Coast to Coast in England

I just emerged from a bath that feels like the best bath in the world. We are 7 more miles down the road from St. Bees in Cleator at the Grove Cottage Hotel getting ready for a nap that feels like it will be the best nap in the world.  The path is intriguing- with kissing gates to go through, railroad trestles to go under, private fields to cross and sheep to mingle with everywhere. Horses too. It takes a lot of skill to navigate and the maps we have are minutely detailed.   We left about 8 this morning and 4 hours later arrived here in time for some pub lunch. Nothing to write home about food wise today!  Our bridge playing commenced around 5 followed by a very typical English dinner.  Some thinly sliced beef in gravy, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes and some cooked veggies. The weather?  Nothing like the heatwave back home.  Clouds prevail with a little drizzle now and then and some blue skies passing through.   Tomorrow we approach the Lakes Dist...

Highlights: Breakfast- delicious + good coffee - a pleasant surprise A walk to the Irish Sea that took us to the lighthouse and Sandich and back to St. Bees A dip of our toes in the Irish Sea and a fun search for the perfect rock to carry and throw in the North Sea at the end of the trip. A nap!!   Dinner in St. Bees:  curry, lamb and portobello mushroom burgers. Inexpensive so far Craig received an education on types of beers: Cask - room temperature and independently made and keg is more commercial brands that are cold on tap.  And tipping:  10 percent at most.  Not like the US.  The coffee's good! Our windows at Lulu's Craig's chosen pebble.  Guess what this is?  A mushroom!!  One of Kevin's gems. Our proprietor at Lulu's.  And her baby.   Here is our selection of rocks:

Some vocabulary: Aggro : Aggressive/in someone’s face. “Are you having a laugh?” : Statement of incredulity, like “you’ve got to be kidding”, and such.  “You think I’ll hire your brother after he gets out of prison for armed robbery? Are you having a laugh?” Argy-bargy : Quarrelsome, arguing. Arse : One’s backside/buttocks. Arsed : Bothered.  “I can’t be arsed to go to my cousin’s third wedding.” Balls-up : “Gone wrong”, as in a situation that hasn’t gone according to plan. Barmy : Crazy, insane. Bimble : An ambling walk. Biscuit arsed : Dirty, filthy. Bog : Toilet/restroom. Bog roll : Toilet paper. Bollocks : Nonsense. Buggered : Worn out, broken, ruined. Catch flies : To sit with one’s mouth hanging open. Chav : An ignorant, trashy, lower-class person. Cheeky : Playfully impertinent.  “Did you just whistle at that old lady? You cheeky monkey.” Chin-wag : A chat or brief conversation. Chuffed : Pleased, delighted. Clanger : A mistake. Cock up : Make a mess of something....

Friday moved into Saturday.  Connections are smooth so far.  Customs was long but without incident.  We found the Express train from Heathrow to Paddington and then the Tube to Euston  Square.  A short walk to the Euston Stationand now we are on the train to Carlisle. We should be at Lulu's mid afternoon, our accommodations for two nights. Everyone speaks English!!! Once in Carlisle, we found that our scheduled train to St. Bees was cancelled due to trouble on the tracks.  2 hours to wait for the next train led us to a pub in town.  Fatigued? Yes. Travel weary? Yes.  Self talk: It will only get better.   The pub was terrific.  Thick accents make it a challenge to understand.  That's a lot of fun. People are so very friendly.  And the tomato soup was delicious!   Meanwhile back in the USA, Trump continues to do the unthinkable.  But we are far from the madding crowd here and the thought of 2 weeks to eat, sleep, ...

Sitting on the plane right now.  We stayed at the Red Lion last night by the airport.  Rode up from Olympia with Barb and Kevin (B&K), checked in and drove up to Seattle to Sonya and Alex' where we played with the kids for a good while and then Sonya drove us to the Link in the UDistrict and we rode the rails back to the airport.   Smooth sailing so far as we take off, hopefully not our last glimpse of sunshine.  Boston next stop!  

Marilyn’s Packing List for the Coast to Coast England trip August, 2017 Plane: Light teal zipper jacket Prana hiking pants short sleeved multi-blue turquoise tank Hiking boots Smart wool socks   Raingear: jacket, pants, grey hat Cold weather: ear muffs, gloves, hat, aqua smart wool long sleeved, black smart wool long sleeved, puffy jacket in bag   Long sleeve tops: thin black, maroon, fuchsia hooded, yellow Long Beach SPF50 Short sleeved tops: teal bike one, royal blue Athleta, Concrete walking shirt, black and white tank, sleeveless maroon,, white tank, aqua hiking shirt Ex officio Pants: Grey shorts Black Athleta dressy Black Champion   Fancy: dress, multi top from Traditions Bathing suit and pareo 5 pair underpants, 2 bras, 3 smart wool long PhD socks, 2 pr short socks   low top hiking boots regular hiking boots and poles black flip flops cosmetics, toothbrush sunhat Meds,   a couple pairs of e...