This week saw the arrival of my favourite Auntie, Alice. She stayed with me for nearly a week and left on Friday morning.
Auntie Alice, is my dads sister but Mam and her were very close, and she has missed her terribly since mams passing.
As she lives down in Essex near to London and is 87 she doesn't get many opportunities these days to come up North to visit the relations, so, this visit was a welcomed surprise when I was asked several weeks ago if I could host her in my house on the Darlington leg of her visit up North.
We have had a full-on week of visiting, outings and meals out planned, some of which I have blogged about below.
In preparation for her visit, I did a good shop, getting in all sorts of fancies to treat her. I had the intention of cooking for at least 4 of the days but it transpired that I only cooked once and we went out for the rest of the meals.
So we start with Sunday lunch at the Fox Hole in Peircebridge. This meal was on the calendar long before Auntie Alice asked to come and visit as a family meal, my treat, so it was nice she was able to tag along.
On Monday evening on the way in from our evening meal, I did a monumentally stupid thing when my foot slipped on the peddle, as I was preoccupied with Auntie Alice wandering about in front of the car and my beautiful baby and the corner of the Jungalow collided. I am totally devasted, it is not as if I haven't done the manoeuvre many, many, times before. But as Sarah pointed out it is only metal and can be mended no one was hurt.
On Monday Auntie Alice wanted to treat me to my evening meal. She chose the venue, which was the Copper Beech. Now, in the past, we have only visited the Copper Beech for Sunday Lunches, which, was actually ok and good value.
But last night I ordered Luxury fish pie, mash and veg. To say that the food was bad was an understatement. The mash tasted strange and was grey in colour the veg was cold and the fish in the pie was hard as if it had been cooked outside the sauce and then added, it also it had a very pungent ordor.
Needless to say, it all went back, they offered me a replacement meal and took the cost of the food off the bill, but to be honest I had lost my appetite. So I will defo be crossing the Copper Beech off my eating list, except for maybe the odd Sunday Lunch, in the future.
Right, we are now into Tuesday, and my cousin June came to visit Auntie, in the afternoon and in the evening we went to Muse in Yarm for our evening meal. It is a continental cafe/restaurant in Yarm and I have to say the food and interiors were outstanding if a bit expensive haha. Possible future vebnue for one of our GNOs (Girls Night Out)
Wednesday evening we travelled up to Aycliffe to be with Ben, Nikki and the Kids. We had sticky Chinese pork with vegetables which Nikki cooked. It was delicious.
On Thursday we were again eating out but this time we were at Sarah's. After dinner which was a tradtional roast chicken dinner complete with yorkshire puddings, followed by a selection of fancy cream cakes, we sat down for a game of cards, something I have not partaken in since Mam's death. It was a very sociable evening which didnt see Auntie Alice and me leave Sarahs until 00.30am. Auntie Alice triumphed winning three of the four games we played.
On Friday morning she packed her bags and Sarah took her off to Stockton on the final leg of her northern tour before she returns to Essex next Wednesday. BUT..... I have my own bed back yeah couldn't wait to re-aquaint myself with it on Friday night haha.
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