Try praying

"Here she comes again!"  It was when I heard this that I realised I must stop doing walking circuits of Grassington in the hunt for the perfect combination of a seat, somewhere to keep an eye on my bike and a jacket potato.  

I had found a cafe on the second circuit, with a table, peered inside and saw 'jacket potatoes',  chalked on the board.  Duly faffing to fish out my mask and sanitise my hands, I went in to order only to find that they don't do jacket potatoes anymore!

When I saw the sign, 'Try praying' on the third circuit, I gave a wry smile (I was past grinning) and wondered if it really wasn't going to be my day. But then I had a revelation.  

The Hebden cafe was only a mile or so away.  I found a table, queued forever inside, didn't care that it was going to be a 30-40 minute wait (I bought a flapjack to tide me over) and headed back out to my table.  

OMG - someone was in it! 

Worse, it was booked by them!  If I wasn't in disbelief, I might have cried, instead, I apologised to the whole queue, walked boldly to the front and asked for a refund (minus the flapjack) as there was nowhere else to sit.  

What to do?!

I took my flapjack along the road a little way above Burnsall, found a stone stile to sit on and put a few calories inside to take control of my emotional hanger attack. 

Come on Burnsall!  I didn't care what they served but if they had a seat, and somewhere for my bike, I was sitting in it. 

Bacon buttie and a peppermint tea.  That'll do! 

On the way home, I found some beans but was still overtaken by a lovely guy who told me to hook onto the back of the 'old guys' who were attempting to catch him up and I'd have an easy ride home.  They did indeed catch up, were younger than he was and were stretching my legs somewhat.  I'd say it was a fast ride home rather than an easy one but it cleared the events out of my head.

I'm sure you're thinking my whole escapade was a bit unecessary so I'd better explain.  I wouldn't normally be quite so obsessed with a jacket and wouldn't actually generally stop on a ride of this length.  But, I was treating myself.  I've had a few days of food-related nausea and know that a jacket potato sits just right when I'm cycling.

This blip wasn't the site of the 'try praying' sign either. This was in a little amble along a dead end road before Grassington. I wasn't quite sure what was at the end despite walking along at least some of it last year with Sarah.  I think we must have been chatting!  It was a rather lovely surprise.