My kind of beach

We left Richmond straight after breakfast, and MrM drove us up to Wooler via the coastal route, at my request. We stopped briefly for a walk on the beach at Newton Steads. It was warm and sunny, and the sea azure blue - heaven! How I miss living in close proximity to the coast - there's little better than being by the sea, even in bad weather. A few people were enjoying the beach, and near the dunes a group of people were setting up for a wedding. A floral arch had been put in place, chairs had been arranged, and guests were starting to arrive. How lovely!

Then the main purpose of the trip - a visit to my friend J, who is currently receiving end-of-life care. We went bearing ice cream and chocolate biscuits, which she loves, and chatted for a good while. It was lovely to see her in person (we speak on the phone around once a week), but tinged with sadness.

Late afternoon we drove down to Kirkby Lonsdale, where we booked into our accommodation and had a meal before strolling round the town, a very pretty place.