Two Sticks To Rub Together

I had a few beers last night but nothing serious, so I don't really know why I have a headache this morning but it ruins most of my day off. Despite that I still manage a morning swim with L. So, what with surviving squash last night and now a swim this morning, things are looking a bit more promising for Sunday.

Later on, we head up to the Lakes for the weekend but we're a bit later setting off than we had planned. Daughter isn't with us. As is always the case, weeks of free weekends, then the moment we arrange something, something else crops up, in this case a reunion sort of thing with her junior school. She starting the weekend at L's parents and then finishing it at a friends house. In between, anything could happen.

On the M6, we get a phone call from the friends we are meeting up in Lakeland, apologising for their own lateness. We find they're only 7 miles behind us on the motorway which means they're sure to catch us up. Damn, they never beat us up there and my car can't go any faster. Then on the country lanes near Ambleside we have someone behind us flashing their lights, yep they've caught us but we held them off valiantly.

Due to the lateness of the evening and the fact we need food; we head straight to the pub, where an interesting dark ale by Thwaites, called Liberation is very off. A bad start followed by the fact that the meal I choose, a chilli, is positively child portion in size, well at least compared with everyone else's humongous meals. The beer we do end up with, is something called 'Newcastle', I didn't get the brewery and no it's not the brown ale. It's actually rather good and we come prepared with a take-out tub to take some back to our cottage. Which will be great, if only we could get the real fire lit. There's plenty of coal but no fire-lighters and not even two sticks of wood to rub together boy scout style. So, the electric fire it is then. Still a good night.