Great lakes

The other reason I wanted to eat in my room this morning was that I had an early departure planned and didn't want to have to get ready for the dining room and then get ready to go outdoors. Getting dressed is always a huge kerfuffle when my joints are playing up and there's no need to add food item public performance anxiety...

There was an envelope on the tray with a birthday card from the hotel (I'd explained that was why I was willing to pay extra for the privilege!) Despite being grateful to Rachel and Heidi and Ivor for planning ahead and giving me gifts before I left, I left them behind to come home to so this was the only thing to open and then off on a full day mini bus tour of snowy mountain passes and windy lake side lanes (read that either way!). This was what I'd wanted to do but the company hadn't any trips running, and then when they said they had one today I was holding my breath for a very long time to see if it would actually happen. They have to have a minimum of four passengers and I don't know what happened to the others but there was just two of us left and they ran it anyway, so the biggest birthday gratitude ever for that. We went to places I'd never been but always wanted to, like Castlerigg stone circle where I nearly blew away, and places I had and wanted to see again, including the place where the purple house used to be that I recognised even without it! http://rambleswithacamera.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/purple-houserigg-beck.html

The weather was OK for the bits where it was most important - those glorious mountain passes - and we came to a mutual decision to rearrange some other parts where it would have impacted unfavourably...the joys of only having three on the bus I guess. Even when I suffered a technical failure it happened during our lunch break and outside a cafe which had both suitable facilities and food, so lots more thanks to the powers that be!

I was grateful to come back to mobile signal world and find so many messages, e cards and posts on my Facebook wall and a rose on the bed from the hotel's Valentine charm initiative followed by a long nattery chatty call from Bob and a long soak in the bath with my book. Now, I'll be even more so if they're not too many couples smooching over their suppers!