A Busy Day Doing Nothing - 15th Feb ‘24

A short one today. Although a relaxing day, I seemed to have crammed a lot in!

It started with a quick walk with the dogs around the wee field on site and then buying some milk from the shop - I somehow managed to forget this when packing. In my defence, most folks will have 2 brains to remember the pre trip packing inventory. I only have 1 brain and that’s a little rusty.

Something else I forgot was much more important - Ben’s tablets. I rang my vets and they confirmed that it wasn’t an option not to give him them for a couple of days!! Mandy gave me the details of her vets in Matlock but it was a lot of fuss to get half a dozen tablets necessitating several calls, emails and a trip back to Matlock.

I had a smashing lunch with Mandy at The Fishpond, Matlock Bath. The food was ok but it was really good to catch up especially as we didn’t meet up on my last visit. As always we put the world to right while having a good laugh doing it!

Before meeting Mandy I managed to squeeze in a swim at the outdoor pool at the New Bath Hotel. It’s a wonderful pool that is fed by a natural spring and maintains a constant 19 degrees throughout the year. With no chlorine and chemicals it makes for a fantastically invigorating 30 mins swim. That awful 5 seconds between coat off and immersion in the water is vastly outweighed by the feeling (physically and mentally) that cold water swimming gives you. I know folks that don’t do it don’t get it but then I couldn’t watch an episode of Strictly without hyperventilating!! Vive le difference!

I didn’t leave Matlock Bath until gone 3.15. I went to the vets on the way back to Brunnehilda. 15 mins to feed the dogs and then I took them for a 30 minute walk along the Monsal Trail at Millers Dale - about 5 mins drive from the campsite. 

Then the trip back to Matlock to pick up the tablets arriving at Helen and Karl’s at Roston at about 6.15. Too much rushing around for a relaxing holiday but it was worth it to catch up with Mandy and The Davis’ and of course that little thing of keeping Benny alive!!

Another smashing meal with Helen and Karl at The Roston Inn. It was great to catch up with my old Volvo mucker Helen and Karl is so much fun. It's very hard not to enjoy a night out with the Davis’. Also had the bonus of daughter Pip joining us for a drink later. 

I didn’t leave until gone 10 arriving back at Brunnehilda soon after 10.30. Time for one episode of The Tudors before bed. Got to admit I’m quite knackered. Who would have thought that eating, drinking and socialising was such hard work?!

PS Sorry about the lack of photos - too busy having a nice time and certainly didn’t want to spoil it with selfies!!