Liquourice festival

Busy day today - we had arranged to go and see the house, first time that we have been inside since the pre-plaster meeting and the first time Lottie has been in at all. It looks great, Lottie's pink carpet is down and I can't wait to move in. True to form though, there is a problem with the kitchen which is not to the spec we ordered - worktops and cupboard doors are nowhere near!! Needless to say we have asked the question and left a message for the site sales office to call tomorrow - the poor lady who was there today was only covering but couldn't have been more apologetic. All just adds to my stress levels!

This afternoon we went through to Pontefract for the annual Liquorice Festival - bigger than ever this year. For those of you not aware of the links,

Pontefract's deep, sandy soil makes it one of the few British places in which liquorice can successfully be grown. The town has a liquorice-sweet industry; and the famous Pontefract Cakes are produced, though the liquorice plant itself is no longer grown there. The town's two liquorice factories are owned by Haribo (formerly known as Dunhills) and Monkhill Confectionery (part of the Cadbury's Group – formerly known as Wilkinson's), respectively. A Liquorice Festival is held annually. Poet laureate Sir John Betjeman wrote a poem entitled "The Licorice Fields at Pontefract".


This chap was looking after some little steam trains outside a couple of my old drinking haunts, thought he looked quite a character.

We have been so busy with the house stuff and getting Lottie to bed tonight that we hadn't realised the World Cup Final kicked off earlier than the semis did - we turned on at half time!! Doesn't sound like we missed an awful lot and at least we get to watch extra time!