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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 22

Blogtober Day 22 :: Sunday

I slept for ten hours last night after an epic journey home from Dorset (six trains in total) and woke up around 9am completely discombobulated. I've been feeling a bit off kilter all day, but it's so lovely to be back home and to have a slow day pottering about with the family. It took me aaaages to be able to get up and get myself ready for the day, so it was almost midday by the time we left the house to go for a gentle walk through the woodland.

It's been a beautiful day, sunny and cold, and I enjoyed our walk very much. We wandered into town afterwards and went for a leisurely coffee, stopping to pick up some middle eastern style marinated lamb, soft flatbreads and salad for an easy evening meal.

I've done some home stuff today too, two loads of laundry and a bit of cleaning in the bathroom - J holds the house together pretty well while I'm away, but there is always a feeling of slight domestic chaos when I return. Mid afternoon I felt so tired I actually took myself back to bed and slept for a while. I was out like a light despite the long hours of sleep I had last night, so I'm glad I was able to listen to my body and deliver the necessary shut-down and re-boot.

This evening I started a cross stitch project, oh, my eyes didn't like it very much I have to say. I think I will need to either find a good, bright task light for evening work, or stick to day time stitching. Right....I need to sleep again.....sorry this is a brief Blogtober entry and a bit on the dull side, I'm hoping I'll feel a bit perkier by tomorrow. Night-night!

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 21

Blogtober Day 21 :: Saturday

6pm...I'm writing to you from the train heading north out of London, and I'm really glad to be travelling homewards. The storm has made travel very difficult today, with heavy flooding causing all sorts of disruption. I've had to change my route a number of times already due to train cancellations and diversions, but finally I think I am actually going to make it home (it was looking doubtful for a while, I was trying not to worry too much).

The weather was very wet in Dorset this morning so I only managed to take two photographs as I walked around soggy Dorchester. It's a very leafy town with some gorgeous tree-lined roads and pedestrian walk ways, and over the coming months I'm looking forward to exploring it a bit more. It's generally a place I pass through from the train station so I don't know it very well, but from what I've seen I like it very much,

I went to visit my Dad before I caught the train. I was apprehensive because he has a tendency to get rather agitated when I come and go, but somewhere along the way between Thursday and today he has settled into his new home from home and I am unbelievably grateful. The staff at the care home have been absolutely wonderful, and we've had some reassuringly positive updates over the past two days. I found him happy, calm and settled, keen to show me around and seemingly the staff all love him. There were already lots of "in jokes" which had him laughing, and they give hugs freely. I am so relieved! You can probably imagine, I feel like I was carrying around a very heavy boulder and suddenly it doesn't weigh so heavy any more..

I left him happily tucking into a lovely cooked lunch and looking forward to joining in with some games and activities this afternoon. I can't quite believe it yet, but I'm going to hold onto this new reality with both hands. It feels bloomin' wonderful to be able to relax a bit at last. I tell you what though, I feel like I could sleep for a week, I'm ever so tired. My bed is going to look like the best place on Earth when I finally get to fall into it tonight.

I'm going to love you and leave you now, it's already dark outside and I've still got around 4 hours of travel left.

See you tomorrow! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Blogtober 2023 :: Day 20

Blogtober Day 20 :: Friday

After the high emotion of yesterday, today my main priority was to spend some quiet time alone to decompress and recharge. You all know how happy it makes me to be beside the sea, so there was no question about what I needed to do, only which part of the coast would suit me best. On the spur of the moment I decided to hop on a bus and head west.....

....and twenty five scenic minutes later I was walking down through the terraced gardens at Lyme Regis.

As you can see, Storm Babet had well and truly moved on, leaving behind a warm and sunny day here on the south coast. It was so warm in fact, that I had to shed some layers and enjoyed being in short sleeves for a while - what a treat to experience 17 degrees in late October, especially given that the north of the country is in serious disarray due to the stormy weather.

I pottered around the beach, following the curve of the sea down to the little line of beach side kiosks where I bought myself an ice cream. I sat for a while on the harbour wall, enjoying the sun on my face and feeling lighter in my heart than I have for quite some time.

Ice cream done and dusted, I continued to walk around the harbour....

...following the lower level of the Cobb as it reaches out into the sea. Just look at those old, weathered stone steps which you can climb to reach the upper level of the Cobb wall, aren't they wonderful?

I retraced my steps after a while and made my way back around to the beach, stopping to simply sit a while and listen to the sound of the waves.

I can't think of anything that would have made me happier today than sitting on a sunny beach listening to the sound of the sea ♥ it was an absolute tonic. Vitamin Sea at it's finest.

Walking brings me a lot of inner peace, and so onwards I strolled, along the promenade and all the way along Church Cliff Walk. The tide was high at the time I was there, and it was wonderful to stand a while and watch the waves crashing up against the wall.

Time to wander back towards the town again as I don't have too long until my bus leaves to take me back.

Up the steep main street, browsing the windows of the charming array of independent shops and bakeries. I wasn't in the mood to shop, but it's always lovely to see towns with thriving shops and businesses. 2 o'clock and I was suddenly very hungry so I popped into a bakery to pick up a small pasty on my way up the hill.

I made my way back to the gardens where I had started my Lyme wanderings today, and sat on that wonderful mosaic bench to eat my pasty with a view out over the beach and sea. You can get a good view of the Cobb wall and harbour from up here....and I have to tell you my pasty was absolutely amazing. It was warm and fresh with buttery, flaky pastry and a very generous amount of filling (Devon pasties are a mix of beef and vegetables, in case you aren't familiar with them)

I loved the bus journey, and yes of course I sat on the top deck so that I could maximise the coastal views all the way to Bridport. Back in town, I stopped to buy a lovely bunch of flowers for Lady B - the past few days have been really hard for her, and I wanted to try and cheer her up a bit. We sat for a while in her sunny apartment and drank a glass of prosecco, and then I took us both out to a rather bougie little bistro for a delicious dinner.

All in all, today was exactly the restorative day that I needed and I feel a million times better than I did yesterday. This morning I was able to sit and read all your beautiful words in response to yesterday's post and let me tell you they have helped me enormously. I feel happier in my heart and soul than I have for quite a while. Day twenty of Blogtober and all is good.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 19

Blogtober Day 19 :: Thursday

^^ The above view from my childhood bedroom at my Dad's place, taken this afternoon as I was rushing in and out gathering up my things. It's been a long and emotionally difficult day but I've made it through and all is OK for the time being. You've probably realised that today we moved my Dad into a care home after coming through a really stressful year dealing with the challenges of his dementia. We've had a lot of involvement from social services, the community mental health team, the local police, and various legal representatives and at the end of it all, my Dad's safety and welfare has been prioritised and decisions made in his best interests. I've heard that phrase a lot over the past four months - "Best Interests" - and really that's what it's all about. No matter how much you love someone and don't want to see their lives in upheaval, sometimes change will be the very best thing to embrace. We've' been forced to look at the bigger picture and recognise that it was time to place his care in the very capable hands of the professionals.

My goodness it's been hard though, today especially. I am totally wiped out. Tomorrow will be a gentle day of adjustment - I'm going to get myself down to the sea for some much needed coastal therapy.

As this has all happened quite quickly and fallen unexpectedly within Blogtober month, it's not been ideal. I would much rather be sharing creative and upbeat life stuff with you, believe me! As it is, here I am I'm spilling my heart out to you on the daily and you've been so gracious, kind and supportive about it. I can't thank you enough.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 18

Blogtober Day 18 :: Wednesday? (I had to really think about that!)

I'm getting used to eating out on my own as I seem to be doing it rather a lot the moment. Hotel breakfast is a pretty easy one though, and I was happy enough this morning among the business men and professional folks using hotel accommodation as part of their normal working life. I had the "continental" breakfast option which meant surprisingly good coffee, a big bowl of greek yoghurt with honey, granola and summer berries, followed by a croissant for good measure.

I took the bus to travel the fifteen miles to Bridport this morning, and chose to sit on the top deck to make the most of the passing scenery. Why is it that the thrill of sitting on the top deck of a bus never gets old? I felt like an excited child, seriously, sometimes I think a huge part of me simply never grew up. The weather has been awful today as we get hit by Storm Babet - driving rain and blustery winds have made the day a bit on the bleak side.

I had a little bit of time this morning in town before heading to my Dad's house, so I popped into a newly opened clothes shop on the look out for a top of some sorts. I realised this morning that I'm probably going to have to stay down here a day or two longer than I first planned and I haven't packed enough clothes. I picked out a pretty cotton tunic top with pockets  - I was actually buying the exact same top as another lady in the shop, and we both agreed that pockets on tops and dresses are the best.

A sweet thing happened to me in the shop - the super lovely lady who served me at the checkout actually asked me if my name was Lucy, as she had recognised me from my blog, how wonderful is that? We had such an excited chat about crochet, about the years that she had read my blog and knew that I visited Bridport regularly because of the photos I've been posting. She came around from the checkout and gave me the biggest, warmest hug, we were both a bit emotional I think! So I'm waving hello to you Diana, it was such a gift meeting you today, you've no idea how much I needed that hug this morning.

Things are emotional and turbulent, I am just about hanging on in there. Tomorrow is a big, big day, so I'll try and update you a little in the evening, depending on how things go. Thank you for all the love and positivity you're sending my way, I feel the good vibes and I am so, so grateful for you all. Thank you.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 17

Blogtober Day 17 :: Tuesday

10:30 am :: A quick speed walk into town to pick up some food for the family meal tonight as J is cooking and wanted convenience. I bought a ready made lasagne that he can stick in the oven and serve with some salad.

11 am :: no time for leisurely coffee at the café today, so I nipped in to fetch a take out instead. It meant I could slurp while winding up yarn balls, folding laundry, emptying bins,  putting towels in the washing machine and fussing the kitty. You can see her stalking me in the above photo, just waiting for me to stand up so she could resume her pestering for food.

12:30 pm :: the eldest child surfaces and comes to say hello. He arrived home from Tunisia in the small hours and it was lovely to see him home safe and to hear about his holiday. He went on a boat trip and saw dolphins! drove a quad bike out in the desert! visited historic buildings! and haggled in the local market to buy me a birthday gift ^^ awwww, so unexpected and the sweetest thing. Just thinking about my six foot tall, twenty one year old on a lads holiday, shopping to buy his mum a gift, well, my heart almost exploded.

1:30pm :: I'm getting myself organised and packing for yet another trip away. Yes of course my comfort blanket has to come with me, it's the thing that saves my soul from melting in these turbulent times.

2 pm :: Another week, another train journey....

2:20pm :: ....saying goodbye to Yorkshire for a bit as I journey south.

5:40 pm :: Arriving in London, stepping out into the busy, bustling square outside Kings Cross Station. Two trains down, now two more trains to cross the underground, and then a fifth and final train to take me south west to Dorset.

9:20 pm :: My bed for the night. I'm back in the Premier Inn, just staying one night before I take the bus to Bridport in the morning. I like these kind of clean, basic chain hotels - they are unfussy and predictable and I always sleep well. I'm sat in bed now with a cup of tea, and I'm glad I can chat to you while I'm here. It's like I'm temporarily back in the Attic and there is comfort in knowing I'm not alone...the next few days are going to be especially difficult, so please do send me some positive vibes, thank you in advance :)

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 16

Blogtober day 16 :: Monday

A productive start to my week, a day spent pottering and pootling and Sorting Stuff Out. Some days you've just gotta knuckle down and deal with life admin, or else things begin to slip slide into chaos. I realised today that my life was on a definite downward slope, so managed to tick a few important things off the never ending list. Booking things, replying to things, phoning people, emailing people. Ducks in a row - this week is going to be busy and I need to be semi-organised to cope with it.

J and I went on a little walk this morning, quite late for us, I think it must've been almost 11am by the time we made it into the woods.

No mistaking the feeling of autumn in the air, although I'm glad that the trees are still green at the moment. There is the odd tinge of coppery brown in the beech trees here and there, but I think it'll be a good few weeks before we see any real autumn colour.

 I did find this leaf on the ground which I thought was ever so pretty, almost as if it had been painted.

I love this view so much, I know I've shared it with you before. It always stops me in my tracks, making me think how pretty this little town is, nestled into the hilly Yorkshire countryside that surrounds it.

On our way home from the woodland we stopped in at the coffee shop which is like a home from home. The upstairs café room is so cosy with its wide planked wooden floors, William Morris wallpaper and mismatched old furniture. In the above photo I'm sitting with J on a comfy, coffee brown leather sofa, and about to tuck into that very fine looking Portuguese tart. I don't think I will ever stop loving these little pastries, I eat one almost every day.

Just after lunch I went out to do the grocery shopping, walking along the canal and remembering the hundreds of times I walked this daily route taking the Little People to and from primary school. So many memories, I walked this route twice a day for over thirteen years.

I made a big batch of minestrone soup in the slow cooker this afternoon, gosh it was so comforting to have the smell of it wafting through the house as it cooked. Also - breaking up spaghetti into tiny little pieces ready to add to the soup for the last half hour of cooking - that was immensely satisfying. I can't even tell you the level of satisfaction I gained just by snapping spaghetti. Can recommend as an afternoon activity, even if you're not making soup, just snap spaghetti into a bowl and feel good about it.

J had a proper good moan about the state of the bananas in the fruit bowl this morning - true, they were looking rather past their prime and were a little bruised in places. He refused to eat them, saying he couldn't cope with brown bananas (they had been in the bowl for well over a week), so I decided to mash'em and bake something bananary.

I settled on muffins, with added choc chips which I just so happened to have lurking in the back of the baking drawer. I used this recipe which I found online and it was very straightforward. Being in the UK, I used self raising flour and left out the baking powder, but I did add baking soda. I've no idea if this is right or not, but the muffins rose beautifully and came out really light and fluffy.

I ate one straight away while it was still steaming from the oven and it was deliciously good and yes, waaaaay better than saggy brown bananas sitting all forlorn in the fruit bowl. Now I've got to try and be sensible about not eating all the others. I froze four of them, because the recipe said you could, and I like the idea of thawing one out and heating it in the microwave to eat with a cup of coffee on a cold frosty morning. 

I think that's about it for my day today - oh - there's some very good news of the domestic variety. J took apart our tumble drier that broke last week, worked out what was broken and ordered two new parts on Amazon (£23.50). This afternoon the parts arrived and he quietly got on with fixing it and I'm so bloomin' proud of him for doing it. I'm also thrilled to have my second favourite appliance back in action (my number one white appliance is the dishwasher, hands down I love that thing). 

And that's a wrap for Monday the sixteenth of October. Thanks so much for your company.

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ps spaghetti snapping - am I right???! Satisfaction guaranteed.

 

 

 

Blogtober 2023 :: Day 15

Blogtober Day 15 :: Sunday

Sunday walking - it's a thing for many families I expect. It's a good day of the week to get out and about, to round out the weekend with some gentle exercise, fresh air and beautiful scenery before we get back to the business of work and school. We decided yesterday that we would like to drive out and walk in the Yorkshire Dales today, specifically based around one of the National Park car parks because we now have our shiny new car parking pass. So we settled on Malham as it's not that far from the Attic, about 11 miles or so, and there is a very lovely five mile circular walk that we like to do there.

As you can see from the above photo, it was blinkin' freeeezing this morning, literally zero degrees kind of freezing with a hard frost. But it was such a deliciously clear and sunny day that the icy frostiness wasn't a bother at all. 

I'm going to take you walking with me now....I'll try and let the photos tell the story and not ramble too much at you.

The car is parked in the village car park (using our parking pass, hooray), and we set out walking across fields, following the flow of the little stream. Into the woods we go, a narrow path that follows the contours of the huge rocks....

....isn't it pretty?

It was very mossy, and I do so love a lush mossy landscape.

Ahh....here we are at the magical Janet's Foss waterfall. It is said that this place is enchanted, and yes, there is a certain fairy tale feel in the air here.

Back out into the open now, and the landscape is really beautiful. Lots of dry stone walls and the most stunning Limestone scenery.

We need to start climbing now, the footpath heads sharply up the grassy hill as we pass through old gates, climb over stiles and amble along stony little tracks.

I spotted this one lonesome Harebell flower blowing gently in the wind, that delicate shade of blue really is lovely.

We've been climbing a while, and now we can see the famous limestone pavement which forms the top of Malham Cove.

It's strange when you first step onto the pavement because it's not at all easy to walk on. It's made up of huge blocks (they are officially called "clints") which are separated by very deep gaps called "grykes", so you have to sort of step and jump your way across.

I like to make my way to the edge (not too close because J absolutely freaks out if I do) - the views out across the Malhamdale valley are stunning.

The pavement is pretty wide and you're only seeing a small part of it here. I composed my photo carefully because actually it was extremely busy on the cove today. It's around 11.30am, and honestly it's noisy with loud people shouting to each other with loud voices. I felt a little sad that it wasn't the peaceful experience that I had hoped for.

But never mind, I can shut out the noisy chatter and appreciate the marvellous and crazy landscape I'm walking on...

...I mean, it's wonderful this ancient limestone, isn't it? Formed by ice and water over many thousands of years.

We did stop a while on the cove to eat an early picnic lunch with a view, oh it was so nice. Ham and cheese rolls, a satsuma and a little bit of chocolate, and a travel mug with hot milky coffee. Mmmmm.

Time for us to start the descent now - and this is a stepping affair. Lots and lots and lots of steps - four hundred and twenty to be precise. You know I love steps actually, so it was fun to be trip-trapping down them for such a long way.

It didn't take us long to reach the bottom, and now we can go and see the cove in all it's magnificent humungous glory.....

....WOW....I just can't think of any better word to describe it here. It really is wow.

80 metres of rock face, formed by a waterfall carrying meltwater from glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age more than 12,000 years ago (thank you Wikipedia). 

Gosh, you can see how many people are on their way to the cove at the time we were leaving, it was honestly so busy. But I guess justifiably so, it really is a spectacular place to visit, especially when the weather is this good.

We ended our walk with a stop at this lovely old pub in the village for a refreshing drink sitting outside in the sun. 

It was a lovely outing, just the three of us today as our two eldest offspring are both away. The Big boy-child is in Tunisia on a sunny holiday with six of his friends, and Little Lady is up in Glasgow visiting a friend who's just started at University there. Little B is teetering on the edge of full blown Teenage-dom (he will be 14 in January) and tends to be unpredictable with his moods. Sometimes he's absurdly chatty, other times (like today) he is introverted and quiet. He's good company though, and a great walker, strong and energetic. I do like that he comes with us still, and wonder how long it'll be before he says nah...no thanks..not today....when we make plans to go walking? I'm making the most of his company while I still have it.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 14

Blogtober day 14 :: Saturday

It's been a cold autumn day here in Atticland (and it's predicted to drop to zero degrees tonight), but there has been some very welcome sunshine and blue skies overhead. 

Our routine on a Saturday morning doesn't really alter from week to week and I've come to appreciate the predictability of it. We always walk into town to do our market shopping (fruit/veg and cheese) and to buy fresh bread and usually something for our evening meal. It's a lovely, familiar, chatty affair as we have gotten to know the market traders well over the years and there is always plenty of banter. When our bags are laden with food, we head back along the canal side, making our way to one of our favourite cosy little cafés for Saturday morning coffee and breakfast.

Do you remember the hump backed road bridge I showed you the other day, when I stopped in the rain to photograph it? You can see the sunnyside version of it in the photo above. Well - I thought I would take a little scenic detour on the way to the café and walk underneath it today to show you......

The pedestrian footpath runs underneath the bridge on one side and is very narrow with some old stone steps leading around to a wide paved area on the right. Little B used to love walking under here when he was small, I guess it is quite exciting for a weeny person. I mean, why use a normal pavement and cross the road when you can duck under a bridge and walk right under the road instead?

The café was warm and sunny and busy, and we were lucky to get a table because it's not a very big place and fills up quickly on a Saturday. I love the coffee here, it's strong and full of flavour and really hits the spot. 

When I got home I unpacked the bags, putting away our haul of fruit and veg. Today we had plums, satsumas, pears, bananas, vine tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and a red onion.

We use these jute bags when we go to the market, they are really strong and practical and I have about six of them with different designs. I collected them years ago when Tesco did a collaboration with designer Orla Kiely and I love them. The kitty was in a playful mood and once I'd emptied out the bag she jumped straight in and refused to come out.

Our tumble drier broke earlier in the week so I'm having to manage without the convenience of it which is quite hard to be honest. I pegged a load of laundry out this morning, but at this time of year the sun doesn't reach our yarden until late afternoon so the clothes tend to stay damp for hours on end. Plus we had an unexpected brief downpour of rain mid afternoon, too sudden for me to rush out and gather in the still-damp clothes. Argh, it was so annoying. In the end we did something quite drastic......we actually put the central heating on for the first time since the spring. YES! Even though it's been chilly this week, we've been trying to get by without the heating for a little while longer, but today we caved and booted up our sleepy boiler. I hung all the clothes on an airer next to the radiator in the dining room and hopefully they will now dry with the warmth seeping into the house. Gosh it's been so nice to be warm!

I enjoyed some quiet sofa time this afternoon, snuggled up with the kitty and a mug of peppermint tea.

Oh, she is so bloomin' adorable at times - that paw-over-the-nose business is just beyond cute.

I felt very sleepy this afternoon, but kept myself awake and managed to crochet one whole stripe. Some days my hands are quite stiff (they really don't like the cold) and so I take my time with my stitches and enjoy a much slower hooky pace. 

I haven't been keeping count of my stripes, I've been following my own stripe order but not counting rows or anything. It turns out I've now crocheted 38 stripes, so I thought I'd lay it out and take a photograph to see how it's looking.

Oh, I like it! Actually, I love it, it really does remind me of Advent and all those Decembers in years gone by.

I hope you've had a good day even if it's been full of quiet routine and nothing much of note, just like my day has been. But aren't we lucky if our days roll out with ease? I am grateful for ease, always.

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Blogtober 2023: Day 13

Blogtober day 13 :: Friday (but sharing more photos from yesterday!)

Ahhhh, Scarborough......such a short visit, but long enough for me to be certain that I'll be back again in the not too distant future. Getting to wake up on my birthday by the sea was a wonderful gift, and walking on the beach at 7.30am in that beautiful golden sunlight was everything I had hoped for.

I am used to being up and out in the early morning, as you know I take a walk most days 7-8am. The above photo was me sitting on a bench just before 8am having a moment of pure gratitude and happiness. 

I really do just love ambling around when I'm by the coast, and I like the feeling of freedom when you don't really have a specific agenda. I walked back and forth, first heading south along the beach, then realising that I didn't want to go too far in one direction because I had limited time for exploring yesterday morning. So back I went, still down at sea level, and luckily as you can see the tide was right out, otherwise the above walkway would have been completely under water.

I walked right out onto the still wet sands at the end of south bay, looking up to see the line of tall Victorian houses where my little apartment was (I marked it out in the above photo so you can get an impression of where I was staying).

The morning light was really beautiful, so bright and clear and sharp, and the buildings reflected in the sea-soaked sands totally captivated my attention. There were a few dog walkers on the beach, and a brave lady heading out to swim, but mostly I felt like I had the place to myself. It was incredibly tranquil.

As much as I loved being on the beach, I decided to make my way back upwards as I wanted to explore more of the south cliff and see if I could find the Italian Garden that I had read about. 

There are many different routes you can take to go upwards - various interconnecting zig-zag pathways and stone steps lead you up above the beach and the various old buildings here (which include the rather grand Spa building).

For an avid walker like me, having all these pathways was superb - I happen to weirdly really enjoy climbing steps too, I've no idea why, but I just do. I discovered that Scarborough is a town absolutely chockablock full of steps (and benches which I also love), so really I felt like I hit the walking jackpot!

Steps and pretty pathways galore around the south cliff, and look.......I found the Italian Gardens.......

They were so much more than I was expecting, and kind of hidden away amongst the trees, like a beautifully kept secret. They were immaculate too, and obviously tended to with a lot of love and care. 

It really was enchanting.

It was still earlyish (before 9am) and very quiet indeed. There were lots of squirrels going about their business, they were very tame so I imagine they are well used to seeing visitors here in their garden.

I absolutely loved this peaceful little place, and thought how much the Little People would have loved it when they were little. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I have such grown up offspring, it catches me by surprise every now and again.

Exploring the south cliff was a revelation, it felt very rural somehow, even though it's probably only a mile or so outside the bustling resort centre.

I came across this wonderful old shelter, a common thing to find in popular British seaside resorts. I absolutely love them, they always seem so old fashioned, and yet at the same time, such a bloomin' good idea! As you know, the weather in this country can be very unpredictable and the frequent wet weather makes normal outdoor benches unusable when it's raining.....

....so building a pretty shelter for benches just makes perfect sense. They have open sides (no glass) so you get uninterrupted views and well, I think they are wonderful.

I continued my walk, meandering along curvy pathways.....

.....through sun dappled trees....

....with tantalising views of the sea beyond. I honestly could have spent hours just walking and walking and walking, but sadly my time was fast running out and I had to head back to collect my bags and make my way to the train.

Walking back to my apartment, I was so in awe of the architecture here on the south side. This is the Esplanade which is a long stretch of road overlooking the sea, and the buildings are very impressive indeed. Imagine living in an apartment in one of these historic buildings, with light flooding in through those enormous windows, and stunning views of the sea.....wow....it would be heavenly.

The word that springs to mind is "Grand" - yes, there was a hefty dose of grandeur all along the Esplanade.

Even the street lights were super pretty!

Making my way back into town and the hustle and bustle of the busy resort made me realise that I made the right decision to stay a little way out of the centre where the streets were quiet and I could hear the sound of the sea. I really value spending a period of restorative time alone and find it does me a lot of good from time to time. After two days I felt totally recharged and re-energised, and that had been my main aim when I made the spontaneous decision to go away and spend time by the sea. 

Mission accomplished.

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ps...thank you so much for all the lovely Birthday wishes you sent my way yesterday, so kind of you! Thank you xx