A break in Manchester

Walking along the pier to catch the ferry, the sun just caught two of the forts in the Solent (it was quite early in the morning!)

We've returned from our short break in Manchester, and have brought FIL back with us to give him a little holiday on the island.  

We managed to get out and about in between rain showers (a bit of a feature in Manchester) including a day out in York.  I've not visited there before, and I would love to spend longer another time.  It's full of wonderful quaint lanes with wonderful interesting little shops, and lots of tea rooms serving very nice cakes!

York Minster

Beautiful row of half-timbered Tudor buildings

The view down Shambles - the houses look as though they are leaning towards each other

We went for a couple of nice walks through Heaton Park, one of the largest areas of parkland in the country, and spotted this little chap beside the path, obviously quite used to people.

We travelled back home yesterday, and by the evening two loads of washing had been hung to dry in the shed.  The lettuce was looking a little wilted so it must have been quite dry here.  N and FIL had a dead-heading session this morning and the garden looks a bit better for a little TLC.

This afternoon we drove to Cowes with the intention of parking up and walking along the front to watch the yachts racing in the Cowes Week regatta.  Well, that was the plan.  Unfortunately it seemed everyone has the same idea - I have never seen it so busy, and there was simply nowhere to park at all.  It was a little disappointing as it is always exciting to watch the racing.  However, we had a detour on the way home, and stopped off the see the remains of the PS Ryde, a much-loved, but now sadly neglected and rusting hulk of a paddle-steamer that used to ply the local waters.

Many residents remember the days when the Ryde was used as a floating disco!  There have been several attempts to raise funds to salvage her but to no avail.   It is so sad to see her in this state, and it is only a matter of time before she disintegrates completely.

This evening we glimpsed the Red Arrows performing their breath-taking air display in the skies above Cowes - from time to time we saw the coloured vapour trails and caught sight of them in various formations.

Vapour tails in the sky show where the Red Arrows had been - the planes were just too quick for me to get a photo of them!