North East - Day 3

Up and out for another quick stroll around the area (and to check on the car, parked some 400m away).

Spanish City is undergoing a major refurbishment and, as usual, my eye was drawn to workmen perched half way up the 75-foot dome:

Back to the promenade, from where we could see (and, courtesy of the FindShip app on my phone, identify) the Ikan Luding, which remained there at anchor all the time we were in Whitley Bay, and was still there 10 days later:

At 09.30 we were picked up by L & P, and headed north to Alnwick for our second visit to Barter Books.

Almost as soon as I was inside, the book by Lynch caught my eye and was retrieved and purchased just before we left.

I almost passed on the Gielgud letters, but opened the book randomly and found the following entry [comments inserted by me]:

8th November 1958

To Paul Anstee [One of the three great loves of Gielgud's life]

"Lovely day in New York – glorious weather, no overcoats – met Miss [Greta] Garbo on Park Avenue looking like a displaced charwoman. I'm sure she cuts her own hair with nail scissors."

I was immediately hooked and had to buy it.

Back into the car and heading further north, where we picked up L & P's youngest daughter, R, and headed on to Eyemouth.

The "girls" were intent on visiting St Abbs Wool Festival; P and I, not having drunk the Kool-Aid, went for a walk around Eyemouth:

We made our way back to the Festival, where we were assured by our various partners / daughters that our savings remained largely intact, and then back to the car to move on to St Abbs, where we met up with R's husband, A, and their three little ones, Nemo, Pebble and Pip.

To the reknowned Ebb Carr's Cafe, where nine of us squeezed around a couple of tables and worked our way through the menu.

Pebble and Nemo enjoyed a shared cake:

After a stroll around St Abbs Harbour it was time to head back to R & A's for an evening meal - prepared, transported in the boot of the car, and cooked by L.

Before we ate, there was time for games. This particular version of 'Hide & Seek' involved Nemo and Pebble removing from their toy basket every single toy and item of dressing-up clothing, demanding that I close my eyes for various lengths of time - "count to 14! - no - 17!!" (Nemo is practising larger numbers), both of them climbing into the basket and me then pretending to look for them and acting surprised each time I found them, with Pebble demanding "Again, again!!" each time the lid was raised:

After a while I think it dawned on Nemo that this was perhaps too easy, so he took to hiding separately, behind both his Grandad and the settee:

After ten or so rounds of Hide & Seek there was also time for a cuddle with baby Pip:

and before we left, time for reading. Nemo selected 4 books from the shelves and each was duly read in turn - twice:

An uneventful trip back to Whitley Bay, where we were dropped off at our hotel after another happy and enjoyable day.