A weekend in July - Part 1 - A Final Birthday of 4

 So it's the end of July already and like normal things, it would be already the time of having to enjoy a family affair. But this year is different, with the time of the birthday of my dad with my grandad's funeral the day after, it felt like the time of a see how things were to play out.  But the dat before that was the final look at my grandad before he is laid to rest. 

the last minute notes that will be sent into the coffin itself 

The Friday

Times are tough with that, work still having mistakes to sort out and catching up on jobs, as well as Facebook dating did have a match with someone with a dream look but was a realisation of how much of a Phsyco and shit my life is. She didnt say it directly, but it gave me that feeling of I needed to sort things out. 

I eventually got home and it was a battered sausage and chips waiting for me which was nice before the start to finally get some last-minute notes given out.

The Station on the hill home 

The fish and chips 

The last message that was written to be with the wreath 

Plus with time to sort out a PowerPoint for the funeral, comes a WhatsApp at MIDNIGHT with the asking due to being stranded when staying with someone. I have that feeling im repeating last August but soon it will be the time to make things right. 

The Saturday

Either way, the Saturday was a catch-up of work and finally getting things paid in, to then a last trip on a bus home after dropping some things off to a customer with a PS5, I've got a fan to fix and the wifi card to resolder, but work night has a send off to see if that can be sorted out. But it was also nice to be able to see the huge marrows.

The Marrow in the greenhouse 

But then it was coming to its own, the weather seemed to clear up, but then again it was pouring for small bits and clear for others, this was while we had a nice chicken black bean stirfry for tea along with some ham and rice too. 

The Tea from saturday night, ham, rice, chicken teriyaki, pringles and some sauces 

It was also time to relax and watch some more fnaf sb ruin while getting pics and buts uploaded. But then it was time to order tickets for dads birthday. Thank bless ordering online which was the same price as the train itself and ready for the next day. But £14.85 for 3 people return is not bad, like £4.95 a turn too. 

Eventually, it was about 12 and I finally got the start of the photos backed up and my phone cleared about 10GB of files from the past 3 months I kid you not. Especially with vlogs and days out ill try in August, it's worth the preparation. And this was some vlogs to get done in another queue.

I fell asleep at about 2 am in the end. 

The Sunday 

It's a Sunday birthday. now this is the chance of being able to get changed and enjoy what was going to be a wet day out. Things would seem to be finally lead to finding out what was to come. 

The Journey and the Lunch

I got up about 9:15 or so after a fap from a cute yaga, but then it leads to getting prepared with the cleaning teeth snd also finally getting the kettle boiled and pouring into the sink to then get that face removed of hair,  ready and clean. But from that it was 9:44 and one email later to check, we were off to walk in the spitty rain to the station. The train was there at about 10:01 when we arrived. 

The wet station and the train to get on 

We got on to find a table see and the conductor scanned the tickets by 10:10, we were on the way. I text my sister about picking us up at 11 at the station since it was getting wet. The clanks went and the peaceful journey was happening snd listening to memories and updates or plans for the funeral the next day. We got in at about 10:56 and then walked off the platform. It was clearing up, some pots and hold of blue sky, and quite warm. 

So the agreement was to be picked up and then we searched around, no sign of the car, but eventually nt sister was on the bottom floor of the car park, she drove just in and then I ran over to my parents to get them to pick them up. We got in the car, the sister paid £2.20 and then we drove off to the hoe to get the brunch in the usual way. A very quiet drive indeed. We got there and parked just about near the pub. 

The view from the barbican 

We walked in since it was still the case of wanting something but it turns out the breakfasts were no longer being served so we killed time with a pint or two of beverage and chatted about things. I had a pint of lime and lemonade and we shared a packet of chilli and Lime crisps. 

We eventually got near the time and went to order roasts. I and dad went for a roast topside of beef with potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, red cabbage, broccoli and carrot. My sister and mum went for a mushroom-based Wellington with the same options as the other. Nore chatting ensured and it arrived, we found out they ran out of 

• Mint sauce
• Horseradish
• Cranberry sauce

So in that end, we just tucked in, it had its charm to it and nice taste, it was an £18 meal so portion sizes were not high at all but the gravy suited it, the meat was tender and the potato felt good and not too hard at all. 

Insert pics here 

Sister was getting full since the baby was cramping her every so often and she was saying about all types of foods shes not allowed to have in the end. But giving another 20 minutes later and it was time to settle up and leave. We said our goodbyes to sister as she was not able to walk much again with the baby very close, she drove off to get a checkered shirt for the funeral tomorrow for her husband. 

The Aquarium Visit 

But now was the time to get the walk gone to the aquarium, which Dad wanted to go for a change and I've not been there since the days of either tavi college or even the primary. We got there just as the weather started to come in, we walked in. 

The view of the sea 

The view of the barbican from the outside of the aquariaum 

We had a short queue and then got there, £25 per person is steep but the fun of that was it turned out to be an annual pass so it's near unlimited entries for the year. So we got that and then walked up the aisle to then get to the stairs to then start the tour of the marine life off

So, the exhibits were wonderful and curious at the same time, this made it cute and it's a different layout from what I remember. So we go first to the sound part which I remember was halfway on the tour, but this was the part of the raised or high level. But it shows the nice fish that are the near top sea level, some are fresh water, some are estuary based and mostly around Plymouth Sound.  

The fish in the clear tank underwater on the sound marine life exhibit

Then it started to curve down and head into seeing one of the bigger tanks which has more of the British coast's marine wildlife with Stone bass, then some tiger sharks and even more bigger fish. The kids there were a fair few but they were astounded at the looks of the fish and the swimming around in nature.  

The view of the big fish tank 

The fish in the tank are quite big for sure, the Stone Bass in this case 

Then we walk behind and it was time to visit the part I'd never seen it was a vast experience, from the curves of the corridors to the fact of walking underneath the tank in a semi-surreal way. But it was a vast amount of fish here, from more Tiger sharks, Hammerheads and basking sharks to even the  field or pool so to speak, 

The sea grass at the bottom 

More Atlanci ocean fish 

The look at the sharks and the bass 

A closer look at the Stone Bass 

But more stairs to go up and it was more of the chance to check the tank out which then gets to the curved part of the glass, it was as though things show the crowds, but the turtles, sharks and stingrays. But so many people were there which was nice but at the same time as it feels a bit out of time to find the best angle to get pics and videos. This i've never walked in and seen since it was built over 15 years ago 

The glimpse of fish in front of the aircraft underneath or in the tank 

A blurry look 

A more blue look at the tank 

A b.ured look at the turtle 

The back of the Tiger Shark 

Another look at the tank 

The close look at the turtle 

But then it was headed into the coral exhibits which were nice and showed the small cute corals and even the fish that the Finding Nemo series had to offer, which in this was nice to see, living more peacefully and cleanly than the film. But it's lovely how warm the ocean tanks look there. But we looked and it was nice before heading to the last few exhibits.

The coral always has a bright look to it 

Even the purople vibe is nice 

Fish near the pipes 

More pixar influence with the way of nature here 

The tank is clearere here for sure 

We then head down to one more exhibit to enjoy which was coming to the end of the trip, this was a bit more of the warmer climates. This tank was nice and quaint and it was busy there too, but it shows the part of how the calm sea can change perspective on this. But we watched for a fair bit while I took some photos and sawfish as big as my thigh or as well as me, but the way all bonded and mingled is quite a sight. 

A chunky Fish from the back 

The fin is lovely to look at 

The bottome of the Coral Reefs 

The look at the final tank 

By this point, it was the end of the tour and just arrived at the 2:30 pm mark, so we decided to head back up to the cafe it was the case to have a doughnut and it also had a sour apple drink, it was very much a taste like regen. 

The Candy Can and the Donut from the cafe in the aquarium 

We chatted and I had a voicemail from a customer which I expected to sort out at some point in the next few days, the next few days were planned for visits. 20 minutes later, we walked out way t the gift shop and there were more to go with various options,s but after some teasing and cute items to look at, it was out of the aquarium by 3:10 pm.

The time for shopping and a new change in life 

We got out and then walked our way back to town, Dad was a bit agitated due to the train going by 20 past 3 so we would have to take the 17:44 one back home, which then we can sort things out for the looks on the funeral wise. We walked to Primark, which was passing the closed doors of the Barcode. Hopefully ill be holding hands with someone that waddles there but thats looking like a long way off.  

But we got in there and it was time to finally get some jeans, so some clearance slim stretch jeans for £10  which was needed for the daily driver of having crap jeans for the past 4 months or nearly most of the year so far.  But we got that sorted and then got out a way to Marks and Spencer which in turn had some bits we chose to like me and dad got the same checkered shirts for the funeral. 

A Look at hre city centre the other side of the sundial and near the uni 

Then we walked out a way to the bike shop since we had about 1 hour to kill and places were shutting at 5 and not 6 pm either, but we went into Evans Cycles and t was a 40-minute wait before being  able to be served and it ended up having to go for a Raleigh ethos which has a bosch motor, bosh battery and extra little features here and their for the cost work paid£1759  for it, 

The wait was dire for Dad on his birthday but things had to be sorted and then it was either a rush wait for the bike to be bought or a wait for a week before collecting it, So this was then to be and we left there with being unlocked but it did set me back quite expensive about £1759 from work to get things there. But this was needed. 

Then it was time to speed walk back to the train station, which was soaking wet and it was then time to get the train home, we got there and I had a phone call a desperate call for changing over the phone from one to another, but that was done then I walked on the same platform to get on the train and sit with mum and dad. We chatted and then it was a quiet journey home, the rain was easing off but the fog was there and we then had a peaceful ride home. 

We got to the train station then got off and it was time to walk up the hill which had its wet moments but it was nice non the less, today had a long day but it was worth it for bits and then it was time to get home and have something nice to relax with such as a nice ham toasted sandwich was nice with the cheerios and burger sauce.  Birthday cake was a lush lemon one too. 

The birthday cake for dad 

The ham, cherrios and ham toasted sandwich

And so that day was done, with a big day to deal with tomorrow,  and that will show its skill on how things will turn out for the final month of summer.

omracer

A Windy Hot Plymouth Afternoon out

 With the weather being like it is, time off work was meant to be and does feel good, sure there are extra stages to be done and also the chance of new projects to overcome, but with some people still not working as normal until later on in the year, It was time to spend the Sunday with family. Since it just means content for others and also money for the fun future will have to wait. Sure some bits were purchased for an errand and also for a upcoming review, but it was also a rare chance during the maybe near end of the pandemic. 

But for now lets begin this day

The Day before. 

So actually it was coming to the end of the second week of work, this past week as been quieter than usual. Even with batteries ordered and given a box of mini eggs and also moving around a bookcase purchased actually on Thursday. 

Moving headsets above a cabinet 

The new bookshelf on the right hand side in darker brown 

The new bits of stock on the top of that bookshelf 

The box of Mini eggs from a supplier 

It also meant that I finally had to start shifting stuff on amazon, well just the games and put them at competitive prices on games The business has already lost the money on and nearly had for like 3 years so it is a fucking craze. But that gave me to have to run back and forth from the post office to get to pay the £21.10 for 7 games to be posted which only 1 of them was a parcel, the rest were large letter, on RM 2nc class signed for, which that does make the losses worse but its better than sitting there on the shelf forever in most cases. But that was done then it was time to come home, which was okay and then another walk of the dog before it was time that mum says we will have the final indian takeout for a while due to the 20% until end of April. Which we tried dome different items this time, which was nice and it still reminds me of nearly 2 years ago.

The Indian takeout 

Then it was time to catch-up with online questions to make that little bit extra money for the future, Since there are  weekend bonuses about to be had as well, but i managed to get 20 done until 0:20 which meant a nice rest for the sleep. Which then it was time to wake up later on. Plus it was hard to type and deal with a phone call 

A Morning.

Well it was the 8am alarm according to Google Nest Mini, and then it was time to check the phone to see how things have been, Some small updates here and there is the vibe here of the choice of what to do, either work or spend time with family since mum and dad really wanted to get away from it all, But eventually after that it was soon time to get up and then the nice vitamin C drink before my sister called and she was eventually free and not doing anything, so it was time to get changed and check details and emails before the drive to Saltash was to begin. This was also the time to try some shoes out which I had in my cupboard for a few months at least now, When i tied them on, they did make me worry they would slip like an old pair of them from shoezone did before. 

The shoes from Lidl

As the drive happened, some music was playing, My dad asked me if I wanted to learn to drive in Mum's Dad's car since he is no longer comfortable to drive after the recent revelations the past months. I did decline it and I know I've had some anxiety about the choices that could lead to a fair bit of complications and even legal issues, one day I'll have to talk to someone about it. 

The Devils journey 

But then we got to my sisters and we greeted her and shortly after a little chat, we all got in the car and then it was the drive over to Devil's point, passing the Tamar bridge and even  passing the road I had my 2nd and 3rd date nearby, which was 4 years ago now. The sun was out but the wind was even stronger. 

Crossing the Tamar bridge 

As we drove there, we almost lost that car parking space but we got one but had to get out of the car and then the wind really shown its presence here, then we got out of the car and then views were really amazing to see, well its not one to get bored of too often anyway. 

The view of Plymouth from here 

A look to the Cornish coast corner

Then it and the most western point of the Coast was to walk on the path and pass the Devil's point, from the deepest or not really, part of the estuary and then we made our way to the steps to Royal William Yard, which going to the stairs, it was actually a case of going to head a headache or dizzy feeling as I went down the stairs, it reminds me as I felt the same back in 2019 with the escalators on the tube. 

Looking North 

The blurred looked at the south

Using the Redmi Camera app to take the pic 

Then it was passing places such as the wagamamma I had my hear broken from one piece of **** that stole a love from years ago on one very day back in 2014. We then got to the green area and then decided to have something from the Bistro Rapid red van and then it looked soo good. But with them, the baguettes, they had butter on them so instead it was easier to have a Fanta and a muffin. It was since and it was some good talks too, from realising my mum's hair is the longest its been since she had given birth to me a long time ago. That and we were planning to take the wall to the other side after the carpark.

The muffin and the fanta 

Then we all decided to walk to that other side and the devils Point cafe was the plan after a quick one person pay 20p then let me in after before the door shut toilet, which actually the toilet was cleaner Than I thought it was going to be too. But the Lemonade refresher was nice and the walk over was short but a good time for more jokes, even if some will say they were insensitive too. The Wind was also weird wth it being bluestery jn one part but slightly further up and it was quiet, it was also the place I wanted to try to go swimming in one day but since its right next to a ferry port, it might be toxic in the long run. 

A look at the island for us to see 

The view of the mainland almost direct line of sight.

The lemonade Ice lolly

A Barbican late lunch

Then we decided to walk back and then it was to drive to the second part of the day out, the hoe or barbican . Which more talk about memories I was not involved in and also passing memories I had been involved in too from Wedding Fairs to the hotel fro the apple interview even 9 years ago or so. 

But then we parked up just after the restaurant on the corner of the hoe, we then walked our way down to the barbican to then pass the smell of fish and chips, which with the spur of the moment, my mum wanted some, so we walked our way to the centre of the Barbican and then to pass a place which I've not been eating there since the first date I ever had . This makes it easier to have a nice sausage and chips. 

Battered Sausage and Chips 

Then it was squeezed into a bench with all of us there and it was a hard one to comfortably eat plus i was getting full when eating the rest of the leftovers the family didn't want, it was also a spare drink out so i had that and it made me burp, which I was loudly doing and then got told to behave according to mum. But the views of the glistening ocean and the marina is nice. 

The marina looking out to sea 

The marina and barbican

But then we were going to walk across to Vue and the east side but mum and sister REALLY wanted to go to primark and it  was also time to really get the eye on the prize to get some bits and extra pieces, It was lucky i transferred £50 from savings just in case we did go shopping, since I had some errands to get done and last time was to town was actually august last year.  But first was to menkind since some bits and pieces were to be looked at and well there was actually more bits at work along the lines of what was on offer, sure other places were closed and also I  passed a shop,  saw someone that one broke my heart from what feels like another decade ago was only 6, even though that someone that did break my heart a decade ago actually likes some of my instagram posts and even tried to add me on Facebook a few months back. 

Eventually though it was to Poundland to get more tricks done and well jeans to buy and need to cut, I feel like I've lost my sense of style and also could be a tiktok video when i get the chance to film it. 
We will see how things play out but for £5 thats actually good value. Lets be real here,  Life ain't without its bad sides but its time to start getting back to me as I can  slowly add things on the go. But then it was time  to get some extras, the snacks and sauces got tempting but budgeting is important since part of me has not felt in this out of control. But instead the slush puppie ice lollies were really good 

The shopping from Poundland 

Then it was the call to get back to meet up with family, which said they would be at the costa about a few minutes, But I got there and did not see them, so went into game and looked around and even saw a Series X for the first time too. But then it was time to go around the long way and find them from costa like actually more near kfc than costa. But As i got there, they greeted me with a Costa smoothie which last time I had one, it had milk in it and i argued with them since they could have said or put milk in it, luckily it did not. But then in the heat, with a bit less wind, we powerwalked our way to the car. Which was actually the 5 minutes shaving off time before the ticket was up. 

The finished cup of smoothie as I got back to the car

Then it was the drive at the end of the day. 

The end to a warm family day: 

Then it was driving via the back roads where we came to come in, from the same roads of passing the pub with the tortoise for my second and 3rd date. But then we got back to the Tamar Bridge and then back home but before, we dropped my sister off first, the pugs greeted her and then one had a seizure but then we made sure it was okay and then time to head back home and reflect. But with the evening upon us, it was soon time to walk Rosie and well we left home to walk her about 6pm and then walked to the river for more ball to play. She really did enjoy that, some other dogs were there as well for a little bit and they barked but rosie ignored and played ball. 

The sun in the sky at 6pm 

Rosie playing ball

Then it was the time to get home which we did by 6:50 odd. then it was the time to relaxing with family and get some movie time in with them while having a bit of leftover tiger bread on that tea. But the curiously cinnamon was a nice touch to the ham and also to the teriyaki and lime pickle. But that ham is not too bad and the bread was going hard. 

The Sandwiches

So there we have it, the day out which was might be the last bit of family time for a while, there is more spoils to say about soon and I still have videos to film as well as both jobs to sort out, but we can see how it happens. 

so long for now

omracer