August 06, 2003
Gridlock
While the rest of the country was in the sun, we were in the fog and very pleasant it was too. We made the mistake of going to Pwllheli on a Wednesday. If you look up Pwllheli on Google you get "Pwllheli is well known for its Wednesday open air market". Look down the list a bit, and to rub salt into the wound of anyone who did the search on their return rather than before their visit, you find a BBC entry that shows a picture of gridlocked traffic. You come to places like Wales to get away from the problems of modern life, like ring roads and out of town convenience shopping, don't you? Pride stopped us from turning around and forgetting the whole thing.
The plan was to buy an electric kettle, some food and get out. There was nowhere to park so I dropped the ladies off close to the railway station. The plan was for me to drive around the block and come back in about ten minutes to pick them up. Aranging to meet people in towns does not work. We all know this but I did it anyway. This could be described as not learning from your mistakes or optimism as I prefer to call it.
There is a one way system that is efficient at getting you away from the railway station, returning is near nigh impossible on market day. To my credit I stayed cool, trusting the rest of the family to do the same. When I finally got back to the railway station I was expecting to see Lynne and Kate flagging me down like hitchhikers. They were not there. I admit it, I failed the humour test. It had taken me over twenty minutes to get back and they were not there! I suspected the worst, women and markets, They tend to call it retail therapy and its expensive. Psychoanalysis is probably cheaper.
The only place to park was a car DIY shop -selling exhaust pipes and alloy wheels - that had an empty car park and a large yellow wheel clamp with a big sign telling you what they would do with it. I drove in, parked the car, and went in to the shop. I had no money. Not a problem, I remembered that Chris needed a bit of "duck tape" to seal the bare wires on the side of the house.
I picked a roll up and went to the counter. I told an ageing Welsh Dolly Parton type person, who was chewing gum, I would like to purchase this item but my wife has my wallet, I will find her and return in a minute. She smiled at me and said, "We are not going anywhere" and looked at my car. So I decide to position myself at the railway station and wait for the family. I was thinking this is worth points. I have found a parking place that is cheap at the price of £4.58 for the tape and lateral thinking has avoided the wheel clamp. I could not wait to tell the ladies how clever I had been. I stood their practising my "where the hell have you been" phrases and imagining how sorry they would be for leaving me in this plight.
Then they arrived. Are they apologetic? Not a chance, they were visibly annoyed with me for not being there earlier! In answer to the question "Why were you not where we had agreed to meet?" There was no answer. Am I missing something here?
The ageing Dolly Parton was leaning nonchalantly at the doorway when we returned to the car. I suppose you are thinking there is not a problem. Go in, buy the duck tape and drive off. Yes that would be the strategy but lo and behold Lynne pulls from her shopping bag an identical roll of duck tape, and it is cheaper than the one in the DIY shop! There is nothing else in the shop I will need if I live to be a hundred and that is unlikely.
I a thinking Chris needs duck tape and I have not got the courage to leave without buying anything, I purchase the tape. Lynne decides to leave one roll in the car and one in the house!
Not a good start to the day. The plan was to go to Llanbedrog and do the walk around the headland. The headland and beach are special, the headland is special because sheep have been prevented from going anywhere near it. It therefore looks beautiful - flowering gorse, heathers and an assortment of pretty flowers. The beach is special because it is an upper middle/upper class sanctuary. Who said the class system has disappeared?
The cars in the car park suggest the type of clientele. The behaviour in the toilets confirms it. I am just having a wash after my run (it is twenty four minutes around the headland for a 49 year old with a sore right elbow) in the only available basin when I notice two gentleman queuing up to wash their hands after going for a wee. I take ages and they still wait. Amazing.
Lovely house before the start of the walk.
As we walk around the headland, that is beautiful because of the lack of sheep we smell the smell. It is barbecues and coming from Warren beach, you can smell them from miles away. Add them, or more precisly the lack of them, to my list of criteria concerning acceptable beaches.
We walked off the path and and all the therapy was nearlly wasted. A CRAG thoughts of climbing lasted sixty seconds or so before I got the camera out - an effective displacement activity - Look at the shape of the rock! Not a lot of people whould stand this close to the edge that is why it is an interesting picture! Nothing has been heard of Judy recently but is this basalt?
The family, without Lena, had tea together at a special venue the art gallery.
At least you didn't get the car clamped - worth 10 x duck tape. Did I tell you our car got towed - FROM OUR STREET - because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time...I even resorted on the phone to Lambeth council to a plaintive, 'Does my husband have to know about this?'. Pathetic, eh?
You have no pity, Mike, for elderly gents wanting to wash their hands. Think of our paternal grandfather and the stress involved could have done him an injury. Although I guess he would have never used a public loo.
That last photo is just inflamatory...Lena, don't let him get to you!
Posted by: sarah at August 7, 2003 10:46 AM