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The weekend was spent back at my parents, what with Brexit being postponed again during the middle of last week and Wolfie being on call. I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas so a visit was long overdue, but due to Brexit related circumstances, not to mention my grandmother being transferred to a home in early March, this was the first time I could realistically visit. I didn't see my grandmother in the end, but I did visit my grandfather, who seems to be a lot more relaxed now he doesn't have to care for his wife. She has pretty bad dementia now and he's a 90-year-old man, so it was good to see him far less tired than he has been in the last number of years. It was also great having a conversation with him, as he was asking about my future plans and where I see myself over the coming months and years. Things are very uncertain now, what with both Wolfie and myself being unhappy in our jobs, plus I do see the six-month Brexit extension as something of a reprieve. I am aiming to apply for some jobs on the continent in the coming weeks.
Saturday was spent with my father, who has been training for a walking trip up some of the Scottish Monroes next month. This meant that we ended up going on a four-hour 11km romp over three local hills, which was incredibly gruelling. As we got to the car park, we noticed a cyclist taking a piss with his back to his team, not realising that the entire road could see his todger. After this exhilarating site, we battled up the hills, with me noticing just how unfit I was compared to my 63-year-old dad. I was somewhat reassured to discover my sister feels the same whenever she goes walking with him and aside from a pulled muscle on the side of my left knee as we were coming back down the mountains, my body held together pretty well. The weather was sunny but windy, with excellent views across towards Teesside ahd the North Sea. There was an element of haze, obstructing some of the vistas, but with this to the north and the moor scrubland to the south, it was all rather magical. We saw a number of hikers walking the hills and even stopped for a pint at a small pub once we had completed the three peaks, a nice pitstop before we retraced our steps back to the car. The beer garden was something of a sun trap so it was quite pleasant to be sat outside, and of course it was great catching up with my father too.
With the longer days now, we got back home just before 7pm with light still in the sky. My father had booked a table at the local pub that time forgot - The Crown - one of the few places that still sells Cameron's Strongarm and Magnet. The food here was really good though and I had a humumgous portion of fish and chips, famished as I was as it was to be a 4,600 calorie burn day (and over 32,000 steps, my third highest ever). We were tucked into a corner however, next to a large round table of about six women who had a number of inappropriate topics of conversation at the dinner table. The highlights included 'she was so sick in the end, she ended up just having fruit smoothies as they tasted the same going out as going in' and 'she just wet herself continually'. It wasn't great. After this, we then headed back home to share a couple of the beers I had brought up from Brewdog before heading to bed before 11pm, which must have been the first time I had been in bed before midnight for something like a decade.
Sunday was visiting my mother day. She picked me up at 11am and we went around to my grandfather's place, where my mum cooked her father a pie to ensure he had at least one good meal that day. We chatted for a while, with my mother insisting on talking about Brexit and Assange, despite my protestations that I wanted a politics-free weekend. After this, we then headed around to her house to see my stepfather Steve and the two spaniels, Wilma and Henry, who were both delighted to see me. At nearly two years of age, Henry has calmed down somewhat and is a lot less annoying than he used to be, while Wilma has become a little more affectionate and tactile, perhaps as a result of living with her younger cousin. Both dogs are wonderfully fun in their own way though and it was great spending time with them, even if they are both somewhat licky. We took them out for a walk before my mother cooked me a meal of steak pie and apple crumble. There was an awful lot of wine, which made mum's lecture about alcohol related liver disease somewhat difficult to take seriously and Brexit again was discussed in detail. Despite this it was a relaxing afternoon and we headed back to my father's at around 9pm so I could spend a few final hours with him before heading to bed early again so I could catch the Monday morning train back to Leeds and work.
Saturday was spent with my father, who has been training for a walking trip up some of the Scottish Monroes next month. This meant that we ended up going on a four-hour 11km romp over three local hills, which was incredibly gruelling. As we got to the car park, we noticed a cyclist taking a piss with his back to his team, not realising that the entire road could see his todger. After this exhilarating site, we battled up the hills, with me noticing just how unfit I was compared to my 63-year-old dad. I was somewhat reassured to discover my sister feels the same whenever she goes walking with him and aside from a pulled muscle on the side of my left knee as we were coming back down the mountains, my body held together pretty well. The weather was sunny but windy, with excellent views across towards Teesside ahd the North Sea. There was an element of haze, obstructing some of the vistas, but with this to the north and the moor scrubland to the south, it was all rather magical. We saw a number of hikers walking the hills and even stopped for a pint at a small pub once we had completed the three peaks, a nice pitstop before we retraced our steps back to the car. The beer garden was something of a sun trap so it was quite pleasant to be sat outside, and of course it was great catching up with my father too.
With the longer days now, we got back home just before 7pm with light still in the sky. My father had booked a table at the local pub that time forgot - The Crown - one of the few places that still sells Cameron's Strongarm and Magnet. The food here was really good though and I had a humumgous portion of fish and chips, famished as I was as it was to be a 4,600 calorie burn day (and over 32,000 steps, my third highest ever). We were tucked into a corner however, next to a large round table of about six women who had a number of inappropriate topics of conversation at the dinner table. The highlights included 'she was so sick in the end, she ended up just having fruit smoothies as they tasted the same going out as going in' and 'she just wet herself continually'. It wasn't great. After this, we then headed back home to share a couple of the beers I had brought up from Brewdog before heading to bed before 11pm, which must have been the first time I had been in bed before midnight for something like a decade.
Sunday was visiting my mother day. She picked me up at 11am and we went around to my grandfather's place, where my mum cooked her father a pie to ensure he had at least one good meal that day. We chatted for a while, with my mother insisting on talking about Brexit and Assange, despite my protestations that I wanted a politics-free weekend. After this, we then headed around to her house to see my stepfather Steve and the two spaniels, Wilma and Henry, who were both delighted to see me. At nearly two years of age, Henry has calmed down somewhat and is a lot less annoying than he used to be, while Wilma has become a little more affectionate and tactile, perhaps as a result of living with her younger cousin. Both dogs are wonderfully fun in their own way though and it was great spending time with them, even if they are both somewhat licky. We took them out for a walk before my mother cooked me a meal of steak pie and apple crumble. There was an awful lot of wine, which made mum's lecture about alcohol related liver disease somewhat difficult to take seriously and Brexit again was discussed in detail. Despite this it was a relaxing afternoon and we headed back to my father's at around 9pm so I could spend a few final hours with him before heading to bed early again so I could catch the Monday morning train back to Leeds and work.
