Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[screened porch]

Western Michigan University had this tram running again for some anniversary in my memory, but all traces are gone now.

 

[Jack Black]

We walked past the harbour, and called in briefly at the lifeboat station and museum, before deciding to buy some freshly-made doughnuts from one of the many long-standing food stalls, which sell seafood, doughnuts, chips, soft drinks, hot dogs, burgers, and sometimes waffles, to visitors. Like most of Britain's seaside towns, Scarborough is infested with huge, aggressive seagulls, which in the worst cases, dive-bomb pedestrians, or otherwise just steal their food. There are signs up telling people not to feed them, but there's little if any choice about that, and as we were peacefully walking along the sea-front, admiring the view I was mugged for a doughnut!

I didn't report the crime to the Gull Police, but thought there was a very slim possibility this pic might draw JohnDF back to us!



While the whole sea-front is lined with cafes and food stalls, choices are almost entirely limited to fish and chips, and to the fare I've mentioned above, and the smell of the chips, (and the thought of the precipitous hike back up to the main town), soon had us hankering for a chip butty. After the incident with the seagull, neither of us fancied eating out in the street, and all the cafes seemed to be packed. Having walked right to the end of the promenade without finding a spot, we managed to grab the last table at a place, which turned out to be virtually self-service, and rather grotty. While Eve kept the table, I went to the counter to order 2 chip butties, with cans of Dandelion & Burdock. I had to stand there waiting, but when they were ready 10 minutes later, they looked good. At first we thought the chips were crispy, but they were actually rock-hard, and we suspected re-fried. Other customers around us were also complaining, and we soon gave up on trying to eat them. Even the Dandelion & Burdock was warm, and a very inferior brand



We left the rotten chippy, and returned to walking along the sea-front, admiring the views, and calling in the odd shop to admire and laugh at the tourist tat on sale.













(Part 3 to follow )

 

[echoscout]

I had arranged to meet Eve at the train station yesterday, for our trip to Scarborough, and was there early enough to get coffee and a cookie. The train to Scarborough used to be direct, but we had to change trains at York. It's a pleasant journey though, through attractive scenery, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. After getting into Scarborough, our first task was getting another coffee. We went to a stylish cafe we know, opposite the old Victorian tramway, which still takes people up and down the cliff to the beach.

View attachment 3221576

After enjoying our coffee, we strolled down the hill in the sunshine. The high street that runs down from the train station starts off quite modern, but gains character as it descends, lined with independent shops selling curios, old-fashioned souvenirs, antiques and junk, there's even a shop which sells examples of Victorian taxidermy! We went in a few of them, and they were all extremely friendly. A Scottish lady, who relocated to Scarborough many years ago, and was about to close early to go and watch the tennis, took us through the shop to show us the sea-view from her garden at the back. Unfortunately, the place we had planned to have lunch was closed on Thursdays, which seems to be a bit of a thing in Scarborough. When I was a boy in Sheffield, shops closed early on Thursdays, but that stopped around 1970!

View attachment 3221579

View attachment 3221580

View attachment 3221578

Many of the shops on this street have been here since I was a kid, and some go back to the 19th century. One of them had a sign up saying they were closing today due to retirement, and I went in to wish them well, and tell them my memories of buying penknives there as a boy. The lady proprietor seemed excited about her retirement, and chatted to me warmly. She good-naturedly recalled her dealings with the Sheffield cutlers over the years, and how useless they were! Wright's had gone from bad to worse, and they couldn't even get any knives from them in the end. When she mentioned they had only 4 Lambsfoot knives left, I thought I might purchase them as a souvenir, but an old farmer had beaten me to it, since he wasn't sure where he'd be able to buy them in future.

Right down at the bottom of the street is a joke shop (these are photos from another visit), which I have always thought I had visited as a boy. The chatty assistant told me that lots of people came into the shop saying the same, but we must all be confusing it with somewhere else, as the establishment only goes back to 1980!

View attachment 3221582

View attachment 3221583

While they may have only been made recently, the packaging designs of many of the items in the shop certainly goes back to my boyhood, and probably my father's, and I couldn't resist buying a few things, some of which I was surprised were still not illegal!

View attachment 3221587

After leaving the joke shop, we rounded the corner onto the sea-front, which was quite busy, and walked along with one eye on getting something to eat. We continued to another antique shop, which had only recently opened on our last visit. It had lots of interesting stock on display, but only a few knives, which all looked to be in fairly poor condition, as well as overpriced. We crossed the road to the pier and harbour, and walked along the other side of the road, in the opposite direction to before. While the fishing fleet at Scarborough is much reduced compared to in the past, they still fish for crabs and lobster, and there are fishing trips leaving regularly.


View attachment 3221595

View attachment 3221596

(Only 10 pics at a time, so I'll have to continue in another post )

We walked past the harbour, and called in briefly at the lifeboat station and museum, before deciding to buy some freshly-made doughnuts from one of the many long-standing food stalls, which sell seafood, doughnuts, chips, soft drinks, hot dogs, burgers, and sometimes waffles, to visitors. Like most of Britain's seaside towns, Scarborough is infested with huge, aggressive seagulls, which in the worst cases, dive-bomb pedestrians, or otherwise just steal their food. There are signs up telling people not to feed them, but there's little if any choice about that, and as we were peacefully walking along the sea-front, admiring the view I was mugged for a doughnut!

I didn't report the crime to the Gull Police, but thought there was a very slim possibility this pic might draw JohnDF back to us!

View attachment 3221607

While the whole sea-front is lined with cafes and food stalls, choices are almost entirely limited to fish and chips, and to the fare I've mentioned above, and the smell of the chips, (and the thought of the precipitous hike back up to the main town), soon had us hankering for a chip butty. After the incident with the seagull, neither of us fancied eating out in the street, and all the cafes seemed to be packed. Having walked right to the end of the promenade without finding a spot, we managed to grab the last table at a place, which turned out to be virtually self-service, and rather grotty. While Eve kept the table, I went to the counter to order 2 chip butties, with cans of Dandelion & Burdock. I had to stand there waiting, but when they were ready 10 minutes later, they looked good. At first we thought the chips were crispy, but they were actually rock-hard, and we suspected re-fried. Other customers around us were also complaining, and we soon gave up on trying to eat them. Even the Dandelion & Burdock was warm, and a very inferior brand

View attachment 3221609

We left the rotten chippy, and returned to walking along the sea-front, admiring the views, and calling in the odd shop to admire and laugh at the tourist tat on sale.

View attachment 3221615

View attachment 3221611

View attachment 3221612

View attachment 3221613

View attachment 3221614

View attachment 3221614

View attachment 3221624

(Part 3 to follow )

Glad you had a good trip to Scarborough with Eve. Hope with can rest up some today.

 

[Jack Black]

At the end of the promenade, we boarded the Victorian tram back up the cliff. Mile for mile, this has to be the most expensive tram in the world, but it's a lot better than walking up the steep steps, as well as being a lot quicker!



At the top, we admired the view of the bay below, which Queen Victoria, on her lofty perch, doesn't get to see.







We had a look in a couple of small antique shops nearby, but didn't see anything of interest, and then went for an excellent cup of tea, and a nice piece of cake. Unfortunately, while the chips had been awful, the small amount of them we'd eaten had rather dulled our appetites, and we didn't really fancy a meal. We did go for an ice-cream though, and as the best place was halfway back down the hill, we walked there, via the lovely old market, and another antique shop, from where I bought a few coins.

The Italian ice-cream shop was also really friendly, with a large variety of ice-cream flavours, and they gave us huge scoops of ice-cream for only slightly more than the cost of the tram-ride. We sat outside and ate our ice-cream cones, and chatted about what to do next. Our train back to Leeds wasn't due for a couple of hours, so we decided to continue walking back down to the foot of the hill. When I spotted this rock in the joke shop window, I could'nt resist taking home a few souvenirs!



It was a good day out, but we were both worn out by the time we got back to Leeds

 

[Jack Black]

I hope Friday is an easy one for you Jack. I'll say that's some plastic fantastic. Must dig mine out soon.

Thanks Bob, I am very fond of it, and people are always interested in hearing the story behind the covers

View attachment 3221594

Great shot of your beautiful Waboom my friend

Eve is a lovely young lady Jack.
I'm enjoying your outing.

Thanks buddy, she has always had a very pleasant personality, and it's nice that it hasn't changed as she's grown up

View attachment 3221605
Western Michigan University had this tram running again for some anniversary in my memory, but all traces are gone now.
View attachment 3221606

That's interesting Jer, I seem to recall there is a tram that takes you up the steep hill to Zurich university, and it's a great way to see the wonderful view over the city for free. I also went on a funicular railway, which goes up one of the mountains in Lugano, but it is far from free! Hard to believe I spent years travelling without a camera!

Glad you had a good trip to Scarborough with Eve. Hope with can rest up some today.

Thank you kindly David, it is after 1pm here now, so I suppose I better get some work done!

 

[echoscout]

Morin Guardians Pleasant out this morin. It's going to get hot this afternoon Hope y'all have a good day

 

[Jack Black]

Morin Guardians Pleasant out this morin. It's going to get hot this afternoon Hope y'all have a good day

View attachment 3221649

Hope you can find somewhere as cool as your Lambsfoot David

 

[mitch13]

We walked past the harbour, and called in briefly at the lifeboat station and museum, before deciding to buy some freshly-made doughnuts from one of the many long-standing food stalls, which sell seafood, doughnuts, chips, soft drinks, hot dogs, burgers, and sometimes waffles, to visitors. Like most of Britain's seaside towns, Scarborough is infested with huge, aggressive seagulls, which in the worst cases, dive-bomb pedestrians, or otherwise just steal their food. There are signs up telling people not to feed them, but there's little if any choice about that, and as we were peacefully walking along the sea-front, admiring the view I was mugged for a doughnut!

I didn't report the crime to the Gull Police, but thought there was a very slim possibility this pic might draw JohnDF back to us!

View attachment 3221607

While the whole sea-front is lined with cafes and food stalls, choices are almost entirely limited to fish and chips, and to the fare I've mentioned above, and the smell of the chips, (and the thought of the precipitous hike back up to the main town), soon had us hankering for a chip butty. After the incident with the seagull, neither of us fancied eating out in the street, and all the cafes seemed to be packed. Having walked right to the end of the promenade without finding a spot, we managed to grab the last table at a place, which turned out to be virtually self-service, and rather grotty. While Eve kept the table, I went to the counter to order 2 chip butties, with cans of Dandelion & Burdock. I had to stand there waiting, but when they were ready 10 minutes later, they looked good. At first we thought the chips were crispy, but they were actually rock-hard, and we suspected re-fried. Other customers around us were also complaining, and we soon gave up on trying to eat them. Even the Dandelion & Burdock was warm, and a very inferior brand

View attachment 3221609

We left the rotten chippy, and returned to walking along the sea-front, admiring the views, and calling in the odd shop to admire and laugh at the tourist tat on sale.

View attachment 3221615

View attachment 3221611

View attachment 3221612

View attachment 3221613

View attachment 3221614

View attachment 3221624

(Part 3 to follow )

Sounds a great day Jack.
Seagulls are no worries I one watched a kookaburra swoop and take quarter of a chicken out my brother’s hand.