The trappings of holidays

Well we have leaned into holiday-ing hard for the last 24 hours - usually our first day away is pretty chilled but possibly due to the shortened drive this year (it's not Scotland after all, as SaraEvans reminded me yesterday...) we've gone straight in with both feet.

Last night we sampled the delights of the local Chinese and the hot tub.  As ever we struggled to sleep well in a new and too-soft-for-us bed but an early morning meant I finished The Safekeep and even wrote my Substack reaction in record time

Myself and RM then had a lovely wander around Brampton, where we had a nice cup of coffee and an excellent holiday breakfast of chocolate pecan tart, which we shared while doing the Guardian Weekend crossword.  We finished it but it was one where a few of the answers were guesses so less satisfying than some weeks.  We then did a bit more wandering, found the local art gallery where I bought a small house ornament and RM treated herself to some beautiful earrings and we made friends with the chaps in the gallery and their dog, while laughing about the fact they print out all their emails in their "paperless" office.  We have our eye on a lovely chalk picture in there, I suspect the collective willpower won't last the week...

Back to the accommodation to rouse the sleeping Bo with a bacon sandwich, and we then headed into Carlisle.  As true English people we checked in at Carlisle Castle (yes, remarkably even The Bo came on this cultural visit) to make sure we weren't once again at war with the Scottish - all was fine, and no standards were raised in anger, though I did have fun sat in the King's chair and playing with a large canon (jokes about cameras and clergy at the ready please people).  RM didn't manage get her camera out in time to catch me lying on the floor to get a shot with my camea through a slit window so you'll just have to take my word for it that I got down there - and back up again. As King, I was disappointed that the moat was grassed rather than water (does it even count as a castle if there isn't a moat?) but was delighted that there was still a portcullis (the portcullis innards are the blip) and that the top of the castle was the shape that one draws for castles when you are small.

Back via the ice cream shop (Moo) at Brampton where we had a chat with the owner - he had been open a year today!  I sampled passionfruit and mango sorbet, RM went with rasberry ripple and The Bo with strawberry ripple.  We will be back another day (at least) there's a flavour called cookie monster and that is on the top of my "to try" list...and we found out he gets his new flavour deliveries on Wednesdays.

When we got back we had our swim, the pool was a little chilly but not bad once we got ourselves going (it did take some slight encouragement for those of us who aren't teenagers).  

We topped it all off with fish and chips from the local chippy.  Thank goodness for all the exercise, this holiday diet is punishing.

Epic holiday times.