Two friends, sun and a duck...

Just had a refreshing few days with two friends, packed mum off to a cottage with my sister and settled down to a week of fun, takeaways and wine...  Mind you after a stressful week it took me a while to relax.   We just had a very chilled out day on Saturday,  I shipped mum off and then my friends arrived.  So we just pottered around a few shops,  well two,  a new age shop and then Tesco,  from one extreme to the other!    Saturday night was Mexican food,  we got all the essentials from Tesco,  including Tequilla....  probably just as well I no longer indulge in spirits.   We had a good feed and a good natter,  amazingly we woke up next day refreshed and hangover free!    We headed off to Liverpool One for lunch,  I spotted the Jamie Oliver restaurant, so we were all set to eat there, until....   we asked to sit outside cos I smoke,  but then waitress said that outside was non-smoking...  then she added this caveat:  I could smoke if we just ordered drinks.... go figure!   A red mist descended,  I am not given to being rude, but I told her how ruddy daft it was and I was off to find somewhere that would let me smoke, she said all the restaurants were the same.  Well they weren't!  All the rest allowed smoking outside, so yah boo sucks to Mr Oliver.    Holier than thou non smokers or ex smokers need not bother replying...    We ended up in a South American restaurant,  very designer,   I ordered steak and chips,  steak came cut up on a skewer with a lovely sauce and... 3 chips!  I kid you not, just 3 chips!  My two friends ordered the paellla and had no difficulty in counting the prawns,  they got 3 each...    After that we headed for a normal pub,  in the Albert Dock and sat enjoying the sun.    Monday we headed for Chester,  another beautiful day weatherwise,   then we had a drumming class - brilliant!    Tuesday was beach day,  wasn't intended to be, but we all just felt like a calm day.   I took my friends to see the Iron men on the beach and they were most impressed,   then we had a pit stop at a local hostelry,  as one must.   But by time we managed to get home I was, or rather my knee was very sore and didn't want me to budge from chair, so we ordered takeaway from restaurant we were meant to be going to.   We had so much food it lasted us two days.  Then Wednesday,  well we were supposed to go see the newly restored Japanese garden,  but it wasn't open...   humph, unamused,  they could have made that more obvious on their website.   So we headed back to Albert Dock and decided to have lunch and take the duck tour.   It was a good laugh, tho alarmingly the duck appeared to have a list...  not a good thing when you are in water!   Took photos as we went along,  wasn't bothered about getting the 'right' shot, just wanted a pictorial of the trip.  It was odd tho, the moment we stepped on board the duck the weather changed,  it went from sunny and warm to bloody cold with a freezing wind.  It took us ages to get warmed up. 

Photo is of the statue on the old Lewis's department store...   as the song says: exceedingly bare!