Curry & Chips
Arrived in Skipton over a week ago and have been busy with three dental appointments, two optician visits and one outing.
Our first priority when we arrived, however, was to visit Bizzie Lizzie's which is unrivalled for fish and chips in this area. If you do not need half a hundredweight of chips then the OAP special is extremely good value. Second priority was to go to our secret pie maker. Here we bought real sausage rolls - that is real sausage meat in real pastry. I have it on good authority that the real sausage roll is now on WWF endangered species list. We are therefore sworn to secrecy to prevent plundering. Whilst there we also bought some potted meat for our sandwiches and savoury duck (faggots to us southerners). Once stocked up I was ready for the dentist, but not, alas, for his bill. Why does dentistry not come with a warranty?
I have finally decided that driving into the sun when it does grace us with its presence has become intolerable as the reflection on water and boat roof blinds me. And so to the optician to rack up another bill for polarising specs. Should have them in a couple of weeks and am very hopeful of success.
Graham and Joyce from the Watford and District Industrial History Society were staying at their local cottage recently and called to take us out for the day in their car. These trips occur from time to time whilst we are up north as Joyce is a Yorkshire lass and their enthusiasm for her home county ensure we have an interesting and enjoyable time. This trip took us to The Sawley Arms for lunch where they specialise in home made pies. (Made on the premises, not in a distant factory) That clarification may seem unnecessary to theorists but we have encountered many home made dishes whose parentage is very suspect.
After lunch we visited Brimham Rocks near Harrogate. This is part of the National Trust portfolio and are some of the most friendly sandstone outcrops we have encountered. Plenty of space for children and picnics and many manageable climbs.
Back in Skipton we found Boo Dee's Curry Boat moored close to us. We have been leap-frogging it for a few days and not spoken to the crew so we made amends forthwith. The couple on here have just started making and selling ready-cooked curries which they vacuum pack for boil-in-the-bag reheating. Whenever we cook spicy food or fish the smell insinuates itself into everything in the wardrobe so this sounds a good idea. When we next meet them we will try their wares and report our findings.