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REPORT ON THE WRINKLY TRIP TO SUNNY Friday,19th to 26th May
2006 |
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The Wrinklys were
off yet again but this time they were deserting the Spanish Costas in favour of the
- Cancel the holiday
and receive a full refund.
- Choose another
holiday package.
- Fly from
Never daunted by setbacks, the intrepid Wrinklys, on mass, chose the third option. We were not to be done
out of our holiday! The change created a few alterations such as organising
taxis and the flight time had been set back from an early flight to one much
later at 6.3pm. Se la vie!
The mini bus picked up Peter,
myself, Peter’s brother, John
and wife, Pat at his brother’s house
in Poulton. At this point John and Pam, Keith and Norma, Brian and Janet, Norman and Anne were on board.
We then set off to meet up with the rest of the party at Les’ house in
On the way to the airport it transpired that our party included a
number of ‘walking wounded’:
·
Brenda – damaged tendon in left foot.
·
Peter – bad knees.
·
John – bad back.
·
Keith – recovering from a chest infection.
·
Doug – a hurt back acquired whilst fishing?
·
Brian – bad back acquired whilst golfing. Of course, he’s also had
a hip operation you know.
·
Derek – recovering from ---?
·
Anne – recovering from a hamstring problem.
Well – we are Wrinklys
after all!!!!
Arriving at the airport the check-in went very smoothly indeed and
we were soon in the Departure lounge
with time for a coffee and a sandwich before boarding the plane. This is where
the next hiccup transpired. Instead of going directly to
Finally, after about four hours, the pilot made a very
smooth touchdown in
I can only speak for Peter and
I as to our impression of the hotel
which was that it was clean, modern, well positioned for the beach, shops,
restaurants and bars etc. One particular aspect really stood out, and we also
learned that other members of our group thought the same, and that was the
excellent chambermaid service. We left
for breakfast each morning to return to a very tidy room and bathroom. All towels changed and folded, our nightwear
folded and positioned on our pillows. As the week progressed our chambermaid
even folded our dirty washing!!! John
and Pat even had a fresh rose left
on their bed on two occasions!
Saturday, 20th May
2006
We woke at around 8am, (“No Wrinkly training run this morning,
thank goodness” said Peter),
we unpacked, showered, dressed and then assessed the room and its outlook. Our
room was very pleasant indeed and overlooked the pool. The beds were
comfortable; the bathroom very clean with a large stand-in shower and, yes,
this was absolutely fine. The only
drawback for me was that there was no room safe, (you had to book one at
reception), and there were no drawers, only shelves, but these were only minor
setbacks. A few couples had been placed
on the opposite side of the hotel overlooking the road but, on request, their
rooms were changed and the move conducted with the help of very courteous hotel
staff.
Breakfast was a bit of a ‘hit and miss’ affair. The eggs were solid, no bacon and the toaster
only toasted one side of the bread! Oh
well, it could only improve – we hoped!
At 10.30am there was the “Welcome
Meeting” and we were all rounded up at Hotel
Reception and loaded onto a coach – except for ‘Sun God’ Brian, who took this opportunity to get started on his
tan an acquire a good position at the side of the pool. The coach took us to a
local restaurant where a free welcome drink was provided and a courier related
all the benefits of
The evening came and, as per usual, was spent gathered together at
a local bar called, on this particular evening, the Central. The drinks were two for one but my Bacardi and Coke was not as good as the one I get from Pam when I go to her house. The
proprietor was very obliging and allowed us to join up the tables to
accommodate our large group. When Ken and Derek arrived we managed to fit them in the main group but when Keith, Norma, Pat and John arrived they had to sit behind us
and, when they complained that they didn’t get the priority treatment our Brian was quick to respond with the
classic reply of, “You are just not “good enough!”
(Think about it!)
The resort of
Sunday, 21st May
2006
I was persuaded, goodness knows how, to get up early to take
the obligatory Group Photo before
the lads set off for their 8am daily training run. All were assembled at Reception, all wearing their Wesham
Vest, all except for Keith –
this was not acceptable! I had been teased repeatedly the evening before that,
even after several reminders, Keith had
forgotten to bring his vest. When I saw
him I was still very disappointed and told him so – I don’t usually get cross
with Keith. He immediately said he
hadn’t realised it was the photo today as he hadn’t heard the arrangements and
promptly went back to his room to change.
I should have known he would never let me down. Sorry for being cross Keith. Everyone was positioned on the hotel steps and I took two
photographs. The results of these you
will have seen on the cover of the WRR
Magazine and on the left of this paragraph. (Larger version will appear on
a Sunny Beach Picture Gallery
attached to this report).
One drawback to this group picture wasn’t obvious until I checked
them over only to find that there was one V.I.P.
was missing – our Brian!!! We were
to learn that he has missed his alarm and awoke at 9.10am. I would have to make
sure he was in future shots later in the week.
For the rest of the morning and early afternoon, Peter and I, along
with Peter’s brother John and wife, Pat, tried to find the boarding stage
for the small road train which would take along the coast to the old town of
On our way back to the hotel we bumped into John and Pam who were
going for a drink. My foot, by this
stage, was throbbing and very painful but I was persuaded, somewhat
reluctantly, to go along. We had a drink and I was also feeling a bit hungry. Pam and John were quite happy to order salads but Peter was told of another restaurant where they did toasted
sandwiches and so our treck continued…….
We found the place and, I must admit, the toasted sandwich and
accompaniments were very tasty and certainly value for money.
After eating this meal I decided I had definitely had to put
my foot down, (the good one), and insist we go back to the hotel. On our return I showered, washed my hair, re-creamed
my shoulders, which were starting to go very red, and then settled down to have
a well earned rest.
Evening meal was somewhat of a ‘free for all’ as a party of Bulgarian Students had arrived. They
descended on the dining room with avengeance – on mass!! They pushed into
queues and took copious amounts of food, especially the fresh strawberries,
only to leave much of it behind when they left the dining room. What a waste!
These students were to make their presence known later on……
This evening we went to another restaurant/bar called “Billy’s Bar”. The owner allowed us to
move the tables so we could all sit together. This time it worked. During the evening I needed the ‘Ladies’ only to find they were joined
onto the ‘Gents’. I tried to time my
visit when I thought there were no male occupants but I missed one young
man. Eyes averted, (honestly), I slipped
into the Ladies Section. So, how did
I know it was a young man you may well ask?
Well, I saw him come out didn’t I?
Back at the hotel, tired and ready for a good night’s sleep, some
of us were all kept awake by boisterous students until 5.45am!! Something was going to have to be done about
this and soon!
Monday, 22nd May
2006
An 8am training run for some before breakfast. Today, John, Pat, Keith, Norma, Peter and I, boarded the road train to take us
part way to Nessebar. Once off the train we had to walk across sand
dunes to get to our change-over point where we caught the local bus into Nessebar. The entrance to Nessebar was very impressive and looked
almost medieval. This was followed by a
labyrinth of streets full of shops and restaurants. We stopped for a drink at a very nice
restaurant overlooking the sea after which we walked back through the town
again and visited another restaurant to have lunch. Pat and I were not very
hungry and just had ice cream and a drink.
Peter and John ordered salads which seem to be
the traditional dish on most menus. Peter ordered Shepherd’s Salad which was a good mixture of all sorts. John ordered
a mixed salad and, by the definition of the name sounded to be quite, well –
mixed! Then it came and we couldn’t believe our eyes! All it contained was half
a plate of sliced tomatoes and half a plate of chopped cucumber! John,
bless him, just got stuck in and put it down to experience. We had a photographs taken just before we got
back on the bus which, this time, was to take us right back to Sunny Beach. (Guess who took the
photo?)
Evening meal turned out to be just as chaotic as the last, with the students taking over, or trying to. We were glad to get out of the hotel and this evening the group decided to try another restaurant called DJanny’s Bar. This proved to be a big mistake in that it was crowded and most occupants were eating and we only wanted drinks. The waiters were quite surly and not willing to attend to us. When it came to re-ordering the waiter simply brought a repeat of the first round, not taking into account that two of our party had left! The general consensus was to move back to Billy’s Bar for a well, kind of quieter, space. Brian asked them to turn the music down and they obliged so we could at least hear ourselves talk. By this time though I was tired so Peter and I returned to the hotel.
Tuesday, 23rd May
2006
No training run today as Boss Wrinkly, (and Pam),
had organised our usual day trip out. The Wrinkly’s
were up and at ‘em by 8.15am, meeting in Reception
to then walk to the main road to pick up the coach for our day trip to the
The next stop was to experience a cable chair lift down the
mountain to the town of
Our last visit of the day was to a small crystal factory outlet
shop where several purchases were made. I bought a small bird which was very
similar to one I bought when the Wrinkly’s
visited
Then came, what for me, seemed like an endless trip back. The coach was hot with poor air
conditioning. As soon as I got back I
was straight in the shower and then a long doze before getting ready for 
evening meal – (A meal, I may add, I was not really ready
for).
This evening Keith, Norma,
Pat, John, Peter and I went to
see a traditional Bulgarian Village
entertainment evening at a restaurant called the Village Yard Pub, (which we had spotted on one our earlier
strolls). The only cost was a drink, (but in this case beer at 3 Levs, our most
expensive of the week, but was very cheap for an hour’s good entertainment).
The programme included a four piece Bulgarian
band, dancers, a singer and culminated in a display of fire walking. It was very impressive to watch
especially when the fire walker carried members of the audience across the hot
coals.
Wednesday, 24th
May 2006
This was the morning of the Predictor
Race and John, bless him had
asked me to do the time-keeping. Well, I
thought, I can only try. Everyone turned up despite the fact that several of
our party had gone down with a gastric bug during the early part of the week.
All runners lined up and I shouted “Go”.
Janet, who was helping me by logging the times, and I indulged in a hot chocolate as we waited for the first runner.
The rest of this saga you can read at the end of this report…….. (A fuller
version than the WRRMagazine).
The rest of the morning was spent lounging in the glorious hot sun
at the side of the hotel pool. Peter and I then went for a walk along the promenade and met up with Pam and John for lunch at DJanny’s
Bar. Brian and Janet then joined us, as did Derek, Ken, Tony and Elizabeth, who sat at another table. Norman and Anne also joined the group.
We all had an enjoyable meal and a long natter and a laugh as per usual. I
wanted a shower and wash my hair so Peter
and I set off back to the hotel. The
sun and its heat rays were relentless and we needed to get into the shade for a
while.
The evening meal at the hotel was supposed to have a Bulgarian theme tonight. Well it may
have been but there wasn’t much evidence of it. A, (I suppose), traditional
welcome at the door of bread and wine and one waitress in national costume, and
that was that. The meal was exactly the same combination as it always was.
After the meal the Wrinklys split up
into groups – some went to Nessebar,
some back to the Village Way Pub show
with others who had not been before, (once was enough for me though), and that
left Brian, Janet, Peter and I to enjoy drinks and conversation at Billy’s Bar. At around 10.30 pm The Village Way Party returned but, by
this time, I was ready for my bed. Peter and I will never win the Whiteman Cup as I don’t think we can
stand the pace.
Thursday, 25th May
2006
Another 8am training run for some before breakfast. Our last day in
the glorious sunshine. It always seems to come round too soon. The weather all
week had been unbelievably hot reaching the mid thirty degrees each day. We spent the morning soaking up the sun by
the side of the pool again. Around mid day some of us went to DJanny’s Bar for drinks. This time, as our bill came all together, we
all worked out what we owed to meet the total.
The waiter seemed rather disturbed at this as I think he expected a
large tip. We did leave him the
difference in change which he quite pointedly told us to take back. With a meal
only costing around 1.40Lev how much did he expect? It was just as well it was
our last day and we wouldn’t be returning to this bar again!
I decided to pack before evening meal and just leave out the
clothes for the evening and my travel clothes for the next day. Not that I
wanted to leave you understand, but I do like to be organised. As it was the
last evening, it has become tradition for Peter
to wear a shirt and tie. He has always
done this right from the beginning of our involvement in Wrinkly Tours and I rather like the significance of it. All the Wrinkly’s
slowly, but surely, congregated at Billy’s
Bar and the Wrinkly
presentations were made. We were all
very tanned but the award of “Sun God (dess)” of the week went to Anne Docherty and well deserved it was
too, for the best over all tan. (Don’t ask me how they checked this!) The medal was presented to her by our
esteemed Club Secretary, Brian Wilkinson, (an ex-Sun God), on the morning of our departure. The Whiteman Cup, (an award presented to
the person or couple who can stay up as long as John and Pam in the
evenings), went to Derek Goodenough.
Yes, Boss Wrinkly certainly has
these Wrinkly Experiences well
organised and well programmed and even provides the prizes.
Friday, 26th May 2006
The week came to an end far too soon and as we were not being
picked up for the airport until 1pm Peter
and I slept in a little
later. After a leisurely breakfast we
took our last stroll along the promenade and, on our return collected our cases
from our room. At this point we made sure we saw our room maid and left her a
very decent tip as she had looked after our room so well all week.
As soon as everyone had collected in Reception, Peter decided
to take the final group photograph which is the one at the top of the Report. As you will see though, he is
actually in it and that is because another kind guest offered to take it for
him so that he could be included.
All too soon we were off to the airport and, after a very
quick check in we had a 2 hour wait for our flight.
Can’t wait for October
and
Thanks John, (I think),
for a wonderful holiday – go on then, well
done you. Seriously, the holiday, as per usual, was an outstanding success.
I don’t hold grudges for long. More particularly thanks to Pam also for all the backup you get doing it!
Written by: Brenda J Earnshaw
WRR Website/Magazine Editor
Submitted: 1st June
2006
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BRENDA’S UNPREDICTABLE PREDICTOR! SUNNY Wednesday, 24th May 2006 |
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8 a.m. Start – Temperature
24oC - Distance 3.4 Miles |
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Name |
Time |
Difference |
Position |
|
|
Predicted |
Actual |
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|
Peter |
32:10 |
31:29 |
- 0.41 |
= 2nd |
|
John * |
31:31 |
30:37 |
- 0.54 |
4th |
|
Keith * |
32:30 |
31:24 |
- 1.06 |
5th |
|
|
29:20 |
26:22 |
- 2.58 |
9th |
|
Anne |
29:55 |
28.38 |
-1.17 |
6th |
|
Brian |
38:30 |
42:10 |
+3.40 |
10th |
|
Ken (M) |
30:33 |
28:24 |
- 2.09 |
8th |
|
Derek |
26:15 |
25:55 |
- 0.20 |
1st |
|
Ken (St.A) |
33:00 |
28:31 |
- 4.29 |
11th |
|
Howard |
36:00 |
34:17 |
-1.43 |
7th |
|
Doug |
34:06 |
28:56 |
- 5.10 |
12th |
|
Tony |
29:47 |
29:06 |
- 0.41 |
=2nd |
Timekeepers: Brenda Earnshaw and Janet
Wilkinson.
Turn round point: Les and Brenda Ward
Race Report
This was
the first time I had been given the responsibility of timekeeping any race,
especially a Predictor Race. With
the help of Janet, who was recording
the times as I called them out from the stopwatch, we were doing rather a good
job as we clocked the lads over the finish line. Then came the arithmetic!!!! Peter, (a Maths teacher), reminded me that time was not metric! Karen came
over to help and my first calculations showed me to have joint winners being Peter and Tony. It was decided that Janet
would toss a coin and Peter won the
call and was duly presented with his prize of a Bulgarian Cap provided by
Boss Wrinkly. Favoritism - you may ask?
Well no, not really, because a few minutes later, when Derek came to check his time, he
pointed out that I had forgotten to carry ‘one’ over thus adding a minute to
his time. We now had an outright winner being only 20 secs outside his
predicted time. Hence the title of ‘Brenda’s
Unpredictable Predictor’. I gave Derek
my profound apologies and set off to reclaim his cap – all the time thinking to
myself, “Grief, Whiteman is really going to make a meal of this” –
and was I ever right. On entering the dining room I was greeted by, “Here
come the cheating Earnshaw’s” and similar digs went on throughout the
morning. (Derek, I might add, very
graciously accepted my apology and the cap and gave me a hug, (sorry Cella). Now there’s a gentleman for
you. John continued to go on and on and on until Pam and Janet gave him
the warning to give it a rest! You’d
think that was the end of it but oh no. He then had the cheek to ask if I would
do it again when we go to
During a
conversation though I was to find out later that Boss Wrinkly wasn’t all that squeaky clean! Evidently, at the
beginning of the race, he had taken a short cut which only came to light when
someone else pointed this out. Well now
– that’s a whole different ball game isn’t it? Now, how fair is that? I have no doubt that John will revel on my error for some time but, as I am well used to
this repartee, I can take it! John
knows I can give as much as I take and, I think if he hadn’t reacted as per
expected, I would have been disappointed – daft isn’t it? Still, at least I own
up to my mistakes.
Written by: Brenda Earnshaw (Predictor
‘Timekeeper Extraordinaire’)
Submitted: 29th May 2006
