Dog ......

..... with a stick.

I've had a day off today. After the usual tidying up of foil cases, cherries picked off bakewell tarts and brandy stained glasses that are left scattered around my living room post wednesday cake night, I decided to write yet another email to Yorkshire water. I recently found out from a neighbour that they have been overcharging me for the last six years and despite my numerous phone calls, letters and emails to them, they are trying to avoid dragging their heels about giving me the rebate I am due.

Midway through typing my rant polite email to Yorkshire water, reminding them of their obligations to their customers, I had a text from my friend Mr P asking if I fancied a pub lunch. Never one to turn down a free lunch ( yes, there is such a thing ) I sent off my email and had a wander in to town.

Mr P and I were joined by My neighbour and friend David. Mr P and I both had burger and chips with a cola and David chose a madras curry with all the trimmings and a cup of Earl Grey tea ( he's going through a British Raj phase, luckily he's not riding elephants and shooting bengal tigers... yet ). I have to say I couldnt fault the service and food in the Lister Arms.
Theres nothing better than having a substancial meal with good company and putting the world to rights of a lunch time !

After we had finished eating, the three of us had a walk down to the manor house, only stopping so that I could take a photo of Mr P and David with their trouser legs rolled up outside the Masonic hall.

The Manor house is one of Ilkleys oldest buildings and is now a museum housing many prehistoric and Roman artefacts that form part of Ilkley's rich history. Mr P and David looked at a large aerial photo of the town taken in 1951 pointing out various houses they have once or now live in, whilst I searched the museum shop for old postcards of Ilkley ( for a possible future Blip ;-) ).

After returning home, I went for a walk with David who is currently looking after his daughters two black labradours. Eban is six and Gabe is twelve, both of them love their walks but poor old Gabe struggles to keep up now. After much chasing of ducks and running in the river both of ' the boys ' found themselves big branches to carry. Gabe can barely manage to carry his own weight on his rickety old legs but had a good go at carrying his large branch for five minutes. Eban on the other hand proudly carried his huge branch around the park for the rest of the walk.

David and I stopped for a warming hot chocolate at the Riverside cafe, then headed back, with Eban only dropping his branch to get a better grip of it, or chase the ducks swimming in the large puddle that had fromed on the grass from the last few days weather.

As Gabe did really well to carry his branch for as long as he did, todays blip is.......

..... Dog with a stick.