Oh…. I….. Do like to be

Yesterday began with a bumpy start .. literally … I somehow managed to roll myself off the bed and onto the floor, stuck down there as I cannot get myself up, I had to call my Sister to come and pick me up.  Not the best of starts to a day supposed to be fun in the sun.

Suited and booted, washed and dressed, we picked up my Sister’s friend and headed off to the dizzying delights of the seaside, just a couple of miles from where we live.  It is something we try and do every other year, before the schools break up and the delightful [forced smile] holidaymakers arrive in their masses and clog up everything.

First thing first – breakfast – we headed straight to our favoured sea front cafe.  Sausage and egg roll, and a coffee.  the weather was misty, a common problem with excess heat over a cold sea.  We mussed at the sights, cringed at the size 18 female squeezed into a size 14 neon pink sun dress that she was constantly either pulling down her thighs or pulling up at the shoulders, wondering what her minds eyes could possibly see in a mirror [assuming one had been consulted].

We meandered along the esplanade, willing the sun to burn through the sea mist haze, before heading into the Yesterday’s World attraction [they do a fab deal for the disabled and carers].  It is a themed indoor attraction with an area mimicking the types of shops around at the time, the tobacconists is always a site as we’d always been in business where items were sold and recalled stacking the shelves.  The toy shop recalled many a christmas or birthday and the children’s books and annuals rekindled many more memories.  Up stairs there are tableau of Victorian literature [HG Wells The Time Machine, Frankenstein, Jekyll & Hyde], a video cinema of short clips about Victorian England including their connections to the town.  The workshops of the Chemist, Carpenter, Wheelwright, Ironmonger, along with the collection of tradesman’s bikes remind us all how so straight forward and easy in these modern times.

Down stairs there is a large carousel which the girls could not wait to ride – I primed with ipod to take photos and a short video of them being kids [again].  And also took photos of them standing at the board with faces through the holes, lol.  Can’t take them anywhere!!

After some welcome refreshments we mooched through the arcades and fixed upon the 2p shove machines.  We all know that these games are not made in favour of the player but all the same the relatively inexpensive possibility of winning ‘something’ is alluring.  Within a matter of minutes my Sister’s friend had won three resin teddy bears as her £1 of 2ps kept paying out and were duly re-fed into the machinery.  We tried one or two other arcades but quickly worked out that they didn’t feed out as quickly and thus we quickly became reluctant to play them and returned to the Silver Slipper.  My Sister managed to win a small toy car, but I only won more coins to feed back into the slots.

The evening was rounded off with fish and chip dinner at Harry Ramsden’s – delicious.

We called it a day, laden with candy-floss, flying saucers and winnings, after seven hours, we declared we had done our bit to support local trade, done the holiday-maker bit and had some fun.