Last Day in the Country

By Amos
Today was actually a little slower. After breakfast we had some down time, so Lydia went back to bed while Granny did some walking and Marci and I did the laundry. We went into Halfwistle, a nearby village. We found a small Laundromat of just 2 washers and 2 dryers, and one of the dryers was broken. We got the laundry started and took a walk in the village. They have a Conservative Club and a Working Man’s Club and several churches. We read the village report of the council meetings; the usually stuff but very polite language. We also went up by the hospital but I think that it was more like a nursing home. Then we went back and checked the clothes, took another walk and then got the clothes, and came back to the B&B. Lydia was getting up and I think the sleep really helped. When I went to look for Granny she had been for a long walk and was up at the ruined castle. Marci and I went to see it and we helped her down. We can see it out the window, at the breakfast table
Our big activity today was to go to Housestead, a Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall were they had some local people dressed up like Roman soldiers and they showed us all the different gear and how to march in formation and make a phalanx. The really seemed to enjoy the weapons demonstration. The weather was incredible with blue skies, warm but windy with great views of the surrounding areas. We had lunch on the grass and watched the cheerful British men pretend to be Roman soldiers. I think they should also have some Picts to do the attacking for a little more reality. Afterward we came back and we looked around the local area and got ready for our trip to London tomorrow.
Lydia and Marci took another walk and she finished reading The Catcher in the Rye, which she borrowed from the B&B bookcase. I was able to talk to Patrick via IM on the internet and make sure of the train connections. I really wanted to reserve seat on the train but could not figure out how to do so. Later we went out to supper and Lydia had a trout, all head and all intact, which I helped her get ready to eat. I had pheasant, actually a little tough and dry, and in the future they could keep it under glass, for all I care. The service can be slow. We really wanted to pay and it took some effort to get the attention of the staff. This put things later than I thought it would. The one thing I had thought we should do was see a ruined priory or abbey or some ruined religious house as we have seen castles, prehistoric and Roman ruins. These spooky places have inspired a lot of poetry and what could have been kind of sentiment, however, driving further just did not seem to be the thing to do so we went back to the B&B and to our beds.