A long weekend away, the other week, in Lincolnshire meant that we were able to do the seaside hat-trick: Skegness, Mablethorpe and (very rainy and blustery so no photos) Cleethorpes.

There was something so forlorn and run-down about Skegness which is basically shut for the winter that I wished I’d taken the posh big camera to capture more. I really like books like Roundabouts of Great Britain and Goats in Trees and….I can’t find it but it’s a series of books of photos you often see in gallery and museum bookshops. They are called something like Unseen Britain, The other side of England or similar though I can’t find them on Amazon. Anyway, isn’t a rundown seaside town in the winter wonderful for these type of photographs?

I was chatting to the owner of M&G Designs in Louth with my cousin wondering how they clean the water slide in the Spring, and apparently children are sent down with sponges attached to their bottoms. Ingenious. ;-0

M&G Designs is definitely worth a visit if you’re anywhere near Louth. It’s owned by a husband and wife and is crammed with needlework, knitting, crochet and many crafty treasures. I found it hard not to spend all my pocket money in one go!

A few doors along is Chilli Peppers a delightful cook shop with pretty home-wares in a further room at the back of the shop. The new owner is the former Saturday Girl who decided to buy the business, with the help of her parents, when the owner put it up for sale last Autumn. I love this story!

A lovely bonus of visiting Chilli Pepper is that you’re offered a cup of Nespresso coffee to drink while you browse. This friendly welcome is what marks independent shops from chains. When was the last time you went to Cargo and were given a cup of coffee and had a friendly chat?

I’d thoroughly recommend a visit to Louth, go on a Saturday and stroll around the small market, go to Millie May’s for lunch (Bacon, brie and cranberry panini yum!) pop into the charity shop with rows and rows of books upstairs, Serendipity which is a home-ware and gift shop and many, many more independent shops. Unlike most English towns now you don’t see the same chain shops everywhere, it’s so refreshing. Louth is also an attractive looking market town. I didn’t take photos – too busy shopping and chatting! In the evening go for a big curry accompanied by lots of Indian lager, or another option as there’s a fair range of restaurants.

We love a good walk at Mablethorpe and admired the beach huts from the Bathing Beauties Festival (see the gin and tonic hut which is my fave?) Next we always go and play in the arcades. You too could win teddy brooches, a hUgE emerald (yes, I have a jewel….sort of) and lots of tickets for prizes like we did.

On the way home we saw a little snow! Leading up to the weekend there had been so many severe weather warnings I admit I wondered if we were wise to visit. In the end the little snow that fell didn’t settle at all. We drove across the county to Lincoln on the way to the M1 and saw only a bare sprinkling on the Lincolnshire wolds. The most was in Northants as far as we could see, but still nowhere near the amount predicted. Jolly good!

Inspired by my cousin reminding me about my round and round Granny ‘square’ Yorkshire blanket I came home to do something about my odd and ends of Stylecraft. I started this while watching tv (one eye on the hook and stitch and the other on the prog anyway.) After I saw this photo I undid it all and the odds and ends are back in a stash. Asymmetric just looks a mess!

I’m back to working on the jewel baby blanket again. What are you making this week?