A shameful confession

Walking on Shotley Peninsula

Work had grown quiet, so we could take an away day visiting our old haunts on Shotley Peninsula, where we used to berth our boat. We had intended to eat at the Shipwreck, a good stopping place in the old days, but it was closed for a long winter's break. Ann couldn't resist reminding me of a bad incident there many years ago, when I thought it would be a good idea to let a young Edwin have his first experience of driving. We had a Mercedes then, which I had reversed into a parking place so he could just drive forward into a large, empty carpark. Unfortunately, he gripped the wheel and seemed to freeze. The car executed a full U-turn to end up facing the Shipwreck at speed, and I was unable to grab the handbrake, or switch off the ignition. It all happened so fast and unexpectedly I couldn't even get the wheel from him in time. 

We slammed into another parked car and shunted it through the window into the dining area of the restaurant. The breaking glass showered the pavement outside, and the tables within. Our only good fortune was that no one was in the car or on the pavement, and no one was sitting in that section of the restaurant. The car we hit was owned by an eighteen-year-old boy, and a right-off. We met his mother later to settle the payment for the car. I think she was a probation worker, but she was very understanding about it. She said he had only had his car for one day,  and that was his first outing, but he also had written off his first car just a week earlier. I still have nightmares over this.

Walking past Harry King's boatyard at Pin Mill

On a happier note, we had a good walk with the dogs along the shoreline, and retired to the Butt and Oyster at Pin Mill for lunch later, made famous by Arthur Ransome in his books, Secret Water and We Didn't Mean to go to Sea, both boyhood favourites. Also today, I did Wordle in two - a completely lucky fluke and my all-time record! I'm posting this boast late in the day, so hopefully the reveal won't spoil it for anyone.