Car shuffle day

Thursday 10^th September; Vines Park

It was cold this morning!  But at least it was dry at 8.15 as Dave set off to the station for the journey to Aston marina to fetch the car.  As I started the fridge defrosting, a council truck arrived and disgorged three hi-vis chaps with a noisy hedge trimmer, loppers and secateurs to prune the shrubs at this end of the park.  Noisy!  And as they started right next to us, Jess and I went for our walk a little earlier than planned.  We crossed the swing bridge to Waitrose, through the gap to the High Street and turned left.

I will have you know that the camera was dead level, 0 degrees on the little indicator on the screen.  This is one of the many older buildings affected by subsidence caused by salt extraction

At the bottom of the High Street we turned right and were soon at the Lido Park where there is an open-air saltwater brine pool.  In the summer there are long opening hours, but at this time of year it seems to be open on Sundays only, and you have to book whatever time of year it is.  If that is your thing you can go cold-water swimming in the dead of winter.  But the park is great for walking your dog and has many fine trees.

Come on Mum, this ball won’t throw itself!

There is some good play equipment, with a Splash Zone (being jet-washed), an enclosed part for younger children, and a deserted extensive area for older kids.

Did I have a go on the wobbly bridge things?  You bet I did!

On the way home we called in to the St Richard’s Hospice shop (close to Waitrose), where Jess had a great fuss made of her.  I think it’s one of the best I’ve ever been in, and well worth a visit.  Upstairs is a decent book department and I bought a couple of cosy crime novels, ideal for a winter’s  evening by the fire.

Dave had arrived at Aston marina by the time we finished our walk.  The fridge had finished defrosting but the council workmen hadn't, though thankfully were working further away now.  By lunch time Dave had returned, after an easy journey apart from a long delay caused by roadworks just a couple of miles outside Droitwich.  He had parked in the car park over the road so I took the car back to the marina while he had a well-deserved cup of tea.  It’s a nice walk back along the towpath.  The council men had started again after their lunch break and apologised for all the disturbance.  I congratulated them on their careful trimming to preserve as many berries as they could – they were delighted I had noticed.

Later we wandered up to town to check out the pubs for a meal, but in the end decided to stay on board with a Waitrose curry.

Several attractive murals on the sides of buildings, but difficult to get a good photo.  This must be of the original Brine Baths