The five of us were able to sit at the same breakfast table that we had the previous morning. I opted for eggs Benedict but found that there was a little too much hollandaise sauce for my taste. One of the lifts was out of order, delaying progress to and from the hotel rooms to the amusement and frustration of the guests due to it stopping randomly at some floors and not at others. This meant that we set off for Tynemouth more than half an hour later than we had intended. The concierge shuffled the cars around on the car park and parked mine next to the Ferrari that is always parked outside the hotel.

On arrival at Tynemouth, we were lucky to find two convenient car parking spaces. Once the cars had been parked we went for a walk past the Spanish Battery and the Life Brigade Watch House before making our way into town to find a tea-shop. Mr C’s first choice of tea-shop, which was the last one we came across, proved to be disappointing. As we arrived, a table became free and we made our way to sit down at it. Whilst we were making ourselves comfortable the waiter told us to go away for five minutes whilst he reset the table. After such a rude reception there was no way I was going back and the others felt the same. We made our way back along the street and entered a small (almost hidden) tea-shop that I had spotted earlier. It was very full and busy but we were squeezed onto a table and made very welcome.

Our next port of call was Tynemouth Castle and Priory which we all enjoyed for different reasons. By the time we had finished exploring the grounds it was time for a late lunch. We chose a cafe near to the seafront and sat in a corner table overlooking the castle remains. We lingered for quite some time, talking about history, philosophy and the current migrant crisis including the view that many migrants probably have no intention of observing the culture of the countries that they are migrating to. Eventually it was time for my brother and his fiancée to return home and for us to make our way back to the Vermont.

As we arrived back in Newcastle the traffic was queued up for a long way past St Nicholas’ Cathedral and we could see lots of policeman, police cars and an ambulance directly opposite the Cathedral.  We struggled to find a restaurant that was open on a Sunday evening, but eventually settled on Cafe Rouge where we had an enjoyable meal. Whilst walking back  to the hotel after dinner, we noticed another police car and ambulance in the same spot as we had seen the earlier incident.

Back at the Vermont, we noticed a lot of security guards outside its Livello Cocktail bar area. One of the security guards got into the hotel lift with us and we got chatting to him. He told as that the security guards had been drafted in because there was a private function taking place in the Cocktail bar. We had a nightcap in the hotel lounge area and arranged to have breakfast at an earlier time the next morning.

A few minutes after I had settled down into the warmth I spotted JD arriving and being intercepted by the Concierge who, from conversations the previous night, I had realised had a wonderfully dry sense of humour

JD and I sat and chatted for a while and he gave me his painting of the ‘Cherry Pie Tree‘, which was inspired by a photo I had taken near to Flodden Field in 2009 ( I love the painting ).  We then ventured out into the sunshine, which had overcome the sudden drop in temperature that had hastened me back to the hotel.  We took a leisurely stroll through the town to the frame shop to take his  latest painting in to be framed.  After careful consideration and with assistance from the  lovely Becky a suitable frame was chosen.

We then strolled back through town to the Cathedral for a cup of tea and more conversation.  The Cathedral tea shop closed so JD and I made our way back to the hotel and its temporary reception area to wait for Mr C to return from his day at work.  I enjoyed our pleasant afternoon together.

Eventually I had to start my long trip back to the Midlands.  Mr C and I decided to have a slight detour for a cup of tea rather than chance Leeming Bar again.  We headed for Mainsgill Farm which also gave us the opportunity to say hello to Kevin the camel!  He wasn’t immediately visible but then he was spotted inside and cosy with his back to us.  Then suddenly when he sensed our presence, he started parading around his accommodation, what a poseur he is

After the welcome cup of tea we continued on the long journey south accompanied by the alarming alert “Severe weather forecast tomorrow” on the neon signs displayed at regular intervals on all the motorways as we traveled home.

After the long journey back, take away fish and chips and a glass of wine were quite welcome and refreshing.

And then it started to snow…

PS: Thank you JD I had a wonderful afternoon