Suffolk 2015 Day 4

Today friends from Norwich were visiting. I was a bit worried about what to do about food. They had offered to bring some bits and pieces along with them and I had cooked a dozen sausages and warmed a couple of quiches up and had some ham and tomatoes. I shouldn’t have worried at all! More quiche, very tasty bead, olives and feta, roasted red peppers and various salad type things arrived. A veritable feast!

We decided that we should build up an appetite by walking to St Andrews and back before lunch. Fortunately the sun gods were smiling upon us today! A quick diversion to the beach to skim some stones, and then a stroll past the old ruined wind pump towards St Andrews.  The church used to be much bigger, similar in size to St Edmund in Southwold, but it fell upon hard times and was significantly down sized. It is very photogenic I think with the ruins of the previous church and the large tower.  We walked back the same way and had the privilege of seeing a Marsh Harrier stalking the reed beds.

We had lunch and even Avaliene graced us with  company but retired quickly to her room after eating. Skye scoffed half the sausages and never even looked at anything vaguely ‘good for you’.

Shortly after the latish lunch our friends bid us farewell and drove back to Norwich. There was so much food left over that I didn’t bother cooking that night. I did fancy a decent bottled beer though but unfortunately didn’t have any. Something to that must be remedied tomorrow…

Suffolk 2015 Day 3

Today started of cloudy but not too cold. The cloud wouldn’t lift until mid-afternoon, but at least it was reasonably warm. The van driver for Tesco’s rang and needed a bit of convincing that he was heading in the right direction as our place is a little secluded! The weeks shopping eventually arrived and then my son and I took off on the bikes to Southwold.

We cycled across the marshes and saw the reed beds being cut. The water level this year is the lowest I've known but it was still muddy going in places. We take the rowing ferry across the river just for the fun of it and cycle into town. I stopped off to buy a couple of things at a very expensive green grocers and then headed for the pier. The sun was beginning to come out now and Southwold was rammed, well it was Bank Holiday Monday, what did I expect. Skye had a hot chocolate and I had a cup of tea and then we headed back Southwold Harbour . I stopped for a pint of something or other at the Harbour Inn and then we cycled over the bridge and towards Walberswick via St Andrews church.

Once home I stoked the the wood eating monster up. Fun when it is a novelty but I would want to do this every day. Soon the kitchen and dining area was as warm as toast and I set about making dinner.

I love watching the sky dim over the North Sea, the only lights visible from here are from Dunwich. Amazing to think that Dunwich once was the capital of East Anglia, the sprawling Anglo-Saxon metropolis is now nothing but rubble under the cold muddy North Sea. Storm surges have done for Dunwich as they will in the future do for the present coastline here.

Suffolk 2015 Day 2

First full day of the holiday and it is Easter Sunday. The met office promised an overcast sky and temperatures below average. They were wrong on both counts fortunately. My sister, niece her son Finlay, and Finlay’s dad were coming to town today. They were driving from Ampton and got to Dunwich at 12. We didn't know what we were going to do for lunch because I feared that being Easter Sunday everything would be closed. We had very limited provisions. The day was getting sunnier and we could see across the marshes that car park at the Flora Tearooms was filling up. Fish and chips all round then.

It is a very pleasant walk from where we were staying to the restaurant. The first time I came here was just before our daughter was born, about 13 years ago. We used to come up over the Easter weekend and stay with my mum in Bury St. Edmunds. I remember seeing this house in the distance from the car park in Dunwich and wonder what it would be like to stay there. Now I  know !

The fish and chips are delicious but getting a bit pricey these days. £9 for a plate of haddock and chips, phew.

This is Finlay’s first time to the sea side. He was very excited about the big wet wobbly cold thing called the North Sea.  Bone chillingly cold! After the beach we went to the Ship Inn where I had a very decent pint of Adnams Broadside. Mmm, it hit the spot. We sat outside in the large garden and Finlay played with the other children in the garden.  

After my sister et al had left I realised my big mistake. I had left the leg of lamb in the fridge at home. Crap! Fortunately dinner was saved as the previous occupiers had left some chicken thighs and drumsticks in the freezer. 

Suffolk 2015 Day 1

Our annual trip to the Suffolk coast, Yippee! Being the start of the Easter weekend we had to take up enough food for the weekend, but this year, we were more organised and ordered a Tesco home delivery for Monday. So far so good. I put in a provisional order on Thursday with the plan to add to it on Friday evening. Then on Friday evening my PC threw a serious wobbly. Major failure requiring a new processor and motherboard. The Tesco account is tied into the email address only accessible on the PC! Better hope my provisional ordering was sufficient.

Saturday morning packing the car with the bikes on top. Better not forget the children! We left London at 2pm, up the M11, turn right at Stanstead and join the A12 at Colchester, go around Ipswich, then head North towards Yoxford. 

I love this part of the world. When you get off the A12 and drive down country lanes through pretty little villages with their tempting pubs and gorgeous flinty churches. This is the sixth year we have been here, and depending on when Easter falls and what the climate is doing, determines which spring flowers greet you. This year the daffodils and gorse is in full bloom. Last year it was hawthorn blossom and the first bluebells.

It took us three hours to get here, we unload the car and unpack as quickly as possible. Only then do we allow ourselves to relax. It starts to get chilly so I put half a major deciduous forest load of wood into the Rayburn, start preparing the chili and crack open a can of beer. Oh yes, on Holiday!