Making the Most of the Sunshine.

Today is another soggy day, but yesterday was glorious sunshine - just as summer should be.

We made the most of the welcome sunshine and warmth by driving up to Churchtown - just north of the centre of Southport.

Churchtown is a very picturesque suburb of Southport.  According to Wikipedia, in 1575 a shipwreck occurred just off the coast, the cargo of which contained potatoes, was washed ashore. Subsequently, the village became the first place in England where they were grown.  Fancy that!


Anyway, we weren't there for any potatoes, we wandered around the village, browsed some of the shops and searched the graveyard for any distant relatives (a large section of my family lived and farmed in this area in the 16th and 17th centuries).  

We then visited the Botanic Gardens.  We used to take the girls there when they were young and it's been quite a while since we were last there.  Surprisingly, the aviary was still there.  With all the cost cutting and budgeting going on I thought this might have been a casualty of the current economic climate.  

After the Botanic Gardens we went for a relaxing drink in the Bold Arms.  

A very pleasant day out.  Pity about the rain today.