30/11/2025 Another Day in Scarborough

On the beach at 0500hrs this morning, it’s definitely the best time to go by far. Less people to intrude on my thoughts and memory recollecting of Si, just me, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the dawn of another day without him.  It was already toasty warm but there are no complaints from me on that whatsoever, and by 0800 the uv index is already at 5.

Today is a struggle, putting one foot in front of the other is taking more effort than it should but that could also be the heat.. 

I picked up a prepaid SIM card today with 70gb of data in Cole’s so I can stay in touch with Kay and the girls if I’m out and about. At $15 it’s cheaper to do that than use the roaming data on the home plan. it’s valid for 28 days, which is more than enough for my needs. There’s WiFi in the hotel obviously but if I’m bumbling around near the beach it is probably sensible to be able to contact someone in case I need them. Go me being all grown up and adult. Don’t get used to it, it won't last.  I topped up my bottled water supply and made my way back to the Hotel California. I Managed to get a photo of a car bumper sticker which I appreciated immensely… I need one of these in my life.  

Due to the wading through treacle feeling and the ridiculously warm weather (no I am absolutely not complaining about it) I had to stop a couple of times on the way back for a rest and a drink. On the last stop I propped the sticks up against the wall as it was in the shade and very noisily drank half a bottle of water . I nearly died when the gate in the wall opened and this woman appeared. I apologised for leaning my sticks up against her wall and taking advantage of her large shady tree, and she told me she thought I was stealing her plants. Clearly my very noisy drinking sounded just like the sort of noise a plant thief would make. I must have looked a bit ropey because she peered at me and  then asked me if I needed to sit down and could she get me a glass of water. Whilst it was  was a relief to know she no longer regarded me as a plant thief I felt I might be pushing it if I accepted her kind offer. Only because if I’d sat down there was no way on earth I was getting back up again in a hurry , so I very politely declined as I’d already filled up on the delightful warm water I’d had in my bag. Just delicious. 

On the way through reception at the hotel I picked up a towel and went into the pool area. Stupidly I couldn’t open the safety gate and had to be assisted, Which wasn’t a bad thing as my hands were a tad full with sticks towels and bags.   

The only downside of the hotel (apart from the carpet) is the lack of sun loungers around the pool, I do love me a lounger. Luckily there was a chair and table free where I could dump my stuff before cannon balling into the pool. Jesus Christ it was bloody icy cold, as my head went under I gave myself brain freeze. Once I got used to it it was obviously fine, but it was a bit of a shock to my system for sure.  The canon ball was childish but I couldn’t care less, it was absolutely spectacular, but as always in these sporty things, there was definitely room for improvement. (Yes Wales I’m looking at you after that humiliating defeat against South Africa on Saturday) yes, I just called my cannon ball effort a sport.

Cooling down nicely and feeling slightly more energised I stayed in a while just floating on my back and watching the sky lost in my thoughts again. I do a lot of that I’ve noticed. My peace was shattered when a scruffy little black dog jumped in the pool and wanted to play. I love a dog but I don’t want to share my pool with one.  It  looked a bit mangy and its fur was pretty matted and unkempt, although it had a collar on so someone must look after it.  I left it there, and got out in case it had a wee or worse. Can’t be dealing with that nonsense today.  Writing this up a few hours later, I’m now concerned if it managed to get out of the pool ok, because I struggled and I’ve got hands and feet to assist me. Dogs only have arms and legs… which are no use for getting up a step ladder that’s under water.

I went back to my room and had a shower and Kay picked me up to go for lunch. We went to Miss Maude’s in Warwick mall, where they serve Kay’s favourite crab sandwich. It is rather impressive , especially when they have it, unfortunately they’d run out of crab so that was annoying. The prawn sandwich came close second so she wasn't too disappointed.  

Miss Mauds was one of the kids' favourites when they were little so it bought  back some happy memories for me. As we left we picked up a box of cakes for afternoon tea to take to Julie’s. I nearly fell over when I saw the cost of the cakes, a 6 inch orange and poppy seed  cake  was on sale for $58 (about £29). Needless to say I didn’t get one to take to Julie’s. Why would I when they had chocolate eclairs??? It’s been agreed amongst the girls that When I check out (but you can never leave) of hotel California I’ll go and stay with Julie for a bit which will be nice. The hotel is great but is much harder going than I expected it to be. Clearly I didn't manage the expectations very well did I? I think if I was feeling more sociable I’d go and sit in the bar and strike up a conversation with some of the other guests but frankly I can’t be arsed. I’ve thrown socialising with people I don’t know straight in the fuckit bucket.

We made  detour via Kay’s on the way to Julie’s for her to pick up her antibiotics for her cellulitis. On the garage wall straight in front of you , there are two life size cardboard cut outs of her and Jim. One is  from their wedding day and they were both used as decorations for their diamond wedding anniversary. As Kay walked past it, she kissed her fingers and put them on Jim’s mouth. I burst into tears , it’s exactly what I do with the picture of Si on the freezer every time I go past it. I mean sometimes when I’m really pissed off with him for dying and leaving me on my own to deal with this shittt horrible life without him, well I poke him in the eyes as I go by.  Then I feel really guilty and  stroke his face and say to him, "I'm sorry babe. I love you”. Si and Jim were similar characters but sadly Si never got to meet him. Obviously mamma Kay and the rest of them did, and as we left her house on our last trip over, she gave him the biggest hug and thanked him because she had never seen me so happy. She was right. I have never known such incredible happiness as I had with Si, and it was so precious I know it will never come again, he was my once in a lifetime. 

When we got to Julie’s house, the air conditioner was on and cranked up to the max. Her Christmas tree is up and twinkling away in the corner of the lounge and we just sat and chatted for a few hours which was really nice. I realised I needed the company. We made some plans for the coming week, although she is back to work on Tuesday, which is a real shame.  

We had a lovely dinner and the christmas chocolates were cracked open. There’s a Lindt chocolate factory outlet not far from Julie’s work and it’s like a pick and mix, you can buy as much as you can carry and pick your favourite flavours. I love this. We need one in Raglan.  This also means you never have the problem of having the chocolates no one in the family likes left in the dish.  Utterly Genius.  

We got back to the hotel just as the sun was setting and it was simply beautiful. I didn't go down to the beach to see it as the wading through treacle feeling was still in force so I sat on my balcony watching the sky go through a myriad of colours until it got dark. 

I’m glad I'm going up the beach every morning,I can have a little chat with Si and tell him the plans for the day. It’s shit he doesn’t seem to hear me because he ain’t replying and I don’t feel him around me. I’m worried he got lost or missed the memo I was leaving the Barn and coming to the Southern Hemisphere. I told him enough times so he should know…

Much Love

Mrs Leonard

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