Before the weekend it had been ages since we made the trip up the M62 to see Andy and Rachel in York. Fortunately a window in our busy schedules(!) gave us the combination of free weekend and good weather that we’d been holding out for and it made for yet another good visit.
Straight after we arrived on Saturday afternoon (via Leeds because I took a wrong turn) we made the short walk to the local pub and its beer garden. Rachel, who is doing a few shifts at the pub before she starts her new job, was working there up until five, which was a bit of a shame because she was missing out on a lovely, sunny afternoon. Still, at least she serves a good pint – complete with comedy patterns in your Guinness if you ask nicely. ;o)
Richard had joined us at the picnic table by the time Rachel finished her shift and, despite some noisy kids nearby, it was good to be outdoors enjoying the nice weather and having a good laugh. Elisha had been reasonably well behaved too, observing the other kids running around and being her inquizative self.
During the course of the afternoon Andy had been texting away on his phone by way of inviting us all to a barbeque at Helen and Aaron’s place. With that ball rolling we left the beer garden, headed back to Andy and Rachel’s place to pick up a few things, then made our way to Helen’s place for the promised feast.
Once there we settled in to a sunny spot at the back of the garden, while Elisha got to meet Helen’s hyperactive granddaughter, Ella, and enjoy some interaction with another small person. Ella was quite entertaining, actually, and hard work too – it’s both funny and scarey to think that Elisha will be running around like her in a couple of years.
By the time the barbeque was fired up the sun was setting and it had gotten a bit chilly, so the tail end of the evening involved either standing by the barbeque or inside the house to keep warm. The food was good when it arrived, though – chilli sauce on cheeseburgers is hard to beat!
After the food we sat inside for a while, although it had been a long day by then and we were all flagging slightly. Calling it a night, we headed back to Andy and Rachel’s while Helen was upstairs trying to get Ella off to sleep. Due to the quick exit we didn’t get to thank Helen and Aaron for their hospitality, which was much appreciated – sorry about that.
As if taking a cue from Ella, Elisha just would not stay asleep during the night that followed, waking us every fifteen minutes or so. By the morning both Fliss and I were shattered due to this, so aunty Rachel and uncle Andy did their bit to give us a a lie in. I really wish they lived closer. ;o)
Once we were all up and dressed we went into York for a look around, with me almost finding the watch I’m after and Elisha getting some new vests. Grabbing a Subway for lunch we headed back to A&R’s once more to pack for the journey home.
At Fliss‘ suggestion Andy took me out for a spin in his newly acquired Toyota MR2 – a car I’ve always wanted a drive of. Sadly owning a car like that in the suburbs of York is at odds with all the traffic calming measures they have going on. We had to negotiate a bazillion speed bumps and chicanes before we finaly got to some open road. Once Andy was able to open it up I was really impressed – for a fifteen year old car it wasn’t too shabby at all; well stuck to the ground and plenty of power from the mid-rear engine. Andy was good enough to let me have a quick blast on the way back and it was great fun.
Having to drive the Jazz back down to Liverpool sucked ass in comparison – it felt like I was driving a minibus after the low slung MR2. Fliss said that I could have a sports car of my own if it turned out we’d won the lottery when we got back.
As per usual, we hadn’t.
Just as well we’d had a great weekend, then. :o)
