A very enjoyable day

Yesterday was my birthday, a few more grey hairs & wrinkles on. It turned into a very enjoyable day.

Despite the downpour in the morning my spirits were raised by the post as cheery cards arrived from friends I didn’t even know knew my birthday. The home help who came was also a very nice person, someone I would happily have stay longer if she was the regular.

Also in the post came a colour brochure from the cruise company, telling us all about the trips for the Norwegian cruise. We’re not intending to book any – it’s dependent on health & that varies from day to day – but it useful to be able to see what is available in the ports, an idea of the distances, terrain & access. Above all it is useful to have street maps showing locations of museums, good view spots etc. The holiday seems so much more real, more exciting now.

In the afternoon we had decided to go down to Chorley. This may not sound the most exciting place to visit but we wanted to go for a reason. We wanted to find some replaceable lamps for a couple that are on their last legs, one with a broken glass shade, the other with a dicky switch. We had looked around here, even venturing to Kendal, but with no success. We wanted something that was a bit special. On our holiday in France we had seen some made in glass at Biot but had been nervous about how we could get them home & for that matter how they would cope with British voltage & bulbs rather than French.

By this time the rain had stopped. I’d googled “lighting shops in north west England” & a shop had appeared in Chorley, so there we went. There were so many exciting examples. We managed to find a couple that pleased us both.

After a quick drink we headed home, determined to have a meal out as a birthday treat. And what a treat! We decided to try the Fleece Inn at Dolphinholme. What a lovely place it was. Although it is a rural pub, it was heaving with people. It included a village shop within the premises. The bar was a crush. Although there were speakers on the wall, the only sound was the happy buzz of people talking to one another.

As for the meal, had in a quieter side room, it was one of the best meals we’ve had in England for a long time. We both decided on the same things. We started with open ravioli filled with crayfish & scallops in a beautiful delicately spice creamy fish sauce, followed by black Cajun spiced sea bass with a ham & pea cassoulet & saffron potatoes &, finally, a lemon meringue cheesecake. We had only intended to have two courses but the food was just so good, & the portion sizes had been reasonable, we had to try a pudding. It turned out to be as light & fluffy as you could want despite a rather heavy crumb base. The fresh fruit made it into a lovely palette cleanser that lingered in your mouth for an hour or so after. Delicious. Well worth the trip. We’re even contemplating going again for the Fox’s birthday later this month.

All in all it was a wonderful birthday, even if we both ended up going to bed around 9pm feeling absolutely exhausted.