Harrogate, really? Chapter 3

Have you ever been to Harrogate? It’s a beautiful market town near York🌇. I’ve been loads and love the shopping and eateries there.   My husband has never been, so as a treat I booked us a trip there 😳. Except it was for the Monday after the fall and this was now a dilemma because I was in a lot of pain and had  to get around on crutches.  What ever we did  it was not going to be the romantic ❤️ few days we had planned.

Romance?  I know I’m no spring chicken 🐓 but I do still hamper for time alone with my man; enjoying some wine, 🍷 deep and meaningful chats and wandering aimlessly around the streets 👫 exploring. As a model its worked for us for about 36 years.  Now some of you maybe shouting GET a ROOM or more likely wondering how the heck we’ve survived this long with that approach?  Thankfully we did take marriage vows 💑 because  “in sickness and in health” was about to become the single most important commitment in our history.  Romance on this trip, sadly, would  not have a look in.

So until our departure I rested looking at the ceiling.  Rest you see felt  necessary but really we had no idea that anything serious was afoot.  We couldn’t cancel ⛔️ our hotel or the train (note to self make sure you take the cancellation offer next time Doh!). So bravely I took the decision to go, it was only for three days after all and I had crutches.✅  This behaviour  is so like me, just grit your teeth and get on with it……..

On Monday we took a taxi to the station but the train to Edinburgh was cancelled. This was a sign surely ! (you canny make this up) Nope! instead of giving up we took a taxi 🚕 to make the 1030am train otherwise the ticket was invalid. There I was rocking back and forth trying to finesse  my swing action on these blooming crutches across Waverley to try to catch our train. The pain caused just by sitting in the taxi was already a sign this was a mistake but it was something else that determined that something was wrong.🤦‍♀️

We booked first class but our ‘lucky white heather’ 🌾  run wasn’t over quite yet. The cookers  were broken so they only had prawn cocktail sandwiches on offer 🍤 I cannot eat wet fish on bread. So I starved.  Although I must admit the  co-codamol  I was taking for the pain had  already killed my appetite. At least the seating arrangements brought me some comfort. 💺

Our good luck continued… we were late into York and missed our Harrogate connection. 😧After an hour or so waiting we were finally transported to our  final destination the Ascot Hotel.🏣  This is a lovely, small,  family run hotel on the edge of the town, so under normal circumstances would have been  well placed for our trip.  Harrogate is also a small town, you can navigate it all quite easily, but not on crutches which, incidentally  I didn’t add to my trip advisor reviews.🏆

On our first night we stopped at a hostelry and ordered a soft drink. I couldn’t face alcohol but to be sociable I later agreed to a wine. This should have been a big sign to me something was very wrong, because I couldn’t drink the wine. For those who know me, I will repeat this I could not drink the wine.  🍷🍷🍷

That was the moment I realised  something was very wrong!!