Sunday 26th November 2017

It is rare to have both days of a weekend be blessed with such good weather at this time of the year. But this was such a weekend, and after spending Saturday shopping and listening to the football and snoozing. Sunday was going to be very different, heck, I was even willing to delay watching MOTD until later in the day, maybe even Monday!

But there has to be bacon.

So I rustle up bacon butties, made with lots of crispy smoked streaky rashers, as should be the way. I am turning into a Dane, I swear.

Once the sun is above the other side of the dip, warm rays of glorious winter sunshine pour through into the kitchen. I make Jools', then grill mine, just to the point of perfect crispiness, washed down with a fresh brew. Then, once dressed we are ready to go out.

We know of so many fine places for a walk, which one to choose? Well, as Jools said she also wanted to have ice cream, and the best two places we know of are both in Herne Bay. So if we were to walk at East Blean, then it was a short drive afterwards into the town for ice cream. And being before nine in the morning, we could take the shortest route through Canterbury out to Sturry and then up the downs towards the north coast.

Canterbury was pleasantly quiet, we were round the inner ring road and through the retail parks and out towards Stuffy, and happily enough being stopped at the level crossing to see a RHTT pass through. Train! The up through a couple of small villages, before turning off to East Blean.

East Blean is best known for the successful campaign to save on of the country's rarest butterflies, the Heath Fritillary. None there this time of the weekend, just long muddy paths through ankle deep drifts of yellow and orange leaves. Always on the lookout for fungi and/or photographic opportunities.

We wander along, not really knowing where we were going, just following signs heading further and further from the car park.

We meet a few people on the way, but mostly there was just the two of us, just out enjoying the morning, looking at the birds, fungi, trees and stuff.

Back at the car I find I have managed to stand in some dogs eggs. I say back at the car, it was in the car driving to Herne Bay that I discovered, thanks to the smell. But hey, its the countryside and all that.

In Herne Bay we park near to one of the ice cream parlours, but instead of eating there, we walk down the prom, past the harbour, empty of water due to the low tide. At the old bandstand, there is a cafe and parlour situated in it, and it was there that we ordered our ice creams: Jools has a hot cherry sundae, and I have some chocolate one with an Oreo cookie in it.

When they arrive, both are huge, as their size had been doubled by the use of a can of spray cream. We were never going to finish them, but the chap on the next table was interested to see if we would. He chided us for only eating half, but it turns out that ice cream at half ten in the morning isn't such a good idea.

We leave our half full/empty sundaes and walk to the pier. Or what's left of it, as most was swept away years ago, and half a mile off shore, the head of it sits forlorn, now just a seabird roost.

We walk back to the car, and make our way back to Dover along the Thanet Way, then across the marshes to Preston, Sandwich to Whitfield where we had hoped to see Jen, but she wasn't in, so instead we go home for coffee and a lie down due to a case of acute ice cream poisoning.

Of course there was football on the radio, and on the i player. I struggle to stay awake watching Chelsea and Liverpool battle out a 1-1 draw.

Dinner was to be Boston Ribs; a new thing at the butcher. A bone in rib eye, huge too, a good couple of inches thick, and even if cooked rare took at least four minutes each side. Once cooked and served with garlic mushrooms and fried potatoes, and was amazing. Huge, obviously. But the steak was huge, enough for two meals, but I made it vanish. Although it would require some sitting on the sofa lolling at the TV. What with it being a Robot Wars night, no worries there.

And again, that was your weekend, all gone.