The sun shone on Saturday as Significant Other and I set off towards Lancaster on the way to Morecambe. This is not the best signposted city and we got snarled up in the shopping traffic in the city centre looking for the way to Morecambe. The upside being a view of some great buildings and old narrow streets and now I want to go to Lancaster for a weekend to explore it.
Morecambe itself, in common with so many seaside towns is fading (well, more accurately, has faded) although there is some lovely art deco architecture.
The old Midland Hotel has been refurbished and looked a bit out of my price league. Checking out their website confirmed that!
The Winter Gardens are being renovated and a look inside showed what a major task the Friends of, face. They are hoping for grants and in particular lottery money, to help. I hope they get this as it is sad to see the ruin of such a fine building. I was not allowed to take photos inside, but there is a good slideshow of the interior on their website.
It was warm as long as we stayed out of the sea breeze, and I was chilled walking out to the end of the Stone Jetty. The jetty, built in the early 1800's, is all that remains of Morecambe’s harbour where ferries from Scotland and Ireland docked. This area is now renovated and covered with sculpted birds and jokes inset into the paving. Sig Other found the jokes amusing.
View towards the lake District
View towards the lake District
Local lad Eric Morecambe is celebrated in a statue surrounded by verses from “Bring Me Sunshine”. I took this photo for my mother who is a fan.
No visit anywhere seems complete without seeking out the second hand bookshops of the area. I spent nearly an hour in the one on the prom. I’d have spent more money had the owner bothered to create any order inside the shop. Obviously a stranger to labelling, or even the alphabet; such haphazardly mingled genre must cost this chap dear.
In contrast, the chatty owner of the jewellery shop next door had me investing in some starfish shaped earrings. I also learned why my silver jewellery tarnished. Apparently it is because I don’t keep it in little cloth bags.
We headed out of Morecambe to Carnforth which has the distinction of having the railway station where Brief Encounter was filmed. We were too late for the visitor centre as it closed at 4pm, but, again, they have pics on their website.
http://www.carnforthstation.co.uk/
I think a longer visit centred in Lancaster is definitely called for.
Sunday was expected to be wet, but the sun came out and so we took off to Dunham Massey, an estate owned by the National Trust with a house and extensive grounds including a deer park. I’m glossing over any mention of venison and Sig Other was well warned off referring to Bamby Burgers.
I usually have no luck with wildlife, so I was resigned to a fruitless wander round a country park with nothing but a few sparrows on view. Not so! More and cuter deer than I thought possible, posed for the camera. Although they are wary of people, and those children who galumphed after them had no hope of catching them, the deer are clearly used to humans and coexist with the crowds during opening hours.
How many deer in this picture?
Very cute deer.
No visit anywhere seems complete without seeking out the second hand bookshops of the area. I spent nearly an hour in the one on the prom. I’d have spent more money had the owner bothered to create any order inside the shop. Obviously a stranger to labelling, or even the alphabet; such haphazardly mingled genre must cost this chap dear.
In contrast, the chatty owner of the jewellery shop next door had me investing in some starfish shaped earrings. I also learned why my silver jewellery tarnished. Apparently it is because I don’t keep it in little cloth bags.
We headed out of Morecambe to Carnforth which has the distinction of having the railway station where Brief Encounter was filmed. We were too late for the visitor centre as it closed at 4pm, but, again, they have pics on their website.
http://www.carnforthstation.co.uk/I think a longer visit centred in Lancaster is definitely called for.
Sunday was expected to be wet, but the sun came out and so we took off to Dunham Massey, an estate owned by the National Trust with a house and extensive grounds including a deer park. I’m glossing over any mention of venison and Sig Other was well warned off referring to Bamby Burgers.
I usually have no luck with wildlife, so I was resigned to a fruitless wander round a country park with nothing but a few sparrows on view. Not so! More and cuter deer than I thought possible, posed for the camera. Although they are wary of people, and those children who galumphed after them had no hope of catching them, the deer are clearly used to humans and coexist with the crowds during opening hours.
How many deer in this picture?
Very cute deer. 
Fallow Deer
And finally, some autumnal fungus.
All well and good, but when I looked into the mass of fractal crafts online, there is a vast range of patterns and examples of fractal knitting, quilting and needle point just for starters. But somehow I doubt that sig other is going to receive a fractal jersey for the dreaded December pressie fest from me. Any knitting I take up will have to be easier that all that, so it may be he will get a Dr Who scarf masquerading as a moebius strip.
