Day Tripper

Well! That went well! Not only did the weather play ball, but so did the traffic on our journey, plus absolutely everything else that we did today. Woo-hoo!! *Does a little dance*

We have long had a standing invitation to visit Meg and Tim in Bristol and, in particular, the offer of a personalised, bespoke tour of the SS Great Britain, on which Tim volunteers as a guide. So, today was the day.

It all went like clockwork. I was up early, greeting the sunshine with relief, bathing and colouring my hair (couldn’t really be seen in public with roots like rats’ tails again……), prepping a bag of things to take with us ‘just in case’, and planning the route in my phone. I finalised the pre-holiday washing for the Sutton Sleaths and popped it in the porch ready for collection, and then took John a coffee to wake him up while I dried my hair.

John, in turn, was up and about taking all his medication conscientiously this morning in preparation for the day ahead. He, too, was keen to be thoroughly ready for a day out. Oh…. the anticipation of a day out!! Can’t tell you how excited we were!

With a bag of chocolate Minstrels ready to sustain us on our journey, we set off just before eleven o’clock. The journey there was a smooth as you like. Fairly busy this end of the M42/M5 but fast-moving and no bother. We took the journey in one go and arrived at our destination just before one.

The sun was still shining, so we sat out in the open air in Brunel Square with a cup of cappuccino and a panini each. Tim joined us after he’d finished his morning shift while we waited for Michelle (aka Meg) to arrive from her work. It was just lovely. All very relaxed and so very, very nice to sit and chat in the warmth of that beautiful sunshine.

Once Michelle arrived, we moved onto the ship where Tim did us proud. Honestly, it was the best tour we have ever had. Well, obviously, I suppose, as it was just for us, but really it was brilliant. Absolutely fascinating history to the ship and well worth a visit, folks. So good, that we spent hours on the ship…..

Meg had arranged for us to eat at Yo, Sushi! this evening so, once we’d finished the tour and had sat and drunk another cup of coffee, we set off for our evening meal. Once again, all good. The restaurant was split up into little areas and we had a table to ourselves all cordoned off with Perspex sheets to keep everyone safe. We ordered and paid for the food using an app on John’s phone, which meant that the waitress didn’t need to keep coming to the table. Food made its way from the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant (where we could see it being prepared) to us on the little conveyer belt, as quick as a flash. Our appetites were satiated in no time at all. *Does another little dance.*

Our journey home was a whizz. There was no traffic on the road hardly, so we fairly flew home. Marvellous. What a wonderful day. Absolutely fantastic to meet up with dear friends whom we haven’t seen for such a very long time. Delighted in their company and was rather pleased that we slotted back into that easy chat of long-standing friendship. Michelle texted and said, ‘Just like old times’. Yes, that.

On the COVID front there have been 3,542 people who have tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours and 10 deaths in the community. There have been 4 deaths in hospitals on 24 & 25 May.

Scientists are still debating the data and what it means – whether there will be another wave, whether we need to be worried, whether the last part of the roadmap will happen and so on. I did read a long article on Twitter about what the figures mean in terms of the new variant but, to be honest, I found it difficult to make sense of it all. However, suffice to say, the figures are going up…..

Take care everyone, as best you can. God bless.