9th March - Sunday lunch and walk at Haigh Hall

After breakfast this morning, we checked out of the hotel and I drove to Haigh Hall. I was quite pleased that I managed to get there without taking any wrong turnings and surprised at how much I remembered from last night's journey. When we arrived we met Keith in the carpark and walked over to the hall together. There were about twenty people waiting outside ready for the walk. We waited a little longer for the latecoers and then set off for a walk aroun the grounds of the hall. The weather was surprisingly good. On the way I managed to find the opportunity to talk to quite a few people all of whom agreed that the ball had been a great success. We then went for a well-deserved drink in the cafe before returning to the Hall for the carvery lunch.
We discovered that this time ,much to Brian's dismay we weren't first to be served. Whilst I was waiting I took the opportunity to get to know the two 'strangers' on our table, Judy and Dawn who were from Huntingdon and Cheltenham. This was their first 25+ event and they were both pleased they had made the effort to travel up north. The meal turned out to be well worth the wait. There was chicken, turkey and beef available and a wide selection of vegetables too. For dessert I had sticky toffee pudding which was surprisingly light. After the meal I found time to talk to Peter, Chris and Keith before setting off on our way back to Manchester. The journey home up the A6 was fairly straightforward and before long we were back in Salford.
I was quite pleased with myself for getting through today's journeys with no mishaps.
It was also good that the forecast for rain was wrong.
In all it was a great weekend and a great boost to my confidence in my driving.

8th March - Spring Ball at Haigh Hall

We had a fairly good journey down the East Lancs Road to the Travelodge today. The only problem came in the last 500 yards when my directions failed me and I had to ask for help at the local pub. Eventually we found the hotel behind the petrol station. When we arrived at the hotel and spoke to the receptionist we were told that the postcode on the website is wrong which is why we had a problem!
We decided to have a snack at the Little Chef as I didn't reckon I could last until 9pm with no food. I had a toasted sandwich and Brian had steak pie (not exactly a snack, but I don't reckon it will spoil his appetite!)
After this we returned to our rooms to get ready. We ordered a taxi to take us to the hall. When we arrived we were offered glasses of champagne. We had a brief walk around before going into the main dining room which looked very impressive.When a good number had arrived, Sue - the salsa teacher and her crew began their lesson. She taught us a few simple merengue and salsa moves. It looked like everyone enjoyed the dancing - they were certainly keen to join in. After the lesson the band started to play. I had a couple of dances with Chris. Robin decided to practise the salsa moves he had just learnt with me and we did some jiving too. Chris also had a go at doing "Double trouble" (two girls dancing with one guy) with Caroline and me.
Eventually it was announced that the buffet was ready. We were pleased to see that our table was the first to be called up. There was a good selection of meat and salads followed by creme brulee or fruit salad for dessert.
After the meal the band played again. I danced with Chris and Peter. At the end of the evening I had a dance with Tim too. We took a taxi back to the hotel with Joanne and Heather who we met at November's dinner dance.
All in all it was a brilliant evening - I think everyone agreed it was a success.