The cats woke us up at seven as the heating switched on. It has taken some years, but they are learning to lay in, at least this time of the year when it is dark in the morning until at least eight.
Jools got up, made coffee, and soon the smell of fresh coffee was making its way up the stairs. Better get up then. We had a coffee, some fruit, some more coffee. I watched MOTD, then on the stroke of half nine we got our stuff together and made to go out. What with the ongoing projects to photograph orchids, trains, churches, pubs and the such, it means that we have not visited some places for a while. And one of those places is Broadstairs. Its a fine town, set round a semi-circular sandy bar, liked with bars and restaurants. It also is Dickens Central, in that there is hardly a house he did not stay in at one time or another. There are bars, pubs, shops all with Dickens-related names. And then there is Bleak House, where the man himself lived.
Getting to Broadstairs, avoiding the mall at Westwood Cross means driving through Ramsgate, then along the coast road, before turning down the narrow shopping area and finding a place to park. It was a glorious day, almost unbroken sunshine, stretching long shadows over the land. So, making the most of the splendid day we drive through Deal, onto Sandwich then onto Ramsgate. There was not much other traffic about, so travel was pleasant, until we got to the roundabout at the Lord of the Manor, but then it alsways is fun there with the grand prix starts when the lights go green.
In the end we park in a car park in the centre of town, much better than finding a space on the side of the road, and a couple of pounds for a couple of hours, not bad value.
We walk along to Bleak House, walking to the fence along the cliff, we look down onto Stone Bay, and see it is low tide, and looks chuffing glorious. There is a slope leading down the cliff, so we walk down there, and onto the wide sandy beach, which is scattered by chalk. Many people are about, just walking with their family or pet dogs. It is wonderful to be out, warm enough out of the light breeze, and feeling almost springlike, with just the long shadows giving truth to that lie.
I am taken with the patterned sea wall, all diamond shapes, and standing out well with the deep shadows. As we near the harbour, we can smell bacon cooking. A smell to make anyone hungry, and as we had just had fruit for breakfast, we followed our noses to a small cafe where there was no one sitting at any of the three tables. We go in and order a small breakfast each, sit down sipping on our cuppas whilst someone else did the cooking. Lovely jubbly.
Once we had eaten, we went back out to explore Viking Bay, the main area of Broadstairs, the bay around which the town is spread. It is low tide, and the action of long shore drift means that the small harbour is now full of sand, and there is just room for four boats in the lea of the harbour wall.
Still, it is great to be out and about, walking round the half moon bay, then walking up the slope beyond the bandstand, walking back along the cliffs to the car. We agree that we were walked out, and we should go home, it would take at least half an hour, and in that time it would then be tea o'clock.
I settled down to look at my shots, Jools went to visit Nan, and so it was just me and the football on the radio. However, at three I decide it is high time I get back on the cross-trainer, and pump some lard. The i pod was still charged, so off I went, not really bothered about the football on the radio.
We had cold pizza for dinner. That and beer. Took all of two minutes to prepare, and was great, even better when it was fresh the evening before. Outside it was dark, the cats did not want to go out, as it was cold, and so the final hours of the weekend slipped though our fingers.
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