Linda has already treated us to a series called ‘Live, Laugh, Love with Linda’. I’m sure you will have found inspiration to get out there and enjoy life, as I did. To keep it fresh, we’re changing it up a bit and now concentrating on some of Linda’s other main loves. We’ll discover what those are as we go along!
LOVE TO DRINK
I do love a good cappuccino. A quick trip to town for a birthday present was the job for the day. Always at the end of the shop was a need to sit down. The promise of coffee and cake helps to tempt the other half to come to town too. Walking back to the car, we walked past The Garden House in Eldon Gardens and stopped for a coffee … well, cake and coffee. The cakes here have never let me down! I have enjoyed healthy food here too! The cool wooden tables and garden theme are like an oasis in the heart of the city. The most delicious mocha chocolate cake and cappuccino appeared in front of me. A beautiful heart in the froth reminded me it was Valentines Day! I was touched that I had been served this. My other half had an americano and a lemon drizzle cake. Both were divine. Totally relaxed, we sat preparing to go home after chatting, cocooned from the bustle around us.
LOVE TO HAVE FUN WITH THE FAMILY
We’ve always been a board game family. Gaming has taken over as an activity and is also fun. Half term on a trip to see the firstborn and his lovely wife, seven of us met up. The first night was games night. After two games – Musical Joust and another electronic game where you knocked a circle over (which suspiciously resembled a head so not too PC), we then settled down to Rapidough in two teams. If you like Pictionary, you’ll like Rapidough. It’s basically Charades with play dough. Being somewhat competitive in our family, with comments and quickness in guessing words from cards modelled in playdough, the game progressed til cries of ‘Oh no, you’ve won!’ signalled the end. An ability to picture a word and create a replica is one skill. Teamwork is another. Games improve memory, speed, problem solving and being a good loser. Family memories are created with disasters and epic wins. Tension is a great game for all ages. Picking ten answers from a question allows many ages to take part. Jungle Speed is like an adult game of snap, with a totem pole to snatch. Cards with similar patterns make people make mistakes, causing great hilarity as they end up with more cards to get rid of! Good eye hand coordination and reaction time is improved. At present, the favourite is to play Dominoes, a classic game for all ages. Do you count the dominoes for each number or do you get rid of high numbers? Skill versus practicality? It’s all good fun and I love it!
LOVE TO TAKE A BOAT TRIP
Every time I go away, I love to fit in a boat trip. My favourite day if you find yourself near Paignton, Devon, is to take a steam train to Dartmouth. An hour or two pottering around Dartmouth is brilliant. Then this is followed by a boat trip to Totnes up river. Wild life, Agatha Christie’s house and ninety minutes of leisurely trawling along an a hot day, is so relaxing. The trip back to Paignton is made by an open top bus. I recommend the last bus, especially when the driver is late! The experience of rattling along country lanes at speed, looking like you are on the back of a motorbike with flattened cheeks, is scary but exhilarating! Even on a shopping and sight seeing day trip to York, I love to finish with a steamer along the river for 40 minutes, to chill before going home. The Lakes offer many boat trips at every lake. Coniston offers drive your own motor boats, which our children love to take over. Another local boat trip is to take the boat to the Farne Islands. A word of warning: don’t sit in the front if it is windy and choppy, unless you don’t mind cold water showering you! I just love a good boat trip.
