A weekend in Lancashire! The Scribbler goes all country!

I'd love to say I missed the smog, crowds and high rises when I ventured north to see Stevie B and Laura a few weekends back, but that'd be a lie. A lie!

So it was that a few weekends back, I escaped,so I did, to the sprawling hills and valleys of Lancashire, and my, did we enjoy ourselves! I grew up in the countryside, and let me tell you when I smelt the fresh tingle of manure wafting up my nostrils, I felt like I was home!

















Feeling like I should at least show my face at their new abode (being best man at their wedding and all!) I ventured north on a Friday eve. Many miles north. My Virgin train service took 3 hours from London to Preston. Fast. I was impressed.

And no, this is not an advertorial for Virgin Trains - (but if they'd like to pay the Scribbler for some advertising on these pages - just ask old Dickie Branson to get in touch!)

Steve and Laura live 20 minutes outside Preston, in a beautiful little house where the bedroom windows look out over hills, and where people give you a nod as you walk out yer front door.

When we went out for a meal in a local pub, the waitress and indeed the people at the next table had no qualms about striking up a conversation with us... not something you get very often in the big smoke, let me tell you that now..!

Lambs are sweet aren't they? We thought about them when we ate a nice joint of lamb that evening... although we shed a tear as we did so...

Sweet, eh? But all I can think of when I look at this photo of the happy couple is I'd better get on with writing that best man's speech. Sharpish.

Further to that theme, we went out and sorted out our wedding suits that very weekend. There, a very nice gent in the suit shop called Len had no qualms about speaking to us for a very, very long time. Nice folks up north, I tell you that now.

The suit was pretty good too, after we'd chatted about colour combinations for the best part of an afternoon..!

Three weeks until wedding time... better get cracking!