Having settled Fantasma into her winter mooring we were collected by friend David and taken to Cumbria where we were going to house-sit his and his partner Carol’s beautiful Dudden Estuary home while they visited relatives in Australia.
We had no particular duties other than forwarding mail and - horror of horrors - looking after David’s orchid collection.
Part of Davids orchid collection
WOW!! we have known Carol and David for many years so surely they both know we can kill any plant just by being in the same room nay building and they leave us with a collection of prized orchids!!!!
They live in a small village that has a good range of shops where virtually all are independent. Tesco and a Boots Chemist being the main exceptions.
The independent shops were an absolute credit to shopkeeping, polite, helpful and with very good stock ranges, so it was rarely necessary to drive the 24 miles to visit Barrow in Furness, the nearest big town.
At one shop - Fergusons - we purchased curtain fabric and thermal/blackout curtain liner at an embarrassingly low price and after purchasing a sewing machine (we went to the lock-up but could not find the old one) and grommet fitting tools etc., we made new curtains for NB Fantasma. We think they are great and are very proud of our efforts
While in residence we had a visit from pal Mark and we visited some interesting local sights, and of great interest to us was Ulverston Canal, which runs from Ulverston town to Morecambe Bay.
Ulverston Canal Basin
We had other friends Janet and Peter visit, in fact, we went south(ish) and spent the night on Fantasma waking up to a very icy day, the temperature had dropped well into the minus figures overnight. Everything was frosty white and the roads were like a skating rink. We met Jan and Pete at Chatsworth House where we spent the day viewing the Christmas displays and the night at a Premier Inn local to Chatsworth.
Christmas at Chatsworth House.
The Premier Inn was different from others we have used (and we have used many) in that it had a restaurant where we ate dinner and breakfast, both were very good indeed and the staff were attentive, friendly and very professional.
We had a splendid time living in a “proper” house with running water that did not need a tank filled regularly and flushing toilets that did not need frequent emptying but were still pleased to get home to Fantasma.