Summer, lakes and babies

I started writing this post on the first of august; I can't believe it!

We had the readings for the next Billesley Players play and over a few weeks we all had a go. I thought I stood a good chance but the group had a huge influx of new members (I say huge, actually it was more like 4 or 5 but that is huge for BP) Anyway I didn't get a part in the end but my friend Claire joined and got a part so I was dead chuffed for her. Now I'm getting involved in different ways so it's ok. I was sad at first, but even though I'm missing rehearsing there's plenty to do. Meantime we're preparing The Small Hours by Francis Durbridge. Fingers crossed for the next one!

I did miss a week last thursday's rehearsal because it was little Emma's 4th birthday, then it was her official party last weekend which was, as ever, fab! She's like the queen, she celebrates her big day across a couple of occasions! All our friends from brum were there, well everyone from Al's school/college days, and for once it didn't rain! Emma has some really good luck; even the year of the floods it didn't get rained out and her birthdays are always bbq's and garden parties.

Wet weather didn't get in the way either of my trip to Lake Windermere to visit my school friend Dan his wife rachel and their baby Finley. The lake district was gorgeous! I'd never been that far north west but it was exactly like all the Romantic novels and poetry had in my head; I felt that I should be reading Wuthering Heights, not a Poirot novel..! The Agatha Christie I had received when I joined a book club a few months ago whereby friends sent each other books in a chain mail system. I now want to read more AC books as she has been on my ever expanding 'list of authors to read'...

Anyway we all stayed in a cottage and it was a lovely break from the madness of work. The cottage was nearish to Kendal. We saw plenty of sight in my 2 days, I could have stayed much longer and I'd recommend it as a destination to anyone...

The view over lake Windermere from Fin's pushchair

Happy gang

 Fin gets top marks on the boat for top cutie

 Boat trip fun

 Wow otters!

On my way back down south I stopped off at a Tudor house called Rufford Old Hall, near Ormskirk in Lancashire. It was a beautiful day and it was a fab way to make the most of a few hours and have a rest and a trillion times nicer than stopping at a service station. I had a guided tour of the house which dates back to the 1490's and apparently a very young as yet not famous Shakespeare performed in its great hall. I had a quick walk around the gardens and a lancashire tea... it was great!

Finding Rufford I drove past a natural look out point that made me think for some reason of my favourite book that I read at school, Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. In it the main character, the butler, stops during his drive at a phenomenally beautiful look out point. I can still remember the notes I made in the margins of the book and the feelings it engendered so on my way back towards the motorway for just one last bit of indulgence I stopped to look at the panorama.