lime Kiln Lane. It was so strange that my parents chose to settle in Bridlington when they returned to England after so many years in Canada.  

Once in Bridlington I got the taxi to my Bed and Breakfast at Brentwood House Hotel which was on Princess St..

 What a great location, right in the centre of town and only a fifteen minute walk to my Mum's Care Home. I arrived on the fifteenth of December and I had my Christmas shopping to do so it was nice to be right near the shops and also not too far from Mum.

 The host at Brentwood House was amazing. He was so welcoming and he cooked some of the best breakfasts I have ever had.

 My room was lovely and I really felt blessed to have found this place as lots of Bed and Breakfasts were closed so near to Christmas.  

 I arrived in time to have a cup of tea in my room at the B and B before I walked over to see Mum. I knew her routine from previous visits and  seven o'clock at night is a great time to arrive as she has settled into her TV viewing after her tea.

I wrapped up warm and headed over to the Sandy Land Care Home.  She was so surprised to see me, and I got such a big smile and hugs and kisses. I knelt beside her for the first part of the visit just to be close to her. She held my hand and it was so good to be able to touch her and be close once again. 

I felt so happy to finally be with her.  More in the next post about my time in Bridlington and with my beautiful mother. 

Up North To Lancashire and My Sister

After a fabulous visit with my dear friend San, we bid each other farewell and Denny took me to Bristol Meads Station. Once again lots of changes were involved  on my jouney up north. First the trek from Bristol to Birmingham, then Birmingham to Preston. 

I took some pictures in Preston.

  Here is the platform as we stood waiting for the connection to Kirkham, which was late. 

I was travelling very light and quite proud I managed to fit all I needed into one travelling bag and my purse. 

Finally our connection came. It was a very cold evening and we were happy to see it. On the train from Preston to Kirkham, there were happy Christmas revellers who were singing songs and full of the Christmas Spirit, it was very joyful.  

My sister and brother in law met me at Kirkham on a chilly December evening.

It was so great to see them, and this was to be the first Christmas together for over 25  years.  I was only here for a few days and then planned to go see my Mum for a week.  My brother was then coming to see Mum and pick me up and drive us over to Geraldine's on the Sunday before Christmas.  Steven's sister was also coming up from London for Christmas along with Geraldine's two sons. 

When we arrived at Geraldine and Steve's we were met at the door by their lovely golden Labrador, Ellie, the best dog in the world. I got to go out on a walk with her and Steve in the lanes of Elswick, their little village. Meagles Lane is such a lovely name.

It is surrounded by farms and fields and is very peaceful and beautiful.

 The village is also very pretty.

My sister is a talented weaver and spinner of wool.  She dyes the wool herself and spins it ready for weaving.  Many years ago when we all lived in Canada, she began weaving with the Whonnock Weavers.  My cousin in England did a family tree and we discovered that our ancestors were actually cottage weavers in Yorkshire generations ago.  I love the magic of these kinds of discoveries, how family traits and talents are passed on unknowingly. 

Here is some wool she dyed.

And here is her beautiful spinning wheel.

She has two looms, but this is the one set up in the sun room and the one she is currently working on.

I was only with them for a few days and then I headed off on another train journey, this time to Bridlington to see my wonderful mother.  

To be continued . . . .