Bangor Pier and the Icelandic Jesus

It might have been Sunday night - Fiona would probably remember better than most. She was with Julia sorting out the new stack of pillows that had arrived for the hostel. I grew concerned when Julia returned, but Fiona did not. I discreetly asked Julia if she had smothered Fiona with a pillow. "No. I smothered her with all 48 of them." When Fiona did walk in a moment later, Julia quickly added....."then I brought her back to life." It's definitely worrying how well Julia fits in here. The madness is increasing at some incalculable rate. 

My dad came to visit for a few days, and he'd only been in Eskdale a matter of moments before he found his way to the Woolpack (dragged along by me to watch the Wimbledon final). Tom was there, and surprised to see me, having thought I'd actually died from the female version of man flu. Struan was also around, and in between trying to get my dad drunk (good effort), he randomly presented me with a Spurs shirt from 1997. I'm not entirely sure how much he remembers about it, so if anyone hears that he's looking for it......!! Unfortunately, I couldn't stay to watch Murray win, I got as far as 4-4 in the 3rd set before having to leg it down the road for the start of my shift. 

One of the things that my dad absolutely wanted to do whilst in Eskdale, was to take a ride on La'al Ratty - the steam train to Ravenglass. He was so excited in fact, that he pushed young children out of the yway in order to get the best seat on the train (a more accurate account of this is that we got to the station an hour early). 

On Tuesday evening I presented Fiona with an early birthday present. I think she was in denial about not wanting an Icelandic tattoo on her left buttock, so I bought her some of those temporary transfer things. Five in fact. She had great plans for all of them. "I'll wear one this way up, so it's like a cross - then people will think I'm the Icelandic Jesus. And another, I'll put down that way...." Which I thought was just a little too much detail. 

I headed off early the following morning - to North Wales, and my middle brother's PhD (in soil) graduation at Bangor University. After the ceremony I gave Rory an unique graduation gift - jelly worms in a mud filled Tupperware box. I didn't quite have the nerve to act upon Rachel's suggestion - that I went dressed as a worm (wearing my sleeping bag). While Rory went to the pub I went for a wander along to Bangor Pier with mum. I was very excited by the toilet at the end, which you could sit on and see the sea through the wooden planks below.