Sat 5 Aug - Poulton

 My first UK Parkrun and you won't believe this - it was raining!

It was about 6km from Stuart's house in the very lovely Stanley Park in Blackpool.  Apparently it was more crowded than usual as two nearby runs had been cancelled.  It was two loops within the park that took in a muddy wooded area as well as normal paths.  It was pretty much flat and a good opportunity for a PB except for the congestion at the beginning, well that's my excuse for my pretty ordinary time.

And a quick look at a few other bits of the park...

After a shower and breakfast Dad and I ventured out to Blackpool.  It was still raining on and off so Dad decided to stay in the car and I bought him a copy of the "The Times" newspaper to keep him out of mischief.  

Meanwhile I ventured down to the pier.  It had actually stopped raining by this time, but it was still grey, spitting and a bit windy.

Blackpool is a noisy mass of quirky - no doubt about it - but I'm guessing that's the appeal!!  Full of amusement arcades and, I imagine, new Barbie-based horse carriages!  It was just a fleeting visit - just long enough to take these piccies and for Dad to grab his second lot of fish and chippies in two days.

Snuck some of Dad's chippies - chunky little buggers.  I gave them a very high score (9/10) on the chippy deliciousometer!

Which leads me to this funny little exchange between Auntie Michele and me regarding dietary requirements and our upcoming stay in Wales.....

And then it was out to dinner with Stuart's Dad Peter and his wife Kath, but first a quick look at their lovely house and garden...

 

and had a delicious meal at The Eagle.  I had Beer and Onion Soup, then Salmon Nicoise then Pavlova. Good thing I did the parkrun this morning and only nicked a few of Dad's chippies at lunch 😀