A flu and covid big tasty treat

Hello Hello Hivians and Wednesday Walkers

It is bitterly cold infact it was minus 3 when I woke up at 5 this morning.

It is not much warmer as I write this with a hot water bottle at my side!

Today I am walking back in time to Friday 24th November.

Actually I had to post a picture today in this post and it brought some memories back. Of course as this was only a few weeks ago and not a few decades ago, it was all captured on my smartphone.

These are all taken in the last week of December, so although it is Winter it was dry and actually quite mild, nevertheless ...

Wrap up warm and let's go!

Well this is where we start today, funnily enough I didn't take any pics before we got to where we are going.

It is a new fangled church. Actually let's look at the next picture in further detail.

Behind the railing fence and barbed wire is a sign. Can you see it?

I must admit I have never seen a church surrounded by barbed wire like this before. It was in a housing estate and we came here last year, although it was to a community hall across the road.

Yes you read correctly it is a Vaccine centre. Ever since this covid-19 malarky I get the vaccination as I have a weakened immune system thanks to my wonderful ankylosing sponylitus arthritis. And they give you a winter flu jab as well. Mrs T also gets the double dose, no she is nowhere the old wifey age yet, but has to have just incase she would infect me!

The hall on the left is actually where we got the jabs.

Jabs done, we decided it was time for our annual pilgrimage and treat from McfluffingD's!

But would you look at that, a cross so another church on the housing estate.

Autumn time though when a bonnie day makes for good sun and long shadows!

No we are not on a shadows post but would you look at that bus.

There is even a roundabout sign shadow!

It was a double decker bus and woot woot we got the front seats. It always reminds me of when we were kids, we would run up the stairs and baggsy the front seats.

In those days the driver would see upstairs via a looking up a shaft to a mirror to see the upstairs. If you were lucky you take the cover off and then drop things on the drivers head.

Aye I was a fluffing tearaway!

And here we arrived at a Retail Park, I can't be doing with these things, give me small friendly local businesses anyday, but there was another reason why we came here.

It was November so time to scout out Christmas trees, but that was not our reason to be here.

Heather, it is everywhere on the moors here, but those colours, they are having a laugh, they are pretty, I mean blue heather c'mon!

Actually the heather, the way it spikes up like that reminds me of troll dolls and their long wispy hair in the wind!

Was so tempted to get some, but we don't have a garden anymore, so the only plants we have are indoor houseplants.

That is more my style of plants. Plants are more than just pretty things to look at.

Feeling prickly?

Pineapples! I remember the first time I saw pineapples growing in Gabon in Africa. It was a bar we called the far far bar, as it was in the jungle and you to take your jeeps through three swamps to get there.

But yeah being drunk and seeing pineapples growing was a fluffing trip!

But our real mission was revealing itself!

Now we were in B&Q, and I tell you we had done more steps than going on a walk. By this point we were on 12000 steps.

And then the jackpot was spied!

Dowel rods!

Do you know how hard it is to find these! I was all over the high Street and town centre looking for them, but to no avail.

Mrs T had a super long loom, and needed some smooth wooden poles to slide through stitches, the loom was about 28 inches.

I remember as a kid we used to find them all over the place, but then again we made crafts and model planes all the time, I guess something else that has gone!

Would you look at that, the sun is starting to set already, and we have not even had our treat yet!

No Starbucks, I really cannot be doing going there. Never have in the UK and I don't intend to start anytime soon.

In fact the place we are going to for our annual treat actually has fantastic value coffee!

Yes our post covid vaccine treat is a Big Tasty burger

Except their Big Tasty of last festive season is no more!

It has been replaced ....

... by The Big & Cheesy with Bacon.

There we have it, our wee tour ending up in a flu and covid big tasty treat. I must admit I preferred the Big Tasty of the year before.

This post is also my first walk of 2024 for #wednesdaywalk which was started by the wonderful @tattoodjay.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your day!