Autumn Waterside Walk

We are really blessed to have so many lovely walks within a very short drive from where we live and one that we keep going back to is part of the Wherrymans Way south of Norwich.  It's gentle and flat and there's always something to see - whether it's the cruisers up and down the river and Rockland Broad, or the birdlife, or - at this time of year - the autumn colours.  I've even seen barn owls flying quite close by.   And Finn loves it because he gets a swim - not during the actual walk as the banks are quite high and he doesn't like jumping in, but at the end we have to walk past a slipway to get back to the car, so he always wades in from there and has a lovely swim.   We do like our routines!

North Walsham Farewell

Mum and Dad have been in their new house for a month and they seem really settled - it's a beautiful little cottage with a sweet walled garden on a very quiet road in the village of North Elmham - they have moved from North Norfolk to West Norfolk and couldn't be happier.  A couple of weeks before their move, I popped to see them in North Walsham to take some photos of their garden - I wasn't so emotionally attached to the house itself but the garden was something else.  And I'll always have some fab memories - from the "graves" (the name given by Shannon to the raised beds!) to the "secret naked bouncy castle garden".  

I think this was the first pergola that Dad built - he's since built mine too with the help of Nicholas.   Mine was my birthday present in the first year I lived in this house and we had a "Ground Force" weekend - all hands on deck to transform my garden with plants and pergola.  I think I provided lunch.  It seems such a long time ago now - five years!

Mum and Dad got me into roses too - I always thought before that they were a bit "obvious", but Mum and Dad had an amazing selection over their trellis and arch, and they really inspired me to get my own.

Dad had recently taken down the trellis and most of the roses had gone, but there were still some bush roses in the "graves".   For Mum and Dad's 40th anniversary, we all clubbed together to buy them three roses with the word "Ruby" in the title - Ruby Wedding, Ruby Anniversary and one other, the name of which escapes me now.  But it was nine years ago, so I can't possibly remember that far back!

So, a little sad to see the back of this garden, but am really looking forward to seeing what transpires in North Elmham and hope to spend a bit of time sitting in their summer house, looking out at everything.  (Finn and Sid already love the rosemary bush as they keep walking through it - both boys smell gorgeous each time we go over!)

Essex Seawall

From our caravan at St Lawrence on the Blackwater estuary, we could access the seawall directly through the caravan park so, on a cold and blustery, but bright, morning, Finn and I headed out for a walk.  

We could only get so far along the seawall one way before retracing our steps - the houses along here have large gardens running down to the beach with walls stopping any further progress.   Finn did get a bit of a paddle - in mud.   It honestly looked like sand which is why I let him off the lead.  I soon wished I hadn't!

It was pretty bleak as we headed out towards Bradwell - and was getting steadily cooler and greyer, so we didn't hang about.   It was lovely and quiet - we didn't see any other walkers - and very atmospheric.   I almost expected to bump into Magwitch, the escaped convict from Dickens' Great Expectations - but on re-reading the opening chapters on my return home, it turns out that he met Pip on the Kent marshes and I was in the wrong county for that!

The houses and farms around here are enormous, but I just couldn't imagine living out here - it's just too bleak.  That's not to say it was unattractive, but I just don't think I could be that much of a hermit.

I was pretty powerless to keep Finn out of the mud and he was disgusting by the end of our walk - so much so that I had to shut him in the boot of the car while I headed into the caravan to get his shampoo to give him a bath.  Bloody dog!

Have you ever seen such a pathetic face?!   

Anniversary #15

During our week in Essex, Andy managed to get the Wednesday off work - on the proviso that he had to work on the Saturday instead - sorry love!  So we had a very chilled out day in and around Maldon - a bit of sightseeing, a bit of retail therapy, a tearooms for a coffee.

But mostly eating!  We found a sweet country pub on the way back to the caravan from Maldon - one that we could take Finn into as well.

And as if this wasn't enough, we'd bought cheese and biscuits and some port in the morning to have for our tea that night.  

The most perfect day - very relaxed and not doing much of anything.   Just wish we could have more of them.

Holiday Randoms - Essex

Our second week's holiday was very different to Cornwall - we had a few days near Maldon, in Essex, and we don't know that area very much at all, so it was all about exploring this week.   (Before we set off for Cornwall, I knew exactly what we were going to do while there because I'm pretty familiar with that area - and it was all about revisiting old haunts and not having to think too much!)   The caravan we had in Essex was an eight berth set up with two bathrooms!   And set by the Blackwater estuary - really peaceful, just how I like it.

I felt quite "wifey" this week - Andy couldn't take any time off (except the Wednesday which was our fifteenth anniversary) and, because he's working in central London at the moment and commuting in and out, Finn and I were left to our own devices during the day and I'd start cooking about six each evening, so that I could have Andy's tea on the table when he got in from work at eight.   The weather changed pretty drastically this week, so we were generally out walking in wild and woolly conditions in the morning, and then back at the caravan for about two or three o'clock in the afternoon, ready to sit in the front of the fire with knitting or book.  

I didn't take very many photos this week as the weather was quite grim and we didn't have much in the way of views, even when we ventured as far as Walton on the Naze and Frinton.   We did quite a bit of driving to get anywhere - our caravan park was "near" Maldon, but out at St Lawrence Bay, so we were back and forth on the same road to get to Maldon, from where we could drive on main roads.  Some beautiful houses out there, but I think it would be incredibly bleak in the winter.  I did, however, spot this lovely cottage so had to pull over to take photos.   This is how I would like my garden to look - the reality is, of course, somewhat different!

Crackington Haven

Two of my most favourite beaches are up on the North Cornwall coast so, on a pretty grim day, Finn and I drove cross country from South East Cornwall up and over the moors towards Bude.  The weather was appalling - grey and raining hard - and the scenery was very atmospheric and eerie.  The sun had come out by the time we got to Widemouth Bay but it was still raining, although only lightly by now.

Finn had a good run and a swim - albeit in the rock pools and not the sea.  I think it was too choppy, even for Finn.   It's such a dramatic stretch of coastline up here - very rugged - and the beaches go on for miles.   Dogs are only allowed on the beaches from October to April, which is what determines when we take our holidays.  But Widemouth always seems to be busy - the last time we were here was in November 2012, but there were always plenty of people about, even at that time of the year.  

After an hour or so, I was getting pretty cold, although Finn was showing no sign of giving up.  So I bundled him into the car and we drove to Crackington Haven.  By this time, the rain had stopped and it was warm enough to actually sit on the beach - although I was wearing quite a few layers as it wasn't that warm!

I could have stayed here forever, but the beach was beginning to fill up with lots of other dogs - which wasn't a problem, but they were all teeny tiny dogs and Finn is such a bully!   He loves small dogs and they seem to like him too, but I never feel totally comfortable - he can be a wee bit unpredictable sometimes, so it's best to keep them all apart.  Besides, he'd run around for hours by then and I wanted a cream tea!   There are two beach cafes at Crackington and we generally go to the one just behind the pub - it was getting colder, but just warm enough to sit out and have a coffee and scones, before manhandling Finn back into the car - he really didn't want to go! - and buying a couple of Cornish pasties to transport back to Heathrow for mine and Andy's tea the following evening.  

Such a lovely week - as always - I could quite easily move down here.  It's such a long way to drive from Norwich, or even Heathrow, but always totally worth it.