Thursday 4 September 2014

A Birthday In Skeggy

It was my birthday yesterday. I got some lovely gifts, including a new pig from Mick to join Mavis and Joffrey on the lawn, this one (on the right) has been named Hetty.


Daniel bought me a couple of very cute solar owls, their eyes are so bright at night.


Eleanor bought me (amongst other things) a gorgeous new purse, I love it.


I got so many gifts this year from both family and friends, chocolate and wine too and some money as well as lots of lovely cards.

Mick hadn't told me until I was in bed on Tuesday night, but he'd booked the day off work so it meant that we could go out for the day. Both he and Eleanor had put their heads together and Eleanor came up with a day out in Skegness. I often talk about the family holidays I had with my mum and dad in Skegness, they were the best holidays ever, but it's many, many years since I've been so I thought it was a wonderful idea.

We left quite early, without breakfast, so we stopped at a service station for a sausage sarnie from Greggs.


It took us a little over two hours to get there which is much quicker than it used to take us nearly forty years ago. New roads have been built in this time which bypass all the little towns and villages we used to pass through.

The first familiar sight when we arrived was the clock tower, though it looked as though it could do with a bit of a clean up. It was built in 1898-99 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.


We used to stay in a small hotel when I went on holiday with my mum and dad. We used to meet up with some other families who had children around my age and we all had a brilliant time. I went to see if the hotel was still there, and it was.


The Northdale Hotel was run by Peter and Hazel Hall when we used to stay there, and they were brilliant hosts, often putting on a fancy dress party during the week we were staying. We had so much fun.

We spent so much of the day just walking round while I reminisced. Most of the attractions that I remembered were still there.





I used to love this Fairy Dell paddling pool, though it's undergone a major refurbishment in recent years. They did keep the original fountain though.


I remember the outdoor swimming pool but this wasn't it. The original one was closed in the 1980s, to be replaced by another 50 yards away.


I'm pleased to see that Natureland is still there. It was opened in 1965 and works to return abandoned baby seals which are washed up on the beach in need of medical care back to the sea. We didn't go in, but you can see the seals swimming about from the outside.


I used to love the Pleasure Beach when I was young, now I'm the coat and bag holder whenever we go to a funfair, I don't like the rides at all.


Something which wasn't here when we used to visit was the Lincs Wind Farm, you can just make out the wind turbines in this photo, they stand about five miles off the coast. This project was only completed last year.


It was a lovely day when we arrived but the sun went in a little later, there weren't many people on the beach.



We always used to hire a beach chalet but they're no longer there, a car park now stands in their place.

A lasting memory is of us all heading down for a game of crazy golf after tea. This is the exact same crazy golf that we used to play.


Eleanor and I had a little flutter on the 2p shove machines.


I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I loved my holidays as a child and I don't think I was wrong about Skegness, it's still got lots to offer if you like traditional English seaside holidays.


I'm not going to leave it so long to return again.

If you haven't already entered my giveaway, don't forget to do so. You have until twelve noon on Thursday the 11th of September 2014 to leave a comment on my Fourth Blog Anniversary Giveaway post.

40 comments:

  1. Happy birthday for yesterday, Jo. It looks like you had a wonderful day. :o)

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    1. Thank you. I had a fabulous day and it was great weather too.

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  2. Belated Happy Birthday.....sounds as if you had a great day out.

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    1. Thank you. I've been wanting to go back to Skegness for a long time, so this trip really made my birthday.

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  3. You could have popped in for a cuppa as I'm only an hour away, no crazy golf here though just people ;) Glad you had a good time and it took a while to work out what on Earth that bottom pic was of lol x

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    1. I'd have taken a detour had I known. Ha ha, that last photo could look quite rude to some people I suppose. It's a slush.

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  4. Happy, belated, birthday! It's nice to see that you really enjoyed yourself, and got lots of lovely presents.
    I'm surprised that so much as remained relatively unchanged after all that time. Like you I have some fond, if now somewhat faded, memories of traditional seaside holidays when I was a child.
    Flighty xx

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    1. Thank you. I had a wonderful day. I didn't think I'd recognise the place after all this time, but apart from the McDonald's and Subway, it's all pretty much the same, which I loved. My mum and dad always made special holidays for us when we were children, I have very happy memories of them.

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  5. Happy Birthday! It looks like you had a good time, and I'm so glad you enjoyed a trip back to Skeggy! And how lovely that it has and hasn't changed in the time since you used to go. Enjoy the rest of the birthday week, and I love the piggy!!

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    1. Thank you. I couldn't believe how much was just as I remembered it. Such happy memories for me.

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  6. Happy Birthday a day late! I'm glad you had such a nice day. It's always fun to revisit places we enjoyed in our childhood.

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    1. Thank you. I was thrilled to be taken back to the place where I enjoyed so many happy holidays as a child, and also to find that it hadn't changed much.

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  7. Happy Birthday Jo, what a lovely time you had. Thank you for posting the photos, I have never been to Skeggy but we have just booked a music weekend to Butlins in December!! You have such a thoughtful family, I love those owl solar lights. Xx

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    1. Thank you. You must go in to Skegness yourself while you're there, thought I suppose it will have all wound down for the winter in December. I love the owls too, they look great by my little pond.

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  8. Happy belated birthday!
    The piggy is sweet.
    One thing for sure when you used to holiday there years ago there were no wind turbines off shore as I can see it the one photo.
    We have them here too along the shores of the Great Lakes.
    There's no better way to spend a birthday than with the ones you love revisiting the joys of years gone by...
    Susan x

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    1. Thank you. I love pigs, these aren't the only three I have in my garden. I was quite surprised to see all those wind turbines, they definitely weren't there nearly forty years ago. I had a wonderful time yesterday.

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  9. What a lovely surprise going out to Skegness for your birthday. The new pig is gorgeous and I saw some of those owls in Ilkley today. Glad to know someone else who doesn't like fairground rides. Even as a child I'd only really go on a merry-go-round if I had to. Thanks for the pics and take care.

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    1. I was thrilled when they told me what they had planned. You've been to Ilkley, such a lovely place, we often drive out for a little wander around on a Sunday. I was a little braver around fairground rides when I was younger, I've become much more of a wimp as I've got older.

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  10. A very Happy Birthday to you and Many Happy Returns.
    xx

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  11. Happy belated birthday. What a lovely way to spend the day. I love the seal sanctuary in Skegness and it sounds like a lovely family day - the best kind xx

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    1. Thank you. I had a wonderful birthday, as you say, days spent with family are the best kind.

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  12. Happy birthday Jo - looks like you had a grand day out! I love that you have a pig called Joffrey - are you a Game of Thrones fan? We love it!

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    1. Thank you. It was a fabulous day out. I don't like Game of Thrones, though I can't say I've really watched it, I've just caught snippets of it when Daniel's been watching it, it all looks a bit too violent and gory for me. Daniel's a fan of it and it was him who named that particular pig so I guess that must be where he got the name from.

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  13. Happy Birthday Jo!!!! Glad that you had a lovely day, you received some lovely gifts. That drink looks a bit wild! Did you bring the "cup" home so that you can have another one! xx

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    1. Thank you. It was Eleanor's slush, they're too cold for me. Apparently, you can get it refilled for half price, it's a shame it's a bit too far to go just for it filling up again though.

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  14. Happy Birthday - yes memories of seaside trips - Scarborough and Whitby - oh and the paddling pools. Happy Days xxx

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    1. Thank you. Family holidays were always in Bridlington when my brother and sister were little, they changed to Skegness when I was young. My first steps were taken in Bridlington.

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  15. Happy belated birthday Jo. It sounds like a lovely way to spend your birthday. We love crazy golf too, it's such fun whether you're 50 years old or 5! X

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    1. Thank you. I was thrilled to go back to Skegness, I've been wanting to return for such a long time to see what it was like now. Crazy golf was a bit of a tradition for us, we'd have tea and then all go for a game, mums, dads and children all played, it was something we could all do together.

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  16. Happy birthday, what a lovely surprise for you and very well thought out, great the weather was good and you could enjoy visiting so many places bringing back so many happy memories. Love your little piggies and the owls, have a great weekend xcx

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    1. Thank you. It really was a surprise as I didn't even know that Mick had booked the day off work until the night before. I got some really lovely gifts, I've been well and truly spoilt this year.

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  17. At first glance I thought the pigs were real! Love the solar owls, I'm a bit obsessed with owls. I remember skeggy from my childhood too. We used to go for day trips in the summer. Your photos are great and it looks like you had a wonderful day. T x

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    1. The pigs do look rather lifelike if you just glance. Owls have become very popular just lately, I love them too. We had a wonderful day in Skegness, I'd like to go back now so that I can have a look as the places we didn't get to see this time.

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  18. Glad you had such a lovely birthday what a nice idea by Mick and Eleanor. We don't live too far away from Skegness and will venture over there usually out of season when it's not so busy as there is a great fish and chip shop on the front. Number 3 and D used to go for tea sometimes after school if he's had a particularly good day but now he's moved schools they will be looking for somewhere a little nearer as Skeggy is in the opposite direction now.

    Mitzi

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    1. I've never been to Skegness out of season, I've often wondered what it's like, I suppose all the attractions will be boarded up. How lovely that you live close enough to go for an after school treat, I hope you find somewhere else you all like now that Number 3 is at a different school.

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  19. Happy belated Birthday Jo!! What lovely gifts and a day out. :)

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    1. Thank you. I had a lovely birthday, it was a real surprise being taken to Skegness for the day, I'd love to go back again soon.

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  20. Your piggies are very jolly!
    Love the purse that Eleanor bought you, wonderful gift.
    And what an incredibly thoughtful destination for your day out. So many happy memories and to think so many places are the same or near as.
    Lisa x

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    1. I sorted my old purse out yesterday and moved everything in to my new one which Eleanor bought me, I love it. We had a great time in Skegness, it's a place which holds so many memories for me. Mick had asked my mum and dad if they'd like to come with us, but it's a bit too far for them to travel really, though I think my dad would have jumped at the chance had it been left up to him.

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