Meeting a young mother

I’m not long back from a trip on the Mean Machine (my mobility scooter). I went along for some fish for our dinner – some anchovies & some potted shrimps. We’re having calzone for dinner. As far as I can make out, it’s a cross between a pizza & a pasty. It’ll be something different if nothing else.

On the way back I got talking to a young mum taking her 8-month old twins for a walk along the prom before it got too hot for them.

She was a lovely lass. We chatted until I had to diverge off for home.

She’s Morecambe born & bred, a real Shrimper. She has no desire to move from the area. Her husband has moved much in his life time, from Spain to Singapore, but he, too, has fallen in love with this area.

We’re both agreed about the disadvantages of the place – the lack of much shopping for clothes etc., the general poverty of the place, the lack of entertainment for young children, especially on wet days.

However, that is more than made up for by the positives – the quietness & unhurriedness of life here. She, too, has visited Manchester & been shocked by the sheer number of people & how they seem to be constantly on the run. We both enthused about the beauty & changing character of the Bay, as well as the friendliness of the people. You don’t get those in the city. It's difficult to even imagine our conversation would have taken place in most cities & towns. No, Morecambe is a lovely place to live. We certainly have no intentions of moving from here in this lifetime.