The meeting of the cousins in Pudsey,Yorkshire

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We had saved sightseeing in Lincoln until this morning and we are now not sure that that was a great idea as the weather looks a bit threatening. However we shall go and do what we can and hope that the weather holds.

The city has a good size car parking building which we used when we came in on Tuesday evening and Gretchen had her much needed haircut. Today was my turn for a tidy up if we could find somewhere handy before we headed up the hill to the cathedral. After my #1 in Warsaw nearly 3 months ago I want to make sure I get a hairdresser who understands my Kiwi English as it is a bit too cool to go so short again.

We found what I needed and 15minutes later I was looking tidier and at GBP6 I could afford another 7 haircuts before I caught up with the cost of Gretchen’s do at Toni & Guy although admittedly she did have more time spent on her.

Lincoln, which was founded in The Iron Age dating from the 1st century BC.It was also a significant Roman when they conquered Britain in AD48.Lincoln Castle,which was undergoing some sort of restoration with a lot of scaffolding,was built in Norman times in 1068 and the first cathedral was built soon after in 1092 although it was destroyed by an unusual earthquake in 1185 and then rebuilt.The Guildhall built in the early 16th century has an archway that gives access to and from the pedestrian shopping precinct. Looking along the wall and seeing just how much the wall was out of alignment we were pleased to know that earthquakes do not occur around here any more or so we hoped.

By the time we were heading up the hill rain started to fall and got progressively heavier the further up the steep cobbled street we went. By the time we made it to the top the rain was very steady and as it was lunchtime and Gretchen had spotted a deal on a sandwich board we went into a cafe for a bacon sandwich and very large mug of coffee all for the great price of GBP3.50 each.

By the time we had finished lunch the rain had eased and we walked into the grounds of the cathedral but we were put off by the GBP6 each entry fee and so took a photo of the exterior and started a return down the hill to our car. We have been inside so many churches on the BBA V2 and most of them have been free that we decided that we wouldn’t pay unless the attraction came with very special references.

On the way down the hill Gretchen disappeared in front of me into a lolly shop she had spotted on our way up the hill. The shop was tiny and only big enough for 4 or 5 people but the shelves were absolutely chocker block full with a huge number of large glass jars, each one filled with old fashioned sweets, the names of many which we remembered from our childhood.

Gretchen bought aniseed balls, chocolate éclairs and lime chocolate boiled sweets for consuming in the car as we travel.

With light rain still falling we headed onto the A1 and drove north west towards Yorkshire and the reunion with my cousins Rhona and Jean as well as Rhona’s husband Eric. Jean’s daughter’s Stella and Janet are flying in from the south coast to be part of the reunion for a couple of days.

We don’t usually drive the main highways for longer than we need to but today we wanted to get to our destination and get ourselves unpacked before we go to have dinner with the family at Rhona and Eric’s home in Pudsey.

It was just a short trip to Pudsey from our Travelodge in Thornbury,Bradford and we joined the rush hour traffic negotiating a couple of busy roundabouts, one of them, which was around a green park, was controlled by traffic lights which was just as well given the volume of cars.

Rhona had been reading our minds as she had prepared a very tasty meal of lamb (we have been hanging out for the taste for nearly 6 months!)And fresh potatoes and vegetables followed by blackberry pie made from the berry’s Eric had picked from a large, wild blackberry bush below their property on the border of the farmland that started where the houses finished.

Like any much anticipated reunion it was a most enjoyable evening of catching up on our travels and what had happened since we last met 4 years ago in Settle where we had an apartment for a 2 week stay. This time unfortunately we have only 3 nights and 2 full days to spend with family so we shall have to make the best of the time we have.

It had been a very special evening for us and at the end of a long day we were not long getting to sleep after we got back to the hotel.

Tomorrow Rhona has an outing arranged to Otley and then a traditional Yorkshire fish and chip dinner at a well known restaurant with the family including cousin Iain and his wife Chris from Long Preston joining us.

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