A Good Idea at the Time

The story of my life can be told with 'it seemed like a good idea at the time...'

Dropped bear off at school this morning and was nearly at Tesco when bear rang. He had accidentally kept my keys and taken them into school. Poor lad had back to back exams today so I didn't want to disturb him by getting the keys to Reception and picking them up. I told him I would be fine and I would take today as an adventure day.

As an aside, I could have cried. I had so much I needed to do today, and it just didn't get done. Anyway, moving on...

I decided to go to Hebden Bridge. I know at least one lovely reader is from that neck of the woods and it is a beautiful place. However I came through Halifax. I got stuck in strange, multi-lane roundabouts. I got trapped in prolonged road works and kept finding myself in the wrong lane and guessing at the road signs. Finally, I made it to Hebden Bridge and looked for parking. I panicked and found myself at a small car park where the only place I felt safe parking was backing up to a river.

Hebden bridge is beautiful and well worth a visit.

And if you are interested in arts and crafts, there are a lot of interesting places to look into (I avoided the remnant shop!).

In my opinion, which is not very informed, Hebden Bridge is like a few places in North Wales. Places to live are relatively cheap but there are very few jobs. This means that someone who is an artist can afford to pay for housing there, and has a way of making some sort of living. There is a wonderful place where they have a lot of textile art on display.

There was some textile jewellery including a necklace made from what looked like tatting - it was glorious, really lustrous and intricate, but I couldn't afford the £50, and it was definitely worth it. There was a small box of nine plain cards, which I hope to afford later. I can't remember how much they were, but they were more than I could swing, and they were so beautiful. I was thinking of putting them in individual frames and scattering them around the house. They were definitely worth the money, but I just didn't have it.

On the way home, I got out my satnav. It's the first time I've used it on my own. First of all, I found out that the programme did not approve when I turned left instead of right at the start of the journey and kept telling me to turn around or take a right. But I was always right on top of the turn when the programme said, so I missed it. In the end I pulled into an entrance to a firm to try and turn around, but two cars immediately decided to come out. One of them, bless them, stopped and asked if I was okay.

Which reminds me - to the red land rover discovery stuck behind me all the way from Hebden Bridge to Halifax - I am really, really, really sorry. I was doing my best but I got confused with the speed limits, and other things. And to the van driver on the roundabout whose firm I didn't catch - I am really, really, really sorry. I nearly caused an accident and it was totally my fault. And to the lorry stuck behind me from around Heckmondwike to Halifax - you are awesome, thank you for being so patient.

The other issue with the satnav is that I cannot estimate three hundred metres with any sort of accuracy. She would say, 'in three hundred metres, turn right.' I would mutter, guess and turn right and there would be a beep, which seemed to be the electronic equivalent of an exasperated sigh, then, 'recalculating route'. I spent so much time turning around in entrances to firms.

By the time I got to Morrisons to pick bear up, I had time on my hands and just sat in the car and more or less collapsed. I was shattered. I was grateful to get bear home safe.

Then we were out again, thankfully on the bus, to Leeds centre where bear had his first violin lesson. He loved it. We are buying a violin. I am braced. It is likely that we will always go in on the bus as the parking is horrific and expensive and the lovely lady teaching the violin is literally yards away from the bus stop.

And now I am going to bed. Hugs to all.

(and whereeverthejourneytakesme - next time I plan to go there, I'll let you know, plus anyone else that is likely to be in the area)