Day 20:Keswick and Cousins

This morning dawned and continued grey and miserable - through the window. The Fells emerged slowly out of the cloud,  disappearing and partially revealing themselves from time to time.  We were content to watch them, chat and stay in the apartment. I stitched my robin. Around 11.30 we thought we'd walk down the main street. Sue remembered another pencil she would like to have.

Unfortunately the pencil shop does not open on Sundays. Most other shops, however, do.

One we ventured into sells items relating to sheep - underwear with pictures of sheep, jumpers, and various other items of clothing. The sheep outside has a sign asking you not to sit on it.










In one corner of the Sheep Shop is a selection of Craft beer and related products all bearing the Crafty Sheep Dog label. This strikes me as odd in a shop that sells mostly wool products, but it does have its own logic - or at least association.














Across the road from the Sheep Shop is the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Pub, a quite large and solid establishment.













Apparently it served as a Magistrates' Court and Police Station from 1901-2000. Prior to that it was the site of a Workhouse founded in 1642 by Sir John Bankes, who was Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1640 to his death in 1644.

Almost any building, it would seem, if you wait long enough, will turn into a pub!

There was also an interesting 'Technology' display by Keswick School in one of the shop windows in the same street.















As we were having our pub meal much later today, we called into a tea house in Lake Street for morning tea. Like all good tea houses, it was upstairs.
When we arrived at 12.30 pm there was plenty of room. By 1.10 pm is was completely full, even though it seated 60-70 people, and there was a queue waiting for tables.














When we came out it was still drizzling but we could see the Fells to the East of the town. It got gloomier the closer we got to our apartment.












At 4pm we donned our coats, hats, gloves and boots and headed out to the Pack Horse Inn where we had arranged to meet Christine and Eddie - cousins who had driven up today from Cheltenham to spend a few days with us. It was a long and wet drive but I'm so glad they so generously came. We had nearly four hours of laughs, stories and good cheer.

I love that we always pick up where we left off and relax instantly into each other's company.

The forecast for the next two days is for rain, more rain, and possibly snow. Whatever it is, I expect we will enjoy being together and find things to do.

I'm counting my blessings tonight.