A bit of this and...

....A bit of that.

Hello again, Thank you so much for all the lovely comments on my previous post about Morecambe. I recommend a lovely day trip there or even a weekend at the Midland.

What I didn't tell you in the post was what a sorry state the hotel was in by 2004.

2004 Photo from Anne's site here.

It's golden Age was 1933 to the outbreak of the Second World War. It was a Military Hospital during the war then handed back to the LMS Railway in 1946.
It changed hands in 1951, 1976 and 2001 and finally closed in 2002.

The empty hotel was vandalised and left to decay but in 2003 the Manchester based Urban Splash bought the hotel and embarked on an 11 million pounds restoration. Seven and a half years after it closed as a hotel and five and a half years after Urban Splash bought it, the Hotel was once again open for business.

If you are interested in the history in more detail there is a great book called The Midland Hotel, Morecambe's White Hope by Barry Guise and Pam Brook is a great read.

On Wednesday evening Hubby and I went to The Heights Pub in Saddleworth. An old haunt of ours, and a favourite place to unwind especially in the winter (if you can get up the hill in the snow) when Sheila lights a real fire in each of the cosy rooms.

Sparky the cat came to see us.

Then I went to see my mum yesterday and we went to a lovely little Italian for lunch.

and right next door to the restaurant is a little petting zoo, free to walk around.

The piggies were very entertaining!

Then we went to look around the Bluebell Cottage Gardens and Nursery.

Sue writes a blog here.

And as you can see the bees were being very busy.

Their 'Grasses with Grace' won Gold at the RHS Tatton Flower Show this year.

She has some chickens in the garden too.

end of the day

And so ends another perfect day.......such a shame I have to go back to work!