We spent the Bank Holiday weekend, with my sister Ros in Baildon, a few miles from Ilkley. I was working Friday night, but we arrived in time for lunch, a catch-up and a dog walk. Ros has a black lab cross, Archie, and a network of footpaths from her front door.
We went to a pub/restaurant for dinner, where my faith in a nice rare rump steak was restored after a rather average one in Norfolk last week. Chas is on a diet. She is often on a diet, despite the fact that I’m rather partial to her figure. Perhaps that is because she is often on a diet. The waitress lost a few pounds scurrying from the table to the chef and back – could Chas’s meal be served with new potatoes instead of chips? What was the salad dressing and how much oil? I suggested serving an empty plate – guaranteed fat and calorie free. In the end Chas had a lean chicken dish, with side salad, and “optional dressing” i.e. served in a separate bowl. This did demonstrate how much oil is poured over a healthy option salad.
After the Sunday morning dog walk, Chas and I spent a contented hour with the Hands family, just 10 minutes from Ros, to meet baby Florence. We returned to Baildon for the annual Harley Davidson Meet – about 300 noisy bikes gathered in the village centre, before setting off in convoy for a charity ride. I love this, the noise, atmosphere and (brace yourselves) the rock music. Hundreds of people were there to see them off.
After a leisurely afternoon, chatting, gardening and dog walking, we headed back south. More photos in “Recent Photos”
We wanted to spend Monday just pottering together, a rare opportunity. We planned to see the annual Croft Duck Race, but Chas was feeling a bit under the weather. I walked down with Richard and Chris and Hilly, Lou and young Emily (and dogs). After we had “bought” our numbered plastic ducks to be launched into the stream to race beneath the bridge, and Emily had her face painted as a butterfly, we retired to the convenientlyclose Heathcote Arms, from where we could see the bridge, to wait for the start. Somehow we missed the first race. And the second race. And indeed most of the afternoon, before we all meandered back up the hill to join Chas for a well needed cup of tea.
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
