Conkers

In Cambridge yesterday with T1 (my eldest son) we were walking along into the city centre and we passed some conker trees. There were loads of conkers on the tree and on the ground. I immediately started picking some up and thinking wow, loads of conkers and no small boys with sticks!
T1 looked on, slightly bemused then said 'I'm not playing conkers with you, you know', 'why not' I said. 'Because I'm not a small boy and because there is no skill in playing conkers'.
He's right, probably, although I'm glad that I remember being really excited when young about collecting conkers. T1 then said 'I suppose there was nothing else to do in the 70s' which again was true. However he did then reminisce about how we used to collect conkers when he was little and how he had a little plastic wheelbarrow with lots of conkers in it :)
I said that we used to count them for numeracy skills. He looked at me disdainfully.....




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Empty Nest - disrupted and alternative

Today should have been the first day of my 'empty nest'. Both of my sons have successfully gone off to university. This is an achievement that I have been aiming for and working towards for the last 21 years. Well, maybe not the exact goal of university but the aim that 21 years after your first child is born and 18.5 years after the second then they would both be able to live away from home if they wanted to.
So far so good but the only thing is that I have left home too, to go and work at Edinburgh University. So the empty nest still exists at home but I'm not in it all the time.
It has meant that lots of things have changed and I'm not sure how it's going to work out. At the moment everyone is good, apart from the cat is disgruntled as she has had to go to live at my Mum's and just come home some weekends.





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Orford

Orford has been a beautiful place for a holiday. We have been very fortunate with the weather as its been sunny nearly every day. I've enjoyed the quay and the boats - just idly watching them.






Walking around the village and through the village especially at night when there are hardly any street lights has been peaceful and restful.







I've loved the abundance of hollyhocks and wisteria - I so want a house with wisteria and hollyhocks.... The churchyard has been appealing for the soft coloured stone and wild churchyard.






and the pastries....

Day 7 #summerhols2012

Today was gloriously sunny right from the start. We decided to go to Dunwich Heath which is on the coast on the way to Southwold and is national trust land. It was a beautiful place - heather and gorse and the pebble beach. It was too hot and shade less to go for a walk so we sat on the beach and I paddled.






We went for a late lunch at a pub at Westleton. It was much nicer than expected and more of a hotel. Good food and a nice beer garden. In the village was a great quirky second hand book shop with some old penguin crime books. We had a walk round the churchyard - another wild flower wilderness and had a quick look in the church. Cool in both senses of the word.












We came home via Woodbridge to get some food for tea and sandwiches.
We took our tea down to the quay and sat and watched the boats.



We walked along the coast path then across the field back to the castle and the village....and the pub.

Day 6 #summerhols2012

Today we went to the Pump Street Bakery for coffee/tea and pastries and to catch up on emails. The pastry I had was enormous - a bear claw and on any other day I would have felt very guilty but today I knew we had lots of walking to do.
After a quick small lunch we set off and got the National Trust ferry from the quay to Orford Ness. It is a fascinating place - a nature reserve now but used in the past for atomic weapon research and there are various buildings and debris from ballistic testing.
We walked the red route which goes to various buildings including the information building then across the bridge.






Across the shingle to the lighthouse and the sea






Then past the police tower and the black beacon









It is a wild and beautiful landscape - sort of eerie because of the vast open space and the disused buildings and random objects strewn around.






We walked a long way but it was great and we could have spent longer just being there and standing and staring.

Day 5 #summerhols2012

Today we went to Southwold. We started off on the pier and had tea and cake.
Geoff tried out the alternative amusements such as the Auto Frisk much to my embarrassment.






We then walked along the beach which was beautiful and I paddled.



I haven't managed to visit any libraries so far but we did go in the Sailors Reading Room.






We walked into the town and got a takeaway salad from the delicatessen and sat in the churchyard to eat it. The church looked beautiful and so we went to explore it. There was an organ recital going on so we listened for a bit and then looked round.






We were going to visit the museum as it had been recommended but it was closed due to flooding....



We went to the Adnams brewery cafe and kitchen shop and sampled the gin and beer icecream :)

Next we drove to Walberswick and went to the beach. Although pebbles it was great for paddling (have still not persuaded Geoff to paddle).






On the way home we stopped in Woodbridge for something to eat. We went to the Riverside Cafe Restaurant which is part of the cinema and theatre. The food was really good. I had scallops and pea purée which is one of my favorites and then I was defeated by sea bass and crab linguine.






We looked at the station and the boats then came home tired out after a happy, sunny day.

Day 5 #summerhols2012

Today we went to Southwold. We started off on the pier and had tea and cake.
Geoff tried out the alternative amusements such as the Auto Frisk much to my embarrassment.






We then walked along the beach which was beautiful and I paddled.



I haven't managed to visit any libraries so far but we did go in the Sailors Reading Room.






We walked into the town and got a takeaway salad from the delicatessen and sat in the churchyard to eat it. The church looked beautiful and so we went to explore it. There was an organ recital going on so we listened for a bit and then looked round.






We were going to visit the museum as it had been recommended but it was closed due to flooding....



We went to the Adnams brewery cafe and kitchen shop and sampled the gin and beer icecream :)

Next we drove to Walberswick and went to the beach. Although pebbles it was great for paddling (have still not persuaded Geoff to paddle).






On the way home we stopped in Woodbridge for something to eat. We went to the Riverside Cafe Restaurant which is part of the cinema and theatre. The food was really good. I had scallops and pea purée which is one of my favorites and then I was defeated by sea bass and crab linguine.






We looked at the station and the boats then came home tired out after a happy, sunny day.