A visit to the coast

Whilst on our short break John and I visited Blackpool. Our plan was to stay into the evening to see the famous Blackpool illuminations, something neither of us have ever seen. When we arrived the town was quiet so as we wandered out onto the beach we had it pretty much to ourselves. Blackpool has three piers and we started our exploration at centre pier. The beach is sandy and flat and seems to go along the coast for ever. The donkeys had just arrived on the beach and later in the day children were squealing with delight as they enjoyed a ride.

We headed towards north pier first, dodging around the water. The sand gets moved around by the tide and puddles are created of varying depths and later when the tide comes in it can be quite dangerous.

We walked under north pier to carry on along the beach. At one point there was just us and our shadow selves on the beach. The sun was very warm and we were walking without coats.

There was a lot of bird life on the beach, obviously various types of gulls but also Oyster Catchers, Redshanks and Turnstones. We spent quite a time watching them. Looking back we could see north pier and Blackpool Tower in the distance. A whole beach to ourselves. Bliss

We walked back along the promenade past all the tableau's that would be lit up later in the evening. We passed several fishermen setting up their rods ready for some sea fishing as the tide came in. 

We thought about going up Blackpool tower but in the end we left it. It was all about the Blackpool experience with lots of different things on offer at quite a steep price. We didn't want any of the experiences just to get to the top of the tower. Come on make things simple for visitors!

Having got back to central pier we had a late lunch and then walked down to south pier passing arcades and other attractions. We ignored all of them and enjoyed the walk and the sea views. The light was amazing but difficult to capture on camera. Later we had a wander around the town, returning to the beach to enjoy our fish and chips in the last of the day's sun. We decided we'd leave Blackpool before the illuminations were turned on. Our decision was based on the number of people who had arrived and the fact that the traffic had become very heavy. It had been a fun day and I have now visited Blackpool. Dare I say it is a typical British seaside town, just a lot bigger than most, but it felt as if it is stuck in a time warp.

On our final day of our trip we stayed close to our base. I'll tell you about that another day. Today I need to go hunting in my sewing cupboard. When I took the photo of the little Christmas mat Sherry had sent me I remembered I'd started a Christmas quilt but I have no memory of where I've put it. Some days I worry about my memory as it certainly isn't as good as it used to be. My family assure me I have nothing to worry about as I remember all the important things. I think I have too many projects on the go and that means things do get forgotten in the clutter. 

I know I'd made all the nine patches and had all the fabric cut.

I'd also made a lot of the friendship stars, and obviously enjoyed a glass of wine while making them.

Today I'm not working so my job for the day is to find this project bag , check what needs doing and maybe set getting it finished as my November goal. I also need to knit the last few rows to finish my October goal.

Before I do that I must take Scamp for a walk and then he will settle down for a nap while I do some sewing.

Lyndsey