Springtime for Grandmas

On Easter Sunday we ate the almost traditional lamb roast and the glorious mixture of lemon, orange, eggs and sugar that Mum had combined to make a fluffy pudding. Then we set off for a place I had tucked away in my memory as a suitable Nice Under Glass destination.

It was indeed, 'nice under glass' as Mum and Peggy tucked themselves into the Honda with walking sticks, tins, handbags, magazines and the small Easter gifts we had exchanged. The sun shone hard and we all remarked (several times) (per minute) how the weather had at also changed and the spring had definitely arrived. 

Our conversation alternated between how awful the weather had been in the recent past, evidenced by the lack of visible green buds on the trees and how mild it had been evidenced by the profusion of flowers. This type of conversation where they directly contradict themselves is not unusual: it is not the content of what they say that matters to them only merely that they are saying something. That something is acceptable so long as it had has a vague context to the immediate circumstances and that it is polite. Such is their way. Thus, a pleasant half hour passed while we negotiated the roads to avoid the A483 roadwork at Rough Hill at Chester and got into to the A51 towards Delamere.

Springtime at last!

I may (I hope gently) mock their delight at the wonderful spring sunshine, but I wonder if to them spring has a special significance? Winter with all its threats of ice, dropping temperatures and flu has passed and they have got through it without breaking a hip, getting a chest infection or ending up in hospital. It is well known that many elderly people meet their maker during the winter months and so spring with its herald of birdsong is perhaps reminder that they have triumphed again. 

Turning left past Delamere onto the A5152 to Frodsham took us through the forest road, busy and packed with picnickers and walkers. But the forest was for another day and instead we carried onto to reach The Lady Heyes Craft Centre .

This is a delightful venue packed with antique and curio shops, craft centre, and even a brewery, oh

Who knows what you might find
at Lady Heyes?

yes and and a campsite too...... The original Lady Heyes Farm dates back several hundred years. It is believed that in the 1800s it was used as a watering hole for the local gentry. No longer a working farm, it now comprises a complex of individual buildings providing over 15,000 sq. ft.to sell a whole range of products and services. The sewing centre also runs an intriguing array of craft classes.

We were not tempted by the beer at the brewery, inviting though it looked, and stuck to our tea provided by the café with chip shop attached (well, it is a campsite). We sat outside in the sunshine drinking a good pot of strong tea at £1.40 a cup. Just as good as beer to drink to the incoming new season. Cheers!