Seahouses to Bamburgh - 22nd Sept ‘23

SORRY: Its late (no 4G at the campsite), sorry it’s long and sorry it’s self indulgent. 

Rather like her owner, Brunnehilda is falling apart - physically! First it was the kitchen sink pump, then the TV/DVD and now it’s the toilet flush!

As dramatic as this sounds, everything is open to a bodge! The front water pump works if I turn on the wash hand basin tap. The TV/DVD has been replaced by a bigger £100 special offer machine from Mr Bezos. And I have a big bottle of flush mix ready to go - flushing manually.

I found a You Tube video on how to fix the flush. I gave it a go when I came back from my walk. It didn’t work!

The forecast was good upto about 2pm so I needed to get up and about early. I had breakfast of tea, bagels and cereal, a nice long chat with my neighbours (a 60 something couple from Cheshire) and was parking up at the car park at Seahouses harbour by 10.15am.

I was back in the car park by 2.15pm having completed a lovely 8 mile circular walk to Bamburgh. On leaving the busy car park I had an all day parking ticket to give to someone. There was a 60 year old ish couple and a young couple with a baby queuing for a ticket - guess which one I gave it to?!

I walked to Bamburgh along the beautiful 3 mile long beach. The tide was out so there was lots of space for the dogs to enjoy. Lots of dog and dog owners but they were all (including my 2!) impeccably behaved!

I had a nice chat with a lady walking 2 collies. There is some sort of invisible bond between collie owners. I can’t explain it but it’s there. We had a long chat about our idiosyncratic mates. Turns out she lives right on the coast and had recently written a children’s book about her 2 dogs - “Sheep to Shore”. And by the power of Goggle, here it is. Available from EBay and WH Smith’s at £9.99!

I was enjoying the beach walk so much I walked another 1/2 mile or so past Bamburgh until I got to Blackrocks Point lighthouse. At this point I turned for home.

Bamburgh looked magnificent in the September sun. We had a drink and a snack at the foot of the huge town side walls.

Then it was back to Seahouses over the fields, not quite as exciting but we did meet lots of friendly(?) local inhabitants- horses, a bull, cows, calf’s, bullocks and a herd or 2 of sheep. Gorgeous views as well across the fields to the sea.

By the time I was back in the car I was knackered so straight back to Brunnehilda for some R&R. Not quite straight back - it seemed rude not to stop at this ice cream parlour at the side of the road.

Sleeping, eating, blogging, Glimpsing, drinking, Tudor mini seriesing and it was soon 6.30!! I’d managed to miss a scheduled Whats App catch up with Rusty, Nicky and Simon. I forgot to look at my diary and the phone signal at the site is poo - d’oh!! 

I headed out to Dunstan Steads for an evening walk along the beach, by Dunstanburgh castle and then back along the golf course footpath. 

Arrived at the local Embleton village pub (The Greys Inn) at 7.45. The staff were amazingly friendly and fitted me into the only available table / seat. I was in a back room with 8 x 50/60/70 something couples. I’m passed the stage where I’m jealous or wish them physical harm but I do just really want them to know how bloody lucky and privileged they all are and to enjoy and treasure every bloody moment! Of course, I didn’t say anything!!

I went for a local pork stew. It was tasty but I wouldn’t have it again. The Alnwick IPA slipped down nicely though!

Back to Brunnehilda for a cup of tea, more Tudors and a dreadful (but compulsive viewing) TV programme called “ My mum, your dad”. It’s like Love Island for the over 50’s! A bit depressing though that the genuinely nice guy got rejected by several women in favour of the slimey egotistical guy! C’est le vie!

WARNING: My regular Brunnehilda trip moment of self reflection and contemplation is ahead - that I’m sure my kids would rather I kept to myself!! 

It was a year ago I was holidaying in Northumberland and exactly a year yesterday that I met a crazy fungus lady that caused me to contemplate my situation. She was the only person I had a proper conversation with over that 5 days holiday! It made me come to terms with a degree of loneliness that was now part of my life. I must admit if I thought then that 12 months on and nothing would have changed I would have been a little depressed. But here we are, 12 months on and I’m not depressed at all about it! Partly because I’m getting better at tolerating my own company, partly because my wonderful family gives me so much but mainly because I’m beginning to realise something I always knew - Kim was like winning the lottery and finding another one is like 2 lottery wins in the same lifetime! Maybe I need to look for the opposite of a beautiful, feisty middle aged woman - an ugly compliant young man!! 😂 

NB I could never manage to explain to Kimbo (in my defence she was no statistician!), that once you’ve won the lottery a first time, the odds of winning it again are exactly the same as someone else winning it for first time!!!

I had expected that after another 12 months I wouldn’t think of her quite as much during a typical day. Well I got that wrong too - I do but 12 months on I see this as more of a blessing than I would have done a year ago. I know she’s constantly in Laura, Thom and Bobby’s thoughts as well so it sorta makes me feel closer to them as well?!

When I think of her now it’s a bit like pulling a plaster off really quickly. The pain is over in an instant and then you just feel content and happy. A year ago it was like pulling the plaster off very slowly with all the associated discomfort!

Anyway, enough of my wallowing self reflection … the bottom line is, 12 months and on I’m still successfully working on getting better at the most important thing in my life - being the best dad and grandad I can be and continuing to make her proud.

And who knows, I might meet the crazy fungus lady again tomorrow!!?! 😂