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The next morning after breakfast we decided to walk into town. The skies were a dull grey, but at least it had stopped raining. As I stood on the caravan steps I looked over to my left and there in the near distance were a host of wind turbines turning in the breeze. I joked to the wife that maybe it was a bit windy around here! Withernsea is not a big place and to be truthful it has seen better days. This is a case for a lot of our seaside towns in the U.K, but it has what I would like to call an innocence about it. There's a high street that runs through the town populated by mostly small independent businesses. If you want to go shopping in Marks and Spencers, or John Lewis then do not go to Withernsea, but what it has got is plenty of old fashion cafes. I have never seen so many in such a small area and to me, it can only show one thing, the locals like to get out and socialise. And this is what we found.
We stopped at the Pavilion Leisure Centre as the forthcoming weather reports stated more rain was on the way and as we asked questions about its facilities a total stranger patiently queuing behind us politely joined in, and gave us some recommendations. One of which was to visit a fund-raising fate being held on the local sports field by the church that very day. We duly went along and paid our two-pound adult entry fee (kids were free) so I handed over a five-pound note and said, "keep the change." Like Withernsea itself, it was a simple affair, but the kids loved it. First of all, I got everyone a burger as lunchtime had crept upon us, and then I handed out some pocket money for the little ones to spend. There were various displays going on like dancing and karate and small rides to be enjoyed. The funniest thing we saw was the sumo wrestling suits our two put on, and then bounced off each other. My son got the hang of it quicker than my daughter and he took great delight in getting his revenge on his older sister by continuously making her submit to him as he clambered all over her. My daughter then got her hair braided at a small stall and as I stood around waiting I got talking to the stalls boss. He was very camp and obviously gay, but deep down he was a business man. He had his own hair salon and in the evening ran his own D.J set through the local pubs and at weddings, and at weekends he had people running stalls at events like the one we were attending that day. He had dreams of expanding in other areas like bouncy castles. He was quite refreshing and the type of person that will help to make Withernsea grow once again. Finally, as the wind once again returned and the first drops of rain began to hit my face we left the fate and walked back to our caravan.
When we got back we all showered and got into our jim-jams. I noticed a cold breeze rushing through that should not have been rushing through, and found the culprit.
Our bedroom window had a gap so big in the frame your could put your finger through it. I used my D.I.Y skills to plug it with a whole roll of kitchen paper, and then as day turned into night and the curtains were closed the decision was made to order a Chinese takeaway for delivery from one of the leaflets we had picked up on our walk down the high street. By the time the delivery driver turned up the storm was in full force and I gave him a generous tip for his time. It was getting cold so I tried to turn on the only heater in the caravan, but it didn't work.
So there we were, with a belly full of Chinese as we sat in front of the television with only the B.B.C to watch. The family on the sofa snuggled under a bed quilt to keep us warm as the North Sea raged, the rain pounding, and our caravan rocking more vigorously than Elvis Presley swinging his hips while singing, as we watched the ladies GB hockey team battle it out at the Rio Olympics with the tournament favourites. They put up a fight as hard as the storm raging outside, and they gave their blood and guts. It was nailing biting and went to the wire, but they won.
It was a moment in time I will cherish forever.
Regards
Mark
Twitter@author_king
The next morning after breakfast we decided to walk into town. The skies were a dull grey, but at least it had stopped raining. As I stood on the caravan steps I looked over to my left and there in the near distance were a host of wind turbines turning in the breeze. I joked to the wife that maybe it was a bit windy around here! Withernsea is not a big place and to be truthful it has seen better days. This is a case for a lot of our seaside towns in the U.K, but it has what I would like to call an innocence about it. There's a high street that runs through the town populated by mostly small independent businesses. If you want to go shopping in Marks and Spencers, or John Lewis then do not go to Withernsea, but what it has got is plenty of old fashion cafes. I have never seen so many in such a small area and to me, it can only show one thing, the locals like to get out and socialise. And this is what we found.
We stopped at the Pavilion Leisure Centre as the forthcoming weather reports stated more rain was on the way and as we asked questions about its facilities a total stranger patiently queuing behind us politely joined in, and gave us some recommendations. One of which was to visit a fund-raising fate being held on the local sports field by the church that very day. We duly went along and paid our two-pound adult entry fee (kids were free) so I handed over a five-pound note and said, "keep the change." Like Withernsea itself, it was a simple affair, but the kids loved it. First of all, I got everyone a burger as lunchtime had crept upon us, and then I handed out some pocket money for the little ones to spend. There were various displays going on like dancing and karate and small rides to be enjoyed. The funniest thing we saw was the sumo wrestling suits our two put on, and then bounced off each other. My son got the hang of it quicker than my daughter and he took great delight in getting his revenge on his older sister by continuously making her submit to him as he clambered all over her. My daughter then got her hair braided at a small stall and as I stood around waiting I got talking to the stalls boss. He was very camp and obviously gay, but deep down he was a business man. He had his own hair salon and in the evening ran his own D.J set through the local pubs and at weddings, and at weekends he had people running stalls at events like the one we were attending that day. He had dreams of expanding in other areas like bouncy castles. He was quite refreshing and the type of person that will help to make Withernsea grow once again. Finally, as the wind once again returned and the first drops of rain began to hit my face we left the fate and walked back to our caravan.
When we got back we all showered and got into our jim-jams. I noticed a cold breeze rushing through that should not have been rushing through, and found the culprit.
Our bedroom window had a gap so big in the frame your could put your finger through it. I used my D.I.Y skills to plug it with a whole roll of kitchen paper, and then as day turned into night and the curtains were closed the decision was made to order a Chinese takeaway for delivery from one of the leaflets we had picked up on our walk down the high street. By the time the delivery driver turned up the storm was in full force and I gave him a generous tip for his time. It was getting cold so I tried to turn on the only heater in the caravan, but it didn't work.
So there we were, with a belly full of Chinese as we sat in front of the television with only the B.B.C to watch. The family on the sofa snuggled under a bed quilt to keep us warm as the North Sea raged, the rain pounding, and our caravan rocking more vigorously than Elvis Presley swinging his hips while singing, as we watched the ladies GB hockey team battle it out at the Rio Olympics with the tournament favourites. They put up a fight as hard as the storm raging outside, and they gave their blood and guts. It was nailing biting and went to the wire, but they won.
It was a moment in time I will cherish forever.
Regards
Mark
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