Sunday 23 June 2019

Lake District, June 2019. Day 5


Birthday, time.  I was 70 today, yet another milestone reached.  I am always reprimanded by my children, especially Thomas, for not delegating when it comes to cooking and social gatherings and then complaining that I am tired!!  Surely not; Pickwell men are NEVER grumpy!!  So to prove a point I left everything to the family for the day and what a wonderful job they made  Beth Thomas and Heather working especially hard to make the day for me.  Proceedings began with Thomas cooking bacon butties for all on the BBQ and then it was pressie time.  What a lucky man I was, I was touched and honoured.  After breakfast a group of us were encouraged to go to Foulshaw Moss where ospreys were nesting.  Strangely the ladies didn't want me around!!  We were mightily impressed with Foulshaw Moss; what a splendid reserve with a newly installed path and board walk.  It was excellent for damselflies and dragons with numerous on the wing: four spotted chasers, azure blue, blue tailed and large red damselflies.  Our first stop was at the bird feeding station where tits, siskins, chaffinch, robin and great spotted woodpeckers were busily flying back and forth.  Many visitors were juveniles. We soon spotted the osprey nest, although the adults were absent and the chicks were out of sight in the nest.  We were able to get the live camera feed on our phones though and could see the chicks that way. 
Having wandered around the visitor trail a decision was made to call off at the Strickland arms for some much needed rehydration as it was on our way back to the site.  On our return the ladies had laid all of our tables out for a BBQ meal and decorated the tent with balloons and bunting.  On being told to look at the decorations inside the tent I was absolutely amazed to see our friends from Newport and Blackpool there.  What a wonderful and totally unexpected delightful surprise.  No wonder so much food had been bought!!  Heather Thomas and Beth had made a marvellous job of keeping the secret.  Not long after Anna and Gordon arrived, not a surprise but brilliant all the same.
The Pickwell men then launched into cooking an excellent BBQ with Thomas masterminding, while the ladies wheeled out amazing food.
It was a wonderful afternoon and I was mightily touched; what an amazing birthday.
Later the skies clouded over and those staying overnight retreated into the tent awning and the night brought thunder and heavy rain.













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