Imperial War Museum North

On Saturday we all went to the Imperial War Museum North, which is at Salford Quays. It is quite a new museum and is beautifully designed. We started with coffee and pastries in the café and I was excited to purchase an Eccles cake, for which Davie and Chanel’s area of Manchester is famous. It was very tasty; currants encased in sugary puff pastry. The museum was mainly about the First and Second World Wars and the displays were clear and interesting, with visual and audio testimony as well as photos and artefacts. Every hour or so there was an announcement to gather in the central area where there was an audio presentation accompanied by large photos projected around the high walls. The first one we heard was about life during the First World War and the second was a poem about peace. 

During our visit to Davie and Chanel there was a big storm in the South-West and London called Storm Eunice. It was not too stormy in Manchester, but the winds built up on Friday and there were twigs and small branches from trees lying on the roads. By Saturday lunch time it was very rainy and we were a bit worried that there might be snow on the road north, so we said our goodbyes to Davie and Chanel after lunch in a nearby Pret a Manger and set off homewards. 

There was a wee bit of snow just north of Manchester but we were lucky with dry weather and light traffic for the rest of our journey. We had a very pleasant evening and a Chinese meal with Marjory and Forrest. 

In other news, the Women’s Curling team won Gold in the Beijing Winter Olympics (Britain’s only Gold medal.) The Queen has caught Covid which is hopefully a very mild case, and we have a new storm on the way; Storm Franklin.