After yesterday’s trip into Liverpool I’m on the move again, this time to head back to West Yorkshire for a while. The weather’s finally broken on both sides of the Pennines. Early this morning we had a loud thunderstorm with flashes of lightning which heralded heavy showers in Southport. It didn’t last long but the rain it brought was welcome. I nipped out to quickly check on the trees I’d been nursing through the drought. They all seem to have survived, although a couple are looking iffy. I’m hoping that the bouts of heavy rain we’ve had will help revive them.

By early afternoon my cat-sitting duties were at an end, allowing me to catch a train from Meols Cop station to head East. Whilst there were some moody skies and dramatic looking clouds around I saw more sun than showers along the way to Manchester. The old Class 769 which carried me isn’t fitted with air-conditioning so it was rather a noisy journey as nearly all the windows had been opened by travellers trying to keep cool as the sun beat through the windows, turning the train into a greenhouse.

I made a brief stop in Manchester in order to visit the excellent fresh fish market in the Arndale Centre. I’d suggested to Dawn that I could pick up a couple of tuna steaks for tea tonight. Fortunately, one of the stalls had plenty of freshly prepared ones. Whilst pricy (nearly £12 for 2) they were huge. If you’ve never tried fresh tuna I’d highly recommend it. It’s a world apart from the stuff you get in tins!

As I had a while to wait for my train to Todmorden I nipped into the station’s Victoria Tap for a quick pint, dodging heavy showers in the process. Manchester was getting a soaking but with the weather being so hot the streets dried up in next to no time with only a few puddles left as evidence.

It was the same story on the other side of the Pennines. Todmorden was surrounded by huge, threatening clouds and the sound of the occasional thunderclap in the distance but little sign of immediate rain, which was a blessing as I’d a way to walk after leaving the station. Once again I was lucky and made it in unscathed. Now the pair of us are stuffed full of tuna and relaxing as we watch the rain beating on the window, illuminated by the golden glow of the sunset. West Yorkshire’s seen little of the rain that we’ve had on the coast, so it’s doubly welcome here. Here’s how it looked through the living room window.

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Cheers,

Paul