The coach drove along the front at Blackpool and everyone eagerly watched the sights go by. The fairground, the amusement arcades, the beach and the Tower. The Old Codger could hardly believe his eyes. It had all changed so much he hardly recognised it.

The coach stopped and everyone jumped off excitedly wanting to breathe in the atmosphere. There was a stiff breeze blowing and a strong smell of the sea hung in the air. Overhead seagulls squawked noisily. “Hooray, the seaside”, said Tammy and Tommy Taylor. “Whoa you two”, said their father, “we have got to check into our lodgings. There will be plenty of time for the seaside”. Finding out what their lodgings were like was almost as exciting as the sea and they rushed off after their parents, completely forgetting about the Old Codger.

The Old Codger suddenly realised he had no where to stay. A tramp in a bus shelter saw him with his ragged clothes and battered suitcase. “Hey man, want somewhere to stay?” the tramp said pointing at a cardboard box big enough to crawl into. “Get lost. I am a respectable gentleman”, said the Old Codger annoyed. “Fallen on hard times by the look of you”, said the tramp. “Hhrrmph”, said the Old Codger stamping his foot and marching off with a face like a pickled beetroot.

The Old Codger could think of no better plan than to follow the Taylor family to the bed and breakfast where they were staying. It was an old house, older even than the Old Codger, with an untidy front garden and unglamorous appearance which suited the Old Codger’s style.

The Old Codger waited until the Taylor’s had checked in and then went inside. The hallway was dark and gloomy and at the end a small window like a serving hatch had a registration book and a bell in the shape of the Blackpool Tower on the shelf. The Old codger rang the bell and after a minute a small old woman appeared behind the window. “I would like a room”, said the Old Codger, “but nothing extravagant because I do not have much money”.