We picked somewhere with lots of benches on Friday, so that I could sit every few yards if I needed to. Maybe I need to get a shooting stick, so I can sit down anywhere. Might make me feel a bit like an old lady, but it's only a temporary measure. I'll be properly fit again in a few weeks.
Anyway, the prom. We parked down a side street and the wind nearly took the car doors off when we got out. We looked at each other in dismay, Matthew and I, thinking we'd picked the wrong day to walk on the prom. But it was fine – that's just what the wind does down the side streets and it wasn't particularly windy on the prom itself. Weird that, isn't it?
We started at the clock tower because you've got to pick a place to start and this is as good as any. No bacon baps or donuts here today. Maybe this little eatery has been open over lockdown, I can't remember, but it wasn't at this time in the evening.
I don't know what the right sort of exercise is for a slipped disc, so I'm probably getting it all wrong. I suspect that I'm supposed to walk on the flat, but I fancied a little trudge through the sand on this lovely evening, so we did that, very slowly. It was nice. Also, you can walk on fine sand in new trainers and they don't get ruined – you'll recall we have new trainers.
Ahhh, I've missed this view, very much. I don't think I ever want to live in a landlocked place. I think I need to always live in a place where I can reach the sea within ten minutes. It's totally in my head, of course, but I feel like it might be a bit claustrophobic living inland. I know it's in my head because this thought only ever occurs to me when I do see the sea.
So we walked a while, chatting, having a nice time. It's all a bit weird at the moment because I'm waiting to trip over and jar my spine, or just collapse because it's too painful, and it's quite difficult to concentrate on just being outside and enjoying the air and openness. I'll keep walking, but I'm not enjoying it as much as I was before my disc popped out because, well, it bloody hurts! I'll get there in the end though – it always gets better after a few weeks.
So, we saw the spacecraft from Flight of the Navigator. At least, that's what I told Matthew. I forget sometimes that Matthew's only 12, but I remembered today when I told him that that cloud was a spacecraft and he wasn't sure if I was joking. 'What, it is a spacecraft?' says he. 'It's not actually a cloud?' 'Yeah, it's the spacecraft from Flight of the Navigator,' says I, 'and it can travel through time as well as space.' Then he did a full-on facepalm at himself when I mentioned time travel because he obviously knows that's not a thing. What have I raised? Jeez, Matthew, of course it's a cloud!
Groynes, because it's always hilarious to say. It was a bit tricky to get back onto the prom from here because I don't think I'm really supposed to climb over rocks.
Getting a bit hurty now – man, I'm so sorry that I'm such a moany old bag at the moment! Please bear with me!
I think there's a lifeboat in that little building there ... I think. I think this is the RNLI office, but it's got a gift shop as well. Always love a gift shop. Really, I'm a terrible sucker for a gift shop. I've passed this awful trait on to my kids as well. This can only be a really bad thing. It started when I took them on holiday to Alnwick for the first time on my own seven years ago, and I'd saved loads of spending money and I let them have whatever they wanted in every gift shop we went into. I created monsters that summer!
'Beauty Surrounds, Health Abounds', apparently, in Morecambe.
It was mostly alright, but around about this point, one of the big rocks I stepped onto wobbled quite dramatically. I didn't fall or anything, but I did get that electric shock up my spine and we had to stand here for a bit until it subsided. Serves me totally right.
Matthew seems to remember playing in this play area, but I don't ever remember bringing the boys here because I think they'd stopped being interested in larking about on this stuff by the time it was built – it's quite a new one. But this makes me wish they were still all little. They don't play anymore and that's a bit sad. I do love a slide. Do you think anyone would mind if I just went on this myself, even if my kids don't want to? That's the great thing about being a parent of small children, getting to go in the play areas.
This is where we saw the quotes that I have never noticed before. Make of them what you will.
'... You see stars showering down on you ...'
'... Otters swimming to you in the dark ...'
'... Rainbows that are upside down ...'
'... it's a Wonderful World the water, but you've got to have great respect for it, really.'
Nice. Sort of. Honestly, I don't think they've put much thought into it. There must be a lovely bit of watery poetry somewhere that they could've used.
Baywatch Tower. We didn't see David Hasselhoff this evening, which was a bit strange because he's been here every other time. I'm wondering if he was put off by the MASSIVE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE PUBS!
Yeah, Friday night, pubs open again, people taking full advantage. Good luck to those people, but I'm not setting foot in one for quite some time! Outside is better anyway. See?
Here, we were sitting in a ... errr, I don't know what to call it. It's like a booth, but not really a booth because it's not a restaurant and it doesn't have a table. But there are a few of these along the prom, with curved benches set back in a half-circle. Perfect for picnics, sheltered from the gusty prom breezes.
That nice boat from a different angle to a few weeks ago, just because. I take a photo, I show it to you – that's how it works and you know this now, after 81 walks.
Ahhhh, the Lake District ... but wait! It isn't!
Aha! It's a sculpture of the Lake District. I rather like this one. You can walk through it, and you can see the names of some of the hills and fells and find the real ones to match in the distance. A cool thing.
We had a little rest here and looked at all the quotes. The lyrics to the first verse of 'Bring Me Sunshine' are carved into the steps leading up to Eric, or down from Eric. For some reason, Matthew says to me, 'Mother, will you sing this for me?' 'Err, what, now?' says I. 'Yeah, I don't know how it goes,' says he. So, errr, I did. Singing outside where people might hear me is not something I tend to do, or in fact have ever done not on a stage, but I sang this one this evening because my son asked me to. It was rather a lovely little moment. Matthew smiled at me, I smiled at him, and then we read some more quotes and I told him why they were funny because he didn't know.
Like this one. 'For another quid we could've had Lulu!', which had me in proper stitches and then I cried! For goodness sake, I don't know what's up with me at the moment, but I do keep enjoying a really good cry. Weirdo! I'm not even depressed or sad, just got a bunch of tears for some reason. It's all good, though. Crying's one of my favourite things, so don't worry, Auntie Trish!
That was the end of our walk because the car was just opposite Eric. I would've liked to have brought our flask of tea and sat here for a while, but the pubs are too busy just at the moment and no one's particularly considerate about keeping their distance now. So sod 'em! We'll find quieter places to have our tea.
We went on YouTube when we got home and watched some Morecambe and Wise sketches, and that reminded me of The Two Ronnies, so we watched Four Candles as well. I forgot about Two Soups, though, which I mentioned to Matthew ages ago, so I'll go and find that now!
Until tomorrow, patient people.
WQ
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