A meal out

Yesterday we had our last-Monday-of-the-month meal. We went somewhere new this time, to the Mill Inn at Thurnham, just south of Lancaster. It's a pleasant location. Our table overlooked a lock on the canal. Several people wandered by, walking their dogs between showers. The fields were all a lush green. The cows came up to the fencing as we drove up the drive, as though just to welcome us in.

The meal itself was a little disappointing. The whitebait starter the Fox & I both had was beautiful. Then we had what was advertised as pork fillet cooked in cider. You can imagine our disappointment when a tough plain grilled pork chop arrived, with a little bit of very thick, quite appley gravy. We complained & they duly only charged for one meal by way of compensation. We discovered later that the management had only recently changed. We suspect they're having a few initial hiccoughs at the moment.

However, despite that, we had a good time. The ambiance was pleasant & relaxing. Access was good with a lift to take me in my wheelchair up to the raised ground floor of the bar & restaurant. Above all the conversation flowed well, with plenty of laughter.

I sometimes wonder why we continue with these meals at times. This time there were only 5 of us there. But this time I could see the point. Everyone seemed so cheered by the time we left.

Poor Fran & Den are having a lot of medical problems at the moment. It's getting them down. Fran had a fall in April, I think it was, & has been in bad pain in her leg ever since. Despite various tests, they don't seem to have come to any clear idea of the cause. Nothing was broken, just a severe sprain, they reckoned at the time. Since then she's had a rash on it. It keeps swelling up. They've checked for DVT, but there's no sign of that. She is a very social person who likes to be out, mixing with others every day. Instead she's had many days of staying at home all day because she's just so uncomfortable, & it's getting her down. As for Den, he's supposed to have been taking life a bit easier since his stroke, instead of which he's had to run round after Fran. And now he's got prostrate problems as well. But all these problems got left behind in the general merriment of the evening.

And if that isn't a good reason to go out for a meal with friends I don't know what is.