So Helen and I were reminiscing about a summer when we had very little money and decided that a mini break was better than no break at all. We had been trawling the internet when another friend told me that P&O were doing mini cruises on 2 for 1. We booked it without hesitation and years later P&O mini 
cruises have become a welcome friend between work and bigger holidays. This year was no different. After me spending most of January in Canada and Helen buying a house funds weren’t great but P&O were tempting us with the pull of 2for1 and Pimms Jugs so on the last remaining holiday of the year I was picking Helen up from York train station and we were en route to Hull. The weather was amazing, brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies so a detour to Bridlington and fish and chips at proper seaside town was a great start to the holiday. We found a few interesting finds along the way and stopped to take photographs and enjoy the day, not needing to be on the boat till later.
Abandoning the car in Hull meant that for the next two days I didn’t need to drive anywhere and could visualise the Pimms as we boarded the boat. Unfortunately Pimms wasn’t on the menu but plenty of other delights were. We had a great first night and enjoying catching up and singing along, rather too loud on my part, with the on
board entertainment. Oh well, at least it gave us and the bar staff a bit of a laugh! The next morning the hours’ time difference meant we had very little sleep before the 6.30am wakeup call ‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen, the Four Seasons buffet restaurant is serving……’ Not for me, a shower and an extra half hour in bed will do me fine. We dragged ourselves onto the bus and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were ready to go. Again, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We spend the day wondering round some shops and markets down quiet side streets and along more touristy routes. We both managed to be very restraint about purchasing anything, which I am positive, was much harder for Helen than me. We did find a great stall at the flea market where I picked up a leather bag which I adore and is now in constant use and has left me wondering how I ever managed without it.
Beer on the side of the canals with the gentle hum of boat engines going past, animated conversation at the next table and the ringing of bicycle bells kept us captivated for a couple of hours and I was well and truly in my element. I love it when you are on holiday and time has no meaning what so ever. I think I can got lost in that idea far too easily now and it was Helen that was telling me it was time to go. After one final look round we went back the central station to get back on the bus still looking forward to the night ahead.
The second night was very much like the first and regaining the hour back had very little effect and I still wanted to hunt down the Four Seasons multi lingual lady and throw her over the side of the boat in the morning. I didn’t, and made it through customs unscathed. By lunchtime we had been to Lincolnshire to collect the hoover, had a cuppa with my Nan, Helen had made her Dad a coffee and we were back in York sitting in a pub garden and walking through the museum grounds soaking up the vitamin D. What an amazing few days we had.
